MOSS sings with a ranging virtuosity

Vocal ensembles have played a significant role in seven decades of jazz, from the loose-limbed swing of the Mills Brothers and the vocalese of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross to the multilayered sounds of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra. Now comes a group with the enigmatic name of MOSS, adventuring in search of new ways to combine the seemingly endless potential of the voice with the essence of jazz.

Still making their initial public performances as an unrecorded collective, the members of MOSS nonetheless have impressive resumes. Kate McGarry is a first-rate solo artist; Peter Eldridge and Lauren Kinhan are members of the Grammy-winning New York Voices; and Theo Bleckmann has ranged through the avant-garde in projects with Meredith Monk.

Their West Coast debut took place Friday night at Giannelli Square, an attractive new performance venue in Northridge. One member -- Brazilian singer Luciana Sousa -- was absent, preparing for her wedding the next day. But MOSS’ appearance -- despite the need to make a few last-minute adjustments to adapt to four rather than five voice harmonies -- clearly identified the group’s innovative ambitions.

Start with the program’s lack of a standard (unless one places Tom Waits’ “Take It With Me,” Neil Young’s “Old Man” or Joni Mitchell’s “Shadows and Light” in that category). Both the material and the arrangements displayed the singers’ extraordinary breadth of musical interests. “Shadows and Light,” opening the program, was arranged by Sousa in stunningly rich four-part harmony. Eldridge’s “Chamego” delved into the rhythmic passions of samba and bossa nova.

Bleckmann’s “Orchard” employed vocal loops to enhance a mesmerizing song based on a Rumi poem. Kinhan’s “Trouble Runs in the Family” ranged toward country swing (and should be recorded as a single). And McGarry dueted with guest star Kathy Segal-Garcia in a touching reading of “Old Man.”

Add to that their remarkable combination of virtuosic singing skills, insightful interpretations and sparkling musicality. It’s an impressive combination, and one that bodes well for this sterling combination. McGarry said it jokingly halfway through the set, but she was correct: “MOSS grows on you.”