Presidents’ Weekend Jazz Party Big Success
Over 70 Musicians Perform At Newport Beach Bash
BY LARRY TAYLOR
Great jazz was seen and heard this last President’s Weekend
at the 7th annual Newport Beach Jazz Party before sell-out crowds in Orange
County, Ca. As well, since these four-day events began, the music seemed better
than ever this year.
Thursday night through Sunday night, at the Newport Beach
Marriott Hotel, there were performances virtually every hour of the
day–breakfast jazz brunches, afternoon Pool Stage sessions and, of course,
evening concerts in the Grand Pacific Ballroom And, if that were not enough for
aficionados to get their fill, everyday was topped off by after-hour night-cap
music in the lounge and bar. Late Saturday night was especially well-attended
when revered tenor sax-man Houston Person presided over the yearly dance event,
giving patrons a chance to “shake it” on the ballroom floor.
Each evening's concert was topped by a feature
presentation. Saturday John Pizzarelli appeared with his trio, singing and
playing guitar. His hip style, influenced by Nat Cole, was greeted with
enthusiasm. Cole’s “The Frim Fram Sauce” and the whimsical “Rhode Island” were
highlights.
Saturday’s feature was a full-scale celebration, “The Music
of Antonio Carlos Jobim,” produced by esteemed flute player Holly Hoffman. The
tribute included 11 violins, alternately led by pianists Mike Wofford and Bill
Cunliffe. Veteran drummer Jeff Hamilton and Brazilian percussionist Luis Conte
made up the rhythm section.
Hoffman’s playing of Jobim’s lilting melodies seemed to
float above the ethereal beauty of the strings. Later in the set, bossa nova
singer/guitarist Paulinho Garcia brought the music back to its earthy origins
with the breathy romantic urgency of his singing. All together, everything
worked and surely would have made Jobim proud.
Sunday night's “Dear Mr. Sinatra” program was every bit as
special. This related to the recent CD release of Pizzarelli’s collaboration
with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, showcasing music associated with
Sinatra.
Without imitating “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” Pizzarelli put his own
clever stamp on the song book. And the Clayton-Hamilton band was outstanding,
introducing the segment with three numbers on its own. Without exaggerating,
this aggregation is surely among the best–tight, well synchronized, with each
section producing subtly shifting waves of sound which washed over listeners.
Leading them was John Clayton, tall, slender, his long arms waving like a
sorcerer’s as he conjured a magical arrangement of “Lullaby of the Leaves.”
When Pizzarelli came out, he put his stamp on the Sinatra
canon. The swinging “Ring-A-Ding Ding,” the boozy, melancholic “Set ‘Em Up Joe”
and the lively “How About You?” left no doubt that Pizzarelli can follow in
Sinatra’s footsteps.
These featured shows were big attractions, to be sure, but
at the heart of what makes these parties so good is the playing of the
collection of world class musicians (over 70) gathered here. Co-promoter John
McClure puts them together in various configurations with exciting, often
serendipitous results.
Among the groupings was that of pianist Benny Green and
tenor saxophonist Houston Person, who appeared together Friday and Saturday
nights. Almost 30 years Green’s senior, Person with his large warm sound melded
perfectly with Green’s often minimalist technique.
On ballads, Green builds each solo into an exquisite jewel
and on up-tempo numbers he digs in hard, coming up with solid gold. The audience
was rapt as he lovingly played with Cole Porter’s “I Love Samantha”; then
shouted as he got “down and dirty” with Person’s lusty turn on Curtis Maryfield
“Send Me Someone To Love.”
One could go on and on about the superb interplay in the
various settings. There was the marvelous trumpeter Terell Stafford and
clarinetist Ken Peplowski going back and forth on Denzil Best’s “Wee.” The
jubilant audience agreed the two couldn’t have played any faster. Stafford, with
Person this time, hit the stratosphere with his rocketing “Lester Leaps In,” and
then hushed the crowd with his tender “I Remember Clifford.”
Another memorable set came when father John Clayton on bass
and son Gerald on piano, joined drummer Jeff Hamilton in a trio setting. They
excelled mightily in the young Clayton’s “Sunny Day Go,” which seemed a small
suite not a song.
Promoter Joe Rothman likes to describe the music he
presents as “right down the middle and straight ahead.” This description is apt.
The body of what was heard at the party was in the "middle," the heart of jazz.
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