JAZZ REVIEW : Gene Harris Quartet Heats Up Catalina

The members of the Gene Harris Quartet seem more like an assemblage of old friends than a group of musicians hired to play a gig.

At Catalina Bar & Grill, where they opened Tuesday for an unusual seven-day booking--closing Monday (Valentine’s Day)--pianist Harris and his cohorts left no doubt that they are indeed longtime associates who find one another’s company stimulating.

Guitarist Ron Eschete, a perfect creative and technical partner for Harris, cast knowing, cheerful glances at the leader on hearing him play some felicitous phrase. Paul Humphrey, the ideal small-group drummer, clearly was in his element underlining every rhythmic Harris nuance, while bassist Luther Hughes tied it all together with a firm tone and consistent beat.

The set started on an atypical low-key note with an old Thad Jones ballad, picked up a little with “This Masquerade,” then slipped back with an undistinguished Stevie Wonder tune.

It was not until Harris turned on the heat with a seductive, 32-bar blues that the quartet’s true power emerged. He is a master of the blues in every mood and tempo. In turn, he urged Eschete on to rocking indigo heights.

A 1930s pop tune, “Until the Real Thing Comes Along,” provided fodder for the pianist’s unique way with octaves, grace notes and tremolos. It was followed by another, longer blues--one that was implicitly humorous. On that jubilant note, the set came to a delightfully crafted conclusion.