Diplomatic to the Chord

Like most political and economic summits, the Guitar Summit promotes understanding and cooperation between very different and sometimes opposing camps. But unlike a lot of other summits, the four-man musical meeting of the minds scheduled to convene Sunday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre--with representatives from jazz, classical and blues-folk-rock factions--is expected to be music to our ears.

When the 1994 edition of the summit visited the Irvine Barclay, Joe Pass, Paco Pena, Pepe Romero and Leo Kottke indulged in a number of mix-and-match numbers that broke down the barriers between their respective genres. Duos, trios and a grand finale foursome went a long way in blurring the boundaries between jazz, folk and classical music.

Kenny Burrell and Stanley Jordan, the jazz half of the current Guitar Summit, both see unlimited collaboration possibilities between themselves and the other summit participants, blues-folk-rock guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and classicist Manuel Barrueco.

But in the beginning stages of this 21-concert tour, the four guitarists were combining talents on the closing number only. That will change, said both Jordan and Burrell, as the four men travel by chartered bus from concert to concert.

Speaking by phone last Friday from Albuquerque before the summit’s first show, Jordan told how he’d sensed a special camaraderie among the four guitarists even before they’d rehearsed.

“A few weeks ago, we all gathered in New Jersey for a photo opportunity, and everybody had guitars,” he said. “And we were just noodling a bit, and in just a few seconds we caught the vibe; we locked into something. So I’m sure that something exciting will happen when we play together.”

A check with Burrell in San Francisco on Monday, after the summit’s first three performances, found that the four had yet to expand their jam session beyond the closing number. “But [playing together] will spontaneously develop. Every time we play together on the closing number, we sense the possibilities. It’s been a lot of fun merging all these diverse styles, genres and personalities.”

Burrell, a 64-year-old Detroit native who’s been playing guitar since age 12, said he agrees with Duke Ellington’s belief that there are two kinds of music. “Good and the other kind,” he paraphrased. “The idea of musical categories seems to have flourished in the last 40 or 50 years. We give labels to the different kinds of music to identify them. But sometimes those labels can be misleading.”

Burrell, a professor of music and director of jazz studies at UCLA, says the lines between musical categories are losing definition. “I see the distinctions becoming blurred. I think it’s time we rethink the labels we have given things and then continue to grow in our views along with the music.”

Burrell, who has made recent appearances with the Los Angeles Southeast Symphony and the Detroit Symphony, has long traveled easily across jazz and classical borders. His early training included classical studies at Wayne State University in Indiana. But in 1951, while still a student, he was picked by Gillespie to tour with the late trumpeter’s band, a group that included saxophonist John Coltrane, bassist Percy Heath and vibist Milt Jackson.

Gillespie’s band “represented the highest level of jazz at the time,” Burrell said. “Certainly I was in awe of him. He was not only a great musician, but a great teacher. And that band was historically significant, the first that Dizzy used guitar instead of piano, something he did on through the years. I served as the keyboard instrument.”

Equally important were his classical studies at Wayne State. Classical study “had a lot of value for me,” he said. “No. 1, it broadened my appreciation of the guitar repertoire across the board and aided me in my technique, particularly in the right-hand classical technique. And it made me appreciate the contributions of people like [Andres] Segovia and [Heitor] Villa-Lobos.”

But, said Burrell, jazz proved to be an irresistible force. “Even while I was studying [classical], I knew that I loved to improvise, knew that it had to be jazz. But now, in this [Guitar Summit] context, I have the best of both worlds. I enjoy hearing the others play and being a part of it.”

The 36-year-old Jordan, who is known for his two-handed, almost piano-like “tap” style of play, said he looks forward to hearing Burrell play on the tour.

“I became a big fan after the first time I saw him play,” Jordan said. “He’s a very tasteful player. He has a large amount of musical knowledge, and the way he employs that knowledge is so natural, so uncontrived. He has what they call a really large musical vocabulary.”

Jordan said that 10 years of classical piano training led him to develop his own unusual technique on the guitar. “The piano was a big influence. I liked the textural possibilities of the piano, but, in my head, I always heard guitar. That led me to find a way to play in much the same way on the guitar.”

* The Guitar Summit with Kenny Burrell, Stanley Jordan, Manuel Barrueco and Jorma Kaukonen plays Sunday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. 2:30 and 7 p.m. $26 and $21. (714) 854-4646.