JAZZ REVIEW : A Grand Group at Grand Avenue Bar

Organizing a new, big jazz orchestra has to rank right up there with tilting with windmills. Yet, for the last five years, two brothers--bassist John and saxophonist Jeff Clayton--and drummer Jeff Hamilton have been doggedly spending most of their free time planning, rehearsing, underwriting and recording a no- holds-barred, 18-piece ensemble.

Monday night, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra performed at the Biltmore Hotel’s Grand Avenue Bar & Grill, clearly demonstrating that all the work and effort has not been in vain. The Clayton-Hamilton ensemble provides persuasive evidence that big-band jazz is still a powerful vehicle for creative expression.

The opening set was a well-programmed collection of works, most of them arranged by John Clayton, ranging from Basie-like blues and Ellington pastels to a richly harmonized ensemble sound that is the group’s identifying characteristic. The best example was a sumptuous Clayton chart for Johnny Mandel’s “Melt Away” that showcased Jeff Clayton’s alto leading a gorgeously textured sax section.

Unfortunately, the reality of current music business economics probably won’t allow much more than occasional appearances by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Too bad. It’s one of the brightest new jazz sounds of the decade.