JAZZ REVIEWS : ‘Kings of Swing’ Turn in a Royal Session at Catalina’s

“Kings of Swing” is the billing attached to a sextet that opened Tuesday at Catalina’s. The title is curious, since Buddy De Franco was the first clarinetist to take the instrument beyond the Benny Goodman era into the be-bop essence; similarly Terry Gibbs on vibraphone was a virtual bop-era successor to Lionel Hampton.

Instead of playing bop tunes by Gillespie or Parker, this group is presented as a tribute to Goodman, with a repertoire of tunes such as “Seven Come Eleven,” “Air Mail Special” and “Memories of You.”

Far from letting this material inhibit them, all six men tackle it with the brilliance that reflects their personal backgrounds. Gibbs, his youthful enthusiasm undiminished, remains a master of swinging velocity; his “Mean to Me” was an ebullient highlight. De Franco, whose career has enjoyed a major resurgence in recent years, is an improvisational phenomenon.

Two other key soloists adding elan to the group are Herb Ellis, the guitarist whose Texas blues roots are still delightfully detectable even when he plays as improbable a tune as “Inka Dinka Doo,” and Tom Ranier, whose fleet piano is ideally suited to the setting. Rounding out the rhythm section are Frank Capp and Andy Simpkins, two men for all seasons, on drums and bass.

Gibbs and De Franco have been working together intermittently, and with consistent success, since 1980. Next time they return to Catalina’s (they close Sunday), let’s hope they come armed with, say, Dizzy’s “Con Alma” and Bird’s “Confirmation,” for an appropriate challenge to their singular abilities.