Horta Blends Brazilian Ideas Seamlessly Into Own Sound

Some of the best hybrid music to come from an American jazz guitarist is the Brazilian-flavored work of Pat Metheny. So it’s not too surprising that one of the finer new albums by a Brazilian musician with strong American ties can be found in “Moonstone” by Toninho Horta, a longtime friend of Metheny.

Unlike musicians who casually borrow a bossa nova rhythm or entire Brazilian song, guitarist-vocalist Horta makes music that captures the light, pure spirit evoked by his Brazilian mentors: Jorge Ben, Joao Gilberto, Milton Nascimento, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Horta also names American guitarists Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel as major influences, along with an unlikely source of inspiration: Henry Mancini.

Horta, who plays the Bacchanal Wednesday on his first U.S. tour, blends these ideas seamlessly into his own sound. A prodigious composer, he wrote all but one of the songs on the new album. On guitar, Horta can finger-pick light, Brazilian rhythms on a nylon-stringed acoustic instrument or conjure jazzier Metheny-ish flourishes from his electric. At times, when playing acoustic guitar and singing in a warm, melodic voice, Horta calls to mind those great ‘60s collaborations between Gilberto and saxophonist Stan Getz.

“Moonstone” is only Horta’s second U.S. album, but he’s a seasoned musician. He first came to this country in the ‘70s to work with Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira and vocalist Flora Purim. He made an impression on musicians, and eventually played with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Pass, Paquito D’Rivera and others.

While Horta’s new album benefits from an all-star cast including Metheny, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Randy Brecker and Russell Ferrante, his road band for the current tour reportedly has been less than perfect, at times overpowering Horta’s delicate singing and playing. Perhaps by the time they hit San Diego, they’ll have made the necessary adjustments.

Only rarely do San Diegans have a chance to hear today’s equivalent of what used to be called “avant-garde” or “Loft” jazz. Until recently, there was no local venue for music not classifiable as either mainstream or commercial jazz.

In recent weeks, the small RUSE Performance Gallery (447 5th Ave.) has been making a name by presenting unusual music and performances.

Now RUSE has put together Ruse Fest ‘89, showcasing the best of cutting-edge culture. It is funded in part by a grant from the San Diego Arts and Cultural Commission. The festival will run seven nights: Oct. 20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 10-11 and 16-18. The first two nights will feature jazz at the San Diego City College Theater (C Street between 13th and 15th streets), with half the proceeds going to KSDS, co-sponsor of the concerts.

Jazz pianist Glenn Horiuchi opens the series Friday night with an original new program composed for Ruse Fest, titled “Burning Embers.”

“Because of my style, I don’t get asked to play clubs that much,” said Horiuchi, who can swing in the best tradition of straight-ahead jazz but often departs into the more abstract territory occupied by players such as Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman.

There aren’t many Asian jazz musicians, and Horiuchi brings an unusual blend of influences to his music. His grandfather performed and wrote traditional Japanese music, and, in the world of jazz, Horiuchi said he looks up to Taylor, Horace Tapscott, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. His music, mostly original, often combines jazz references with Japanese rhythms and tonalities.

What makes Horiuchi a delight to both neophytes and nit-pickers is his technical excellence. Whether he’s playing a far-out improvisation or something in a more familiar vein, he produces a consistently intriguing series of melodic and harmonic explorations.

Adding texture to Horiuchi’s live performance will be Leon Alexander on drums, Francis Wong on sax and flute and Taiji Miyagawa on bass.

“Burning Embers,” a performance of brand-new material, begins at 8 p.m. Friday. For ticket information, call 236-1347 or 234-1062.

RIFFS: Jazz vocalist Cath Eckert and bassist Chris Conner perform this Friday night at 8 at Words & Music Bookstore, 3806 4th Ave., Hillcrest. . . .

New from Elario’s: The club has added a $5 cover charge on weekends. The additional money will be used to maintain a top-notch jazz calendar and, occasionally, to foot the bill for musicians to use their bands instead of a local rhythm section. . . . Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon is appearing with his red-hot band through Sunday. Witherspoon’s second week at Elario’s is in lieu of violinist Papa John Creach, who is touring with the rock group The Dinosaurs. Guitarist Gene Edwards and organist Roy Alexander are helping Witherspoon turn out some mean blues. A quote included by this writer in a feature story about Witherspoon last week was taken out of context: Witherspoon is quite comfortable financially, and even sports a gold Baume & Mercier watch on stage. If you can’t pronounce it, you don’t need to know the price. . . . San Diego-based sax giant Charles McPherson made his first Elario’s appearance in several years when he filled in one night recently for saxophonist Lou Donaldson. . . .

Guitarist Peter Sprague and vocalist Kevyn Lettau will play Diego’s Loft in Pacific Beach this Friday and Saturday. Clarinetist Bobby Gordon and trumpeter John Best will appear at the Loft this Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5. . . .

Singer Elliott Lawrence and “Lites Out Jazz” founder Art Good are teaming up to present a two-day jazz seminar Oct. 24-25 in conjunction with the Learning Annex. Call 544-9700 to register in advance. The cost is $46.50. . . .

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Turiya will be interviewed on KSDS-FM (88.3) Friday at 6:15 p.m.