Will Fingers Pop Again at the Pavilion?

Do you remember “Three Finger Poppin’ Fridays at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion”? That was the name given to a series of jazz concerts--featuring Gerald Wilson, Teddy Edwards, Buddy Collette and others--last summer at the Music Center.

At the time, Sandra Kimberling, president of the Music Center Operating Co., the landlord for the Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre, said, “We will definitely continue (jazz) next year and make it an ongoing offering.”

Well, so far no jazz events have been scheduled at the downtown arts complex. Kimberling cited a lack of sponsorship as the reason.

“Associated Presentations, which is affiliated with the Music Center and which produced last year’s event, doesn’t have enough capital to fully fund another jazz series,” Kimberling said this week. “So we have been looking for a sponsor, and to date we haven’t had any luck. We’re certainly disappointed. Our commitment is still there, but right now we’re not in a position to fund a series ourselves.”

She said the Music Center, unlike presenting organizations such as New York’s Lincoln Center, is not allowed to take a financial risk, and therefore cannot produce events itself. “All our tenants are self-contained companies” that produce their own events, she said.

Kimberling said there are four open dates at the Pavilion later this year (the Los Angeles Philharmonic is in residence there from October through May). Although nothing is definite, she said, “we are looking at those (dates) positively” for jazz programs.

Second Time Around: While the Music Center spins its wheels, Ambassador Foundation is in gear with its second Pasadena Jazz Festival, being held Saturday and Sunday at Ambassador Auditorium. As with last year’s two-day event, this weekend’s bash sports a wide-ranging lineup, including contemporary jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour on Saturday and Cuban expatriate trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and mainstream vibes master Milt Jackson on Sunday.

“This eclectic program demonstrates how much jazz has developed and spread from an authentic American genre to an art form that includes musicians from many parts of the world,” said David Hulme, head of performing arts for Ambassador.

Hulme said the festival is one way for Ambassador to announce that it is “a little cultural oasis here in Pasadena, and has the capacity to do more than we have done in the past.” In fact, Ambassador has expanded its yearlong jazz series, offering such diverse artists as Ritenour and Freddie Hubbard, who appears Oct. 25. Dave Brubeck kicks off the 1992-93 series on Sept. 24.

As with last year’s festival, Ambassador will donate a large portion of its proceeds to charity, with the American Red Cross being this year’s recipient. Information: (818) 306-6161.

In the Bins: On “David Liebman: Classic Ballads” (Candid), the soprano saxophonist, along with guitarist Vic Juris and bassist Steve Gilmore, quietly and expressively ponders the beauty of such timeless numbers as “Skylark” and “Angel Eyes.” . . . “Dr. Jeckyle” (Evidence) presents Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, vintage 1985, recorded live at New York’s Sweet Basil nightclub. Trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Donald Harrison and pianist Mulgrew Miller aid Blakey in tearing through Wayne Shorter’s “One by One” and Bobby Watson’s “Fuller Love,” among others.

Critic’s Choice: Pianist Joey Calderazzo, drummer Peter Erskine and bassist John Patitucci make kind of a strange combination. Calderazzo, who appears with his cohorts Tuesday through Aug. 16 at Catalina Bar & Grill, likes to play fast and furiously, while Erskine is known more for his subtle drum-kit work than his steaming drive. Patitucci is a solid bassist who plays with Chick Corea’s Akoustic Band--a crisp unit that does not stress grooving on blues tunes. Still, somehow Calderazzo’s band works quite well. As he put it: “We bring out something in each other that only happens with two or three other players.” If you miss the guys at the club, you can catch them later--they’ll make an album here after the Catalina engagement.