JAZZ REVIEW : Guerrero and Friends Cook Up a Holiday Jam : About 20 ready-to-party musicians join together for a warm Christmas concert at the Coach House that felt like a family affair.

Like a lot of us, fluegelhornist Tony Guerrero enjoys getting together with the family during the holidays. Wednesday night at the Coach House, he gathered his musical family for a Christmas concert that lasted nearly three hours and ran the gamut from funky, fusion escapades to vocal mixes with involved counterpoint, to an out-of the-tradition jazz jam with a host of enthusiastic soloists.

In all, about 20 musicians had filed across the stage before the evening was over. Despite frequent, running-gag references to the T-shirts being sold near the exit, or calls to some presumably fictitious musician to come out of the audience and join the band, Guerrero deserves credit for keeping the proceedings moving. That, and enough well-paced musical variety, kept the show from seeming as lengthy as it was.

The concert pointed out just how deep and broad the Southern California--and particularly the Orange County--contemporary jazz scene really is. Many of the musicians who joined the festivities, some of whom are nationally recognized, are based in Orange County; others who live in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas are nonetheless familiar to local audiences through their appearances at El Matador in Huntington Beach, Cafe Lido in Newport Beach or the Studio Cafe on the Balboa Peninsula.

Further emphasizing the family-affair nature of the event were the Orange County musicians in the audience, which included keyboardist Peggy Duquesnel, Minimum 3 drummer Evan Stone and bassist Max Bennett, who said he came to hear, among others, Brian Price, the guitarist in Bennett’s band. Before the show, Bennett sang the praises of fellow bassist Brian Bromberg, whose sparkling upright work made for some of the evening’s best moments.

Bromberg, who has been appearing with Guerrero and keyboardist Rob Mullins recently on Wednesdays at Cafe Lido, joined the band for Guerrero’s “Bumpin,’ ” a mainstream funk piece that recalls the early ‘60s Blue Note recordings of Horace Silver, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and others.

The bassist quoted from Eddie Harris’ “Freedom Jazz Dance” early into his solo before putting on an amazing display of staccato runs, finger pops and double stops, all executed with right-on pitch and a resonant, woody tone. Mullins was also on hand for the piece, bringing a rollicking approach to the piano that touched on styles ranging from Willie (the Lion) Smith’s to Cecil Taylor’s.

Probably the best known musician in attendance was Eric Marienthal, who lives in Santa Ana. Marienthal records and tours with Chick Corea’s bands, and his own recordings for the GRP label have also won him an international audience. Still, when he’s in town, he makes a longstanding, weekly gig at the Studio Cafe.

The saxophonist joined Guerrero and a 10-piece ensemble early on for a pair of Guerrero tunes that he stoked to the boiling point with his alto work (before exiting to make the second set with his band at the Studio). Marienthal turned the serene pace of “The Secret Garden” into a searing statement with sustained, vibratoless exclamations from the upper range of his instrument. And the urban funk of “Rude Dude” seemed tailor-made for his aggressive, emotional confessions.

The evening’s other standout moment came from keyboardist Bill Cantos’ arrangement of a medley of songs with Christmas themes--”Away in a Manger,” “Silent Night” and “A Child Is Born.” He was joined by his sister, singer Rita Cartwright, and Kevyn Lettau, who sang “Silent Night” in German.

Adding further variety was a pair of new, not yet titled tunes from Guerrero; percussionist Michael Shapiro’s version of “Jingle Bells,” coaxed from an African talking drum; singer John Gibson’s gospel-flavored “Call On My Love,” and a duet between singer-guitarist Michael Martin and country-tinged singer Kelly Rae Alcott.

The ensemble, with the horn section of valve trombonist Mike Fahn (who took an especially spirited solo), trumpeters Matt Fronke and Kevin Mays, and trombonist Mike Johnson, danced through “Manteca” with Guerrero taking a Dizzy Gillespie-inspired turn on trumpet.

With Guerrero at the keyboard, Greg Vail held nothing back on his tenor solo during “Tracy.” Cantos opened the show solo with a comic lounge act in which he put exaggerated piano-bar touches to tunes from Paula Abdul and Madonna.

Despite the loose jam-session feel of the music and the party atmosphere on stage, the performances carried some polish. Hey Tony, what do you say? Let’s get the family together again next year.