O.C. JAZZ REVIEW : 30 Jazz Musicians Let It All Out for ‘Ego-Fest III’

Tony Guerrero, who coordinated the music for radio station KSBR’s Birthday Bash at the Dana Point Resort Sunday afternoon, jokingly came up with his own name for the event: “Ego-Fest III.” After all, there were 30 musicians rotating duties on stage, nearly all of them bandleaders in their own right.

But there was little ego involved over 3 1/2 hours as nearly 20 numbers were pulled off, with just as many combinations of musicians. All the performers donated their time to the gig, which capped a week of fund-raising by the commercial-free, community-supported station.

The smoothness of the operation underscored the strength of the contemporary music scene in Southern California, and Orange County in particular. Many who appeared--including trumpeter Guerrero, saxophonist Eric Marienthal, bassist Max Bennett, guitarists Gannin Arnold and Randell Young, drummer Evan Stone (just back from a tour with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson) and Shadowfax percussionist Stu Nevitt--make their homes in Orange County. Others, like saxophonist Brandon Fields, now live in Los Angeles, but have roots here. Almost all have played the county’s clubs and concert halls.

The concert also reflected the diversity of the contemporary jazz scene: It covered blues, funk, mainstream and ethnic sounds. Playing “Street Symphony,” Brazilian keyboardist Marcos Ariel teamed with Colombian-born saxophonist Justo Almario and percussionist Milton Comeaux; Jude Swift sang Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night In Tunisia” with a band that included Japanese drummer Akira Jimbo. Guitarist-singer Young joined bassist Bennett for a seductively slow version of Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight.” And saxophonist Marienthal led a backbeat-charged version of his own “Seafood to Go.”

Marienthal (who has just finished recording Chick Corea’s next album, and whose own new album, “One Touch,” is due at the end of this month) echoed the sentiments expressed by many toward KSBR, saying that radio exposure is the key to getting albums made.

“It’s great to have a station that plays our music here in our home ground,” Marienthal said. “The station works hard to keep our music out there. It’s the least we can do to support a station that does so much to support us.”

Guerrero, who has coordinated all three KSBR concerts, said his appreciation of the station grew as he traveled the country and heard other stations. KSBR is “one of the most diverse around,” he found. “I like the idea that you can hear everything from Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker right up to the newest guys.”

KSBR program director Terry Wedel said the station is just responding to the local audience’s tastes. “Everyone told us we needed to find a niche and crawl into it. But every survey we’ve done comes back, interestingly enough, showing that everyone likes a wide range of music. So we try to provide a consistent variety. In an hour, you can hear everything from John Coltrane to Eric Marienthal to the South American sounds of Ciro Hurtado.”

“We bring different styles of jazz together,” added station deejay Marc Ennis. “Sure, we concentrate on contemporary jazz, but we also add the mainstream and older styles that gave birth to today’s music.”

The same description could apply to Sunday’s concert, attended by 875 fans. It opened with Guerrero’s “Bumpin’,” an upbeat workout with roots in the ‘60s jazz-funk movement pioneered by such artists as Horace Silver. Joining Guerrero in the front line were saxophonists Fields, Almario, Mike Gealer and Paul Carmen.

Gealer’s “Lift Off,” with solid support from bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Jimbo, provided a decidedly contemporary contrast, with a solid backbeat and to-the-points soloing from the composer.

Other standouts included muscular drumming from Alphonse Mouzon and Stone, lush acoustic keyboard work from Rique Pantoja, highly charged synthesizer playing by Freddie Ravel, burning rhythms from guitarist Arnold, and hot licks galore from guitarist Ricardo Silveira.

A better place for an outdoor concert than the Dana Point Resort would be hard to find: Its pool-and-garden setting, framed by a backdrop of blue skies and the curving Pacific coast, combined with the loose jam session feel of the music (there were no rehearsals) to make this one of the season’s biggest parties. As Swift and a horde of horns closed out things with an especially bluesy version of “Kansas City,” the crowd was on its feet and dancing. We’re already looking forward to Ego-Fest IV.