Center Plays the Name Game in Next Jazz Series : Performances: Costa Mesa venue books ‘shows that will draw people.’ Schedule includes recognizable talent such as Branford Marsalis, Tom Scott and David Benoit.

High profile is the name of the game for “Jazz at the Center,” the three-concert, 1992-93 series announced this week by the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Tom Scott, and pianist/singer Shirley Horn are among those scheduled.

Others in the series include singers Tuck & Patti, pianist David Benoit, and two more Marsalis brothers, trombonist Delfeayo and 15-year-old drummer Jason. The concerts are being held Oct. 16, Nov. 21 and Feb. 7.

These big names are essential to selling tickets, said Center President Thomas Kendrick. And with a recession still in full bloom, audiences remain leery of shelling out the big bucks for concerts by lesser-known acts.

“We’re trying to build shows that will draw people,” Kendrick said by phone from his office this week. “Jazz has always been a tough business, and is even more so now. We have a big (3,000-seat) hall, so we’re limited by that and we’re trying to do what we can.”

But Kendrick was quick to point out that the Center is not looking to make money on jazz, it’s simply looking to break even. “Our jazz concerts have averaged about 60% to 70% capacity, compared to, say, 90% with our Broadway series,” Kendrick said. The jazz concerts “don’t pay for themselves, and we need sponsorship to have our series.” The 1992-93 season, the Center’s fourth, will be partially underwritten by Mazda Motor of America Inc.

And scheduling names that have a recognition factor doesn’t mean that the Center is abandoning its desire to present cutting edge jazz artists, Kendrick said.

“Jazz is a uniquely American art form and should be properly displayed in a cultural center of this sort,” he said. “Our goal over time is to present a range of contemporary jazz artists whom we consider to the best in the country. So just because Branford Marsalis is receiving recognition for his work on the ‘Tonight Show’ doesn’t alter the fact that he’s seen as being one of our country’s finest jazz artists of this time.”

Kendrick, who calls himself a jazz fan and who served as director of the Kennedy Center in Washington from 1976 to 1985, had strong praise for the rest of the lineup, which was picked by a group that included Kendrick, Center Manager Judy Moore and Aaron Egigian, a staff consultant.

Kendrick gave Shirley Horn particularly high marks.

“I used to hear her all the time in Washington, when she played small clubs and was pretty much a cult figure,” he said. “She’s now one of the most respected pianists and singers, in a class with someone such as Ella Fitzgerald.”

Does the inclusion of three Marsalis brothers in the same series amount to overkill? Not in Kendrick’s opinion.

“The Marsalis family is a legend in jazz, and there’s a lot of interest in them,” he said. “Delfeayo is the fourth of the clan to start emerging (besides brothers Branford and trumpeter Wynton, dad Ellis Marsalis--see related story, this page--plays the piano), and that we’re presenting this new, young trombonist shows the range of our series.”

“Jazz at the Center” kicks off Oct. 16 at 8 p.m., when Scott, Benoit and Tuck & Patti appear at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets range from $16 to $34. Branford Marsalis works without a supporting act on Nov. 21, also at 8 p.m.; tickets are priced from $15 to $34. Shirley Horn and Delfeayo Marsalis are set for Feb. 7 at 3 p.m., with tickets going for $12 to $32. Series tickets, priced from $46 to $103, are also available. Information: (714) 556-2121.