JAZZ REVIEW : Arrangements Make Brassworks Shine : Rich DeRosa’s invigorating adaptations make for a delightful blend of sounds from the 14-piece ensemble at Hyatt Newporter.

The name of the 14-piece ensemble heard Friday at the Hyatt Newporter--the Garry Dial-Dick Oatts Brassworks--doesn’t tell the full story.

True, pianist Dial and saxophonist Oatts are the group’s principal soloists and compose its original material. Yet the Dial-Oatts emphasis overlooks a sizable contribution from arranger Rich DeRosa. Indeed, it was DeRosa’s invigorating brass arrangements that shone brightest during the band’s first set.

DeRosa was in from New York (he and the group’s namesakes all teach at the Manhattan School of Music) to conduct the ensemble and introduce the numbers, a duty he shared with Dial and Oatts. But his toughest chore had been completed long before he struck up the band--namely, committing this blend of trumpets, trombones and French horns to paper. And what a job he did.

Typically, the brass section would open each song, trumpets stating the lead while the trombones and French horns added depth and contrast to the swirling mix. Oatts, usually on alto, then would state the theme and move into an improvisation while the horns added shiny, often complex embellishments designed to frame and fire the soloist. Dial too would take some solo space, backed mostly by just bass and drums, with the brass giving only the sparest bits of punctuation.

Most ambitiously arranged was “The Greed Factor,” a piece by Dial that DeRosa introduced as the pianist’s tribute to the “excesses of the ‘80s.” It opened with a bright, intricate fanfare almost choir-like in its voicings. Dissonant blasts--sometimes stated by the trumpets, sometimes by the trombones--gave the tune an uneasy air until the hubbub faded into a slow, thoughtful line from Oatts’ flute and Dial’s keyboard.

As the rhythm section imposed a driving, up-tempo beat on the proceedings, Oatts switched to alto and gave one of the evening’s most impassioned statements. Dial’s serious yet rollicking attack carried occasional Latin touches and references to McCoy Tyner, while he used what sounded like a bad key on the piano to his advantage, using its wiry twang as a touchstone.

Oatts’ “The Tailor”--a tune dedicated to his one-time boss, the late drummer and bandleader Mel Lewis (the title refers to Lewis’ way of seeming “to make everything fit,” DeRosa explained)--moved at a respectful ballad pace that glistened with Dial’s almost Bill Evans-like sensitivity.

Though this West Coast version of Brassworks had rehearsed the often-difficult material only once, the musicians seemed together (if not seamlessly tight) while providing improvisational muscle of their own.

Well-known trumpeter Bobby Shew punched up Oatts’ blues-based “Kelly’s Kradle” with choppy be-bop lines, a style that contrasted nicely with second trumpeter Peter Olsted’s more lyrical turns. Trombonist Walt Fowler stepped up to climb in and around the scales like a kid on a jungle gym, followed by trombonist Bruce Paulsen’s swaggering huff-and-puff approach.

Give drummer Paul Kriebich credit for keeping things together rhythmically. Heard frequently in Orange County, often in trios backing singers, Kriebich took advantage of this material to roll and rumble, showing that he is at ease powering a large band as he is in small combos. His slashing cymbal work and tom-tom play during “The Greed Factor” seemed to ignite Oatts into hotter and hotter presentations. Later, during “The Tailor,” he showed taste and a sense of color while using mallets to shade the melodic ballad.

Before returning to New York, Dial and Oatts will play in a quartet tonight at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.