JAZZ REVIEW : A Rizzi Spin on Charlie Christian

Before the mistake was noticed, a sign outside El Matador on Wednesday announced that the featured group of the evening, Tony Rizzi and His Five Guitars Plus Four, would include special guest Charlie Christian.

That would have been some concert, given that the seminal jazz guitarist died in 1942.

As it turned out, Christian was there, but in spirit only. Rizzi, who lives in Huntington Beach, has spent years transcribing the work of the late guitar master, turning it into arrangements for five guitars and rhythm section. His efforts have been documented on the independently released “Tony Rizzi and His Five Guitars Plus Four Play Charlie Christian” as well as the new “Rose Room” on the Japanese Polytone label. Wednesday night’s performance was a rare chance to see Rizzi, who more frequently appears in duos and trio around Los Angeles, with the nine-piece band to which he has devoted so much time.

Like Supersax, the brass-heavy ensemble that highlights the work of Charlie Parker, Rizzi’s ensemble pays note-by-note homage to the guitarist who is credited with bringing his instrument into modern times. Christian’s career was short--he died from tuberculosis at age 25--and only a handful of documentation, most of it from his stint with Benny Goodman’s band, survives. Collectors treasure recordings of his groundbreaking, be-bop inflected appearances at Minton’s in New York City, and albums of his tenures with Count Basie and Cootie Williams also exist. It’s from this legacy that Rizzi works.

The pieces presented Wednesday followed a general pattern; guitars, in unison, stated the theme and the transcribed Christian solo, with solo space provided for saxophonist Ray Reed and keyboardist Brian O’Rourke. The Christian transcriptions revealed his sense of unpredictable timing and use of interval as well as a spunky sense of swing.

Members of the “wire choir,” as Rizzi called his fellow guitarists--Paul Murphy, Jack Majdecki, Steve Carnelli and Joe Jewell--strummed up a dense, creamy mix with enough looseness to keep it from sounding stiff or rehearsed. Their work on Christian’s “Stardust” solo was especially warm; the reading of “Flying Home” strong, yet quirky despite the swing tempo. In accompaniment, the section recreated Christian’s style of supplying uneasy ground with quivering lines and suggestive placement.

Reed’s alto brought improvisational light to the proceedings, while O’Rourke, though a bit deliberate at times, injected bluesy touches and harmonic interest. But it was bassist John Lietham who came up with the evening’s most inventive solos, mixing long lyrical excursions with sliding tones and breakneck double-stops.

Charlie Christian wasn’t the only innovator spotlighted by Rizzi’s ensemble. The band paid tribute to Miles Davis with the late trumpeter’s “Four,” the guitars bringing an electric edge to the cool construct of Davis’ solo. The pace of Lester Young’s “Tickle Toe,” interrupted at one point by a pair of dramatic breaks, gave the section its biggest challenge. Charlie Parker’s “Moose the Mooch” was driven by drummer Paul Kreibich’s snappy play.

Unfortunately, between poor amplification and the room’s general clatter, most of Rizzi’s introductions to the pieces went unheard. What came through, thanks to the band, was a genuine respect for Christian’s accomplishments. Had the legend himself been there as advertised, he would have been proud.