JAZZ REVIEW : Don Menza Ensemble Solidly in the Mainstream at Alfonse’s

Playing with a loose-when-necessary precision and an insistent hard-sock swing, saxophonist-composer-arranger Don Menza led his gathered-intermittently big band through originals and jazz standards at Alfonse’s in North Hollywood Monday night, giving the all-seats-taken crowd a solid taste of succulent mainstream jazz.

Though Menza’s arrangements and orchestrations rarely approach the subtlety and scope of works by, say, Bill Holman or Toshiko Akiyoshi, his music does burst forth with a joyous, enthusiastic simplicity. On the occasions where he keenly employs his ear for blending combinations of brass and reeds, he can concoct passages that have a delicate beauty.

The first-set opener, “Take the ‘A’ Train,” began with pianist Tom Garvin’s gritty, cooking lines and then segued to a melody reading that pitted slurred saxes and crisp, biting brass. A fluid solo from the leader led to a too-brief outing from trumpeter Chuck Findley, who used thick, chunky notes and well-constructed lines in telling a very personal story.

“Groovin’ Hard,” a Menza warhorse, was perhaps the most typical of the leader’s oeuvre. This 32-bar tune with a mountain of blues flavor was sparked by a Menza solo as well as one by fellow tenorist Larry Covelli, who, while not as nimble-fingered as his boss, created some powerful moments. The two then engaged in toss-it-back-and-forth passages that sounded as much like conversation as they did music.

Elsewhere, trombonist Bill Reichenbach--on “Groovin’ Hard” and a minor blues--demonstrated his prowess as a complex-lined, extremely smooth and communicative be-bop stylist, and trumpeter Don Rader delivered a warm, singing statement on Mancini’s “Moment to Moment.” The bullet-train tempo of “Caravan,” where the leader was right at home and trumpeter Ron King scored, was an ideal set closer. Bassist Frank De La Rosa and drummer Bob Leatherbarrow kept the home fires burning.

It would be interesting to see Menza’s evolution as a composer and orchestrator were he to front this ensemble on a much more regular basis.