Musicians to Gather for ‘Bash ‘90’ Benefit : Festival: Proceeds from the event, to be held in Costa Mesa, will go to the Musicians’ Emergency Relief and Scholarship funds.

What happens when a musician runs into financial problems? Until 20 years ago, he or she would have had to turn to friends and family.

Now, thanks to a series of annual festivals sponsored by the Orange County Musicians’ Union, Local 7 of the American Federation of Musicians, there’s an alternative.

“We had a musician off the streets from up north recently,” said union president Frank Amoss. “He told me he was an AIDS patient. He came here to get some help from his family, but they had disowned him. He needed bus fare to get home, so we gave him money for that.”

The 20th such festival, called “Bash ‘90,” will enlist about 300 local musicians Sunday at the Red Lion Inn in Costa Mesa.

Most events begin at noon (a variety act starts at 10:30 a.m.). The official kickoff is a special “Adolphe Sax Tribute” from noon to 1 p.m. in the hotel lobby. More than 60 saxophonists, including the Cal State Long Beach Sax Ensemble plus members of Local 7, salute the inventor of the saxophone, because 1990 marks the 150th anniversary of its invention.

The Bash ends at about 10 p.m., with a jam session in Maxi’s Lounge. One $14 admission ticket allows admission to all the events. All proceeds from the festival go to the Musicians’ Emergency Relief and Scholarship funds.

Founded in the 1923, Local 7 in Santa Ana has about 1,300 members, who “run the gamut from symphony members right down to nightclub people,” according to Bob Stava, the union’s secretary-treasurer. Last year the Bash cleared about $7,000 and approximately 1,500 people attended, Stava said. This year he expects at least that many.

All the musicians donate their time and the Red Lion Inn provides the facility without charge, according to Amoss. “We have a waiting list of musicians who want to participate,” he said. “Every year the word has spread.”

How does the support effect work?

“A musician would apply or we hear about the situation,” Stava said. “Someone lets us know that somebody is having problems, and if a person is in enough difficulties, he lets us know.”

How do talented kids get in on the scholarship funds?

“When it comes time for granting of scholarships, the union runs auditions,” Stava said. “The people come in and play for the scholarship committee. It’s a very thorough investigation of their playing abilities and it’s done on a competition basis. We try to do it once a year.”

Stava characterized the festival as having “a lot of spontaneity, but also a lot of well-rehearsed groups.

“This is a showcase,” he said. “It gives our members a chance to demonstrate their abilities not only to other members but to the general public. It has paid off in the past with some employment. People have hired bands they’ve heard.”

Amoss calls the event “just a great day of live music, especially in these days in which taped music is being used for everything.

“Lots of people refer to live musicians as an endangered species. One of our primary purposes is to keep live music happening.

“In fact, we have people in part of (the festival) who are non-union members or are not members of our union. But the idea isn’t to promote the union so much. It’s higher than that. It’s the live music principle.”

The “Bash ‘90” schedule:

Big Bands (in the Red Lion Ballroom):

* Noon: Bernie Farr Band

* 1 p.m.: Al Latour Band

* 2: Keith Williams Band

* 3: John Henderson Band

* 4: Norm Major Band

* 5: Tracy Wells Band

* 6: Bill Tole Band

* 7: Ansell Hill Orchestra

* 8: Frank Amoss Orchestra

* 9: Carl Scroggins Western Swing Band.

Jazz Bands (Emerald Bay Rooms I, II and III):

* Noon: Wally Bunker Five and Vocalist

* 1:15 p.m.: Gerard Hagen Trio

* 2:30: Walter Lakota’s New York Jazz Connection

* 3:45: Karen Gallinger Quartet

* 5: Chiz Harris Quartet

* 6:30: Luther Hughes and the Cahoots Band

* 8: Joe Nappa Band

* 9:15: Harry Smith and Friends

Dixieland (Maxi’s Lounge):

* Noon: George Carr Superstars

* 1 p.m.: Frank Amoss and the Mississippi Mudders

* 2: The Arrangement

* 3: Bruce Gifford’s Jazz Generation

* 4: Yankee Wailers Jazz Band

* 5: Ken Sand’s All Stars

* 6: The Cotton Pickers

* 7: Jazz Formula Roaring ‘20s Band

* 8: The Raggtimers Variety Show

* 9: Jam Session

Classical Music (Balboa Bay Rooms I and II):

* Noon: Susan Fries and Richard Glenn

* 1 p.m.: Orange County Community Orchestra (Peter Odegard, director)

* 2: Leo Potts Saxophone Quartet

* 3: Fred’s String Band

* 4: Mary Mark Zeyen and Charles Baker

* 5: Jack Reidling and Leo Potts

* 6: The International Strings

* 7: Virginia Mitchell and John Barcellona

* 8: American Music Performance Ensemble (Eric Wright, director)

* 9: Fullerton College Faculty Brass Quintet

Variety Entertainment (Quiet Bar):

* 10:45 a.m.: “The Swingers”

* Noon: Cal State University Long Beach Sax Ensemble

* 1:15 p.m.: Joanie Jay and the Music J.J. Co.

* 2: Tommy Pederson and His Terrible-Tempered Trombones

* 3:15: Don Chatfield and Group

* 4:30: Kyle Warren Band

* 5:45: Yve Evans and Company

* 7: Ronnie Brown Band

* 8:15: The Back Bay Blues and Bebop Band

The Orange County Musicians Union, Local 7, will hold “Bash ‘90” from 11 a.m. to about 10 p.m. on Sunday at the Red Lion Inn, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. Tickets: $14. Information: (714) 546-8166.