HOOPER HOOPLA: JINGLES, SCORES, ALL THAT JAZZ

Everyone knows that variety is the spice of life, but Les Hooper may know that better than most.

The 46-year-old composer/keyboardist is something of a musical juggler, balancing simultaneous careers as a composer of commercial jingles, occasional TV scores and big band arrangements and contemporary jazz bandleader.

Though he’s always been a performer, Hooper’s also felt he’s always been “primarily a writer.” So, when he had the opportunity 20 years ago to leave a traveling band and join a new Chicago-based jingle firm, he jumped at the chance.

It was the right move. “I liked (writing jingles) immediately,” he said recently in his Sherman Oaks studio. “The craft of it was fabulous, there was a lot of variety and I learned a lot.”

The new company began with a bang, and the client roster included United Airlines, Marlboro cigarettes and Schlitz beer.

“My first spot was for Schlitz, based on that ‘If you’re out of Schlitz, you’re out of beer’ tune. I did a march version of that. But then I was asked to write a Miles (Davis)-(composer/arranger) Gil Evans-ish version of that silly song. The Schlitz account exec was a jazz buff and he slipped that in.”

Hooper continued his jingle work when he moved here from Chicago in 1978. His latest spots--for such products as LA Beer, Honda, Suzuki and the Franklin Mint--still vary stylistically, which pleases him. “I just did a spot for Westin Hotels that was nothing but strings and woodwinds in a very classical context,” he said.

Writing commercials has always been a challenge for Hooper. “Trying to get something musical to work in 30 seconds is a tough job,” Hooper said.

As is having to work fast. Hooper sometimes has to crank out work in a day or two, and he can’t wait for inspiration. “I think that the idea that you have to have inspiration to be creative is a myth,” he said. “You can’t say, ‘I’m not ready.’ No, you have to pump yourself up and just do it. There’s always a wall there but if you just push ahead, all of a sudden, the work starts to flow.”

Hooper discovered a couple of years ago just how fast he could work. “I was hired to do the music for ‘The Master,’ an NBC series that starred Lee Van Cleef,” said the composer, whose small screen credits include segments of “Rhoda” and “Lou Grant.”

“I would find out on a Friday how much music was needed and I had to be ready to record the finished score by the following Monday. That usually meant 30 minutes of music in two days. The fireworks created by the friction produced some of my best work.”

Hooper, born in Baton Rouge, La., grew up amid a wealth of music. His father’s Dixieland piano playing, a few Stan Kenton 78 RPM records, and LPs by Quincy Jones and Bill Evans provided jazz influences. Hooper also heard R&B; from such people as Fats Domino and Ray Charles, and eventually discovered Stravinsky and Bartok. “All of these influences have kind of been mushed together into my various styles.”

He moved to Chicago in 1966, just after marrying his wife, Sherry. There, while writing jingles, he started a straight-ahead jazz rehearsal band, which recorded one LP, “Look What They’ve Done” (Creative World). The LP was nominated for a Grammy in 1974.

Hooper appeared as a piano soloist on the 1975 Grammy broadcast, and there met composer Pat Williams, who recommended him to score the “Rhoda” segments, and conductor Jack Elliott, who commissioned Hooper to write two pieces for the New American Orchestra--”Fantasy for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra,” which featured Jerome Richardson, and “The Visitor,” spotlighting NAO concertmaster Endre Granat.

Also in Chicago, Hooper formed a small band called Hoopla. “Hoopla’s a play on words for ‘Hooper’ and ‘Louisiana’ and now ‘L.A.,’ ” the amiable musician said. His latest Pausa LP goes by the same name, and tonight at LeCafe, Hooper fronts the contemporary jazz/fusion group.

As befits Hooper, the LP draws on a variety of styles, but he’s found that this time, his diversity has caused him some problems. “A lot of radio programmers don’t know where to pigeonhole this LP. They want one style, one groove. But that’s not me. I justed wanted to show that it was fun to get up and play music.”