JAZZ REVIEW : SAXMAN WATTS WITH THE NEW AMERICAN ORCHESTRA

Are two concerts enough to determine that the New American Orchestra’s move from the Music Center to the Wadsworth Theater was good for the 9-year-old ensemble’s musical health?

“We got rid of the ‘edifice’ complex,” said a laughing Jack Elliott, co-founder and conductor of the 60-member orchestra.

Indeed, if the Music Center--and its high prices--posed any intimidations to the organization or its patrons, they seemed to have been quelled by the move to the Westside. A healthy gathering nearly filled the Wadsworth on Sunday night for a free concert, whose biggest star was the tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts and whose biggest bow to the “industry” was a delightful overture, “La Corrida” by orchestrator Ralph Ferraro.

Though the concert, lasting barely an hour for a live broadcast on KKGO-FM, had its weak moments, those moments were created by a noble desire to explore new compositional territories.

Ferraro’s composition, with its militaristic precision and Spanish flavor, was followed by Larry Dominello’s two-movement “Die Trane” (The Tear). Featuring tenor saxophonist Vinnie Trombetta, the piece wavered between a New Age listlessness with odd string dissonances and a fiery fusion feel. Neither had much to do with the other and the piece, despite Trombetta’s good efforts, fell flat.

Far from flat was Canadian band leader Rob McConnell’s tongue-in-cheek “Hello From the North.” Utilizing every jazz style, McConnell’s piece showcased his humor--and his writing ability--in a wide-ranging work that embraced the sappy “Canadian Sunset” feel and the jazz avant-garde, the latter underscored by the strings lumbering across the solo lines like the airplanes over the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Watts’ contributions included the Joe Roccisano composition, “Synthesis for Orchestra,” and Bob Mintzer’s “Then and Now.” Roccisano’s swinging piece was bold and brassy, much like Watts’ full, fast and furious approach, and the two jelled perfectly. Less than perfect was “Then and Now,” an unfocused piece.

Alan Broadbent, who holds the piano chair in the orchestra, opened the concert with an exquisite rendering of four tunes by his quartet.