Eubanks Assertively Sheds Jovial Image

If you hurried home after the first set of Kevin Eubanks’ opening night at Catalina Bar & Grill Thursday, you could have caught the guitarist on television, taped earlier that day, in his familiar role as jovial bandleader on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” leading into (and out of) commercial breaks with Sly & the Family Stone tunes and laughing even when Leno joked that he was fired.

But the Eubanks fronting a quartet at the Hollywood nightspot was a completely different person. Performing serious riff and modal numbers, some with a disquieting, minor-key feel, Eubanks played much and talked little. Going between a pair of guitars, he was prone to outbursts of mood and volume, taking even the simplest, good-mannered shuffle and turning it into something vicious.

While this serious side of Eubanks may be unfamiliar to those who know the guitarist only as a late-night TV personality, jazz fans who’ve followed his recording career with GRP, Blue Note and other labels since the mid-’80s have heard plenty of his intense side. His bandmates during the four-night run--trombonist and brother Robin Eubanks, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith (also from “The Tonight Show” band)--are equally assertive types who complement their leader’s outgoing attack.

Eubanks set the tone early with the uneasy riff of his “Nemesis,” a tune he recorded with Dave Holland on Holland’s critically acclaimed 1989 recording “Extensions.” The guitarist gave something of a roller-coaster ride, climbing slowly then descending at lightning speed, cornering hard with rapidly struck chords played at top volume. One had the feeling he was blowing off steam.

The group moved through a twisted, gut-bucket shuffle, a melancholy blues and a pressure-packed vamp. Trombonist Eubanks showed an eerie way of crawling out from behind the rhythmic curtain hung by Moffett and Smith, floating warm tones and melodic lines across the bass and drums backdrop. Using foot-pedal controls much like a guitarist, he added electronic effects and echo that made for a wired unison with his brother’s guitar.

If a drummer’s pace and accents are, like football, a matter of well-timed hits, then Smith’s playing is the equivalent of percussive piling on. Amazingly adept at shading his bandmates’ every mood and driving them forward, the drummer provided expansive support that rarely sounded too busy. Bassist Moffett’s stout sound and sense of funk kept Eubanks’ outbursts anchored. Despite its lack of lyrical charm, Eubanks makes most appropriate music for our unsettled times.

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* The Kevin Eubanks Quartet plays tonight and Sunday at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Tonight, 8:30 and 10:30, $16; Sunday, 7 and 9 p.m., $14. (213) 466-2210.