JAZZ REVIEW : Son Pays Tribute to Mavis Rivers

Monday night was memorable at the Moonlight Tango. A memorial benefit saluting the late singer Mavis Rivers, who died a few weeks ago, served as a showcase for the multiple talents of her son, Matt Catingub. Rivers sang in his band in her last years.

Catingub is a punching, driving pianist whose attack at times verges on savagery, though he has moments of guarded simplicity. Later in the set he displayed his exceptional mastery of the alto saxophone. He composed or arranged most of the music for the 18-person orchestra.

He handled with grace the delicate job of introducing “I Got It Bad,” explaining that this was the song his mother was singing when she collapsed at the Vine Street Bar.

His sidemen, with a few exceptions, such as the ubiquitous Bill Green (on baritone sax and the very Ellingtonian “Miss Ella”), were not drawn from the conventional sources. The lead alto saxophonist, Dr. Chris Stewart, practices emergency medicine for a living, but led the reed team flawlessly.

In a sense this was an evening of role reversal, since Catingub regularly works as accompanist for Toni Tennille. At the Tango she became his guest vocalist, the self-described “chick singer,” in two songs that offered buoyant evidence of her swinging jazz inclination.

The set ended close to boiling point with a furious Catingub original called “Indian Riffs,” based on the chords of “Cherokee.” From the first beat to the final bar, this spirited show gave proof that Mavis Rivers had a son in whom she could take great pride.