JAZZ REVIEW : Sarah Vaughan Conquers Auditorium, Audience

Sarah Vaughan’s long, distinguished career began as the bebop revolution was gaining territory from the swing era, and she continues to cause excitement wherever she appears. Saturday night at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, a nearly sold-out auditorium heard her in a masterful performance, albeit one under duress.

Vaughan sings the way Clark Terry plays a fluegelhorn, pushing a four-octave range into remote regions of tone and timbre where few other singers can venture. Her characteristic leaps, swoops, glides and drops held their own bravely against a faulty sound system that plagued the concert.

Set adrift in the cavernous acoustical hall, Vaughan’s silky majesty nevertheless beguiled her listeners. Backed by her own trio and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, she opened with a roaring double-time treatment of “Fascinating Rhythm” and moved through a beautifully pieced together rendition of “Easy Living,” accented by her ethereal wails and dark, reflective crooning.

The first of a handful of highlights was “Just Friends,” in a brilliant arrangement by Sammy Nestico that showcased the orchestra--and revealed it to be a tighter-knit jazz band than one might imagine. More fireworks came during “From This Moment On,” with the orchestra running sprints behind Vaughan’s lusty baritone.

Seldom has “Send In the Clowns” been given such restrained force and feeling; Vaughan’s tonal slides and pulp-bent notes played hide-and-seek with the song’s unique depths and elusive texture.

And during “Misty,” “A Foggy Day” and “I Got It Bad,” her voice carried the dusty light of an autumn sky.

No small part of the credit for the night’s success belonged to Vaughan’s exquisite trio: George Gaffney on piano, Bob Maize on bass and Hal Jones on drums.

Gaffney’s lyric touch is one of the joys of the Southern California jazz scene; it deserves fuller recognition.