A Five-Ring Circus Where Everyone’s a Star : Festival: The Red Lion Inn in Costa Mesa will be the big top for the 22nd Orange County Musicians Club’s daylong Bash on Sunday.

Think of it as a circus, but without clowns, high-wire walkers, troops of elephants and carnival barkers.

With more than 300 musicians performing everything from swing to R&B; to chamber music, the 22nd Orange County Musicians’ Club Bash--being held Sunday from noon to at least 10 p.m. in five locations throughout the Red Lion Inn--will have the festive atmosphere of a day--and night--under the big top.

“It’s a celebration. Even if you don’t like music, you can’t help but enjoy yourself,” says Joe Nappa, who will lead his R&B;/Jazz All-Stars as part of the extravaganza and who, like all the participants, will be donating his services.

“The Bash makes everybody feel good,” adds Audi Kay, who’ll be playing piano in the Dixie Rhythm Ramblers, a band led by her husband, Morey LeVang. “And it gives so many musicians exposure.”

“It’s great to hear so many kinds of groups,” Nappa said. “You always get inspired.”

Close to 50 bands will take part in the Bash, which is produced annually by the Orange County Musicians’ Club, a group of members of Orange County Local No. 7 of the American Federation of Musicians. Proceeds are split between an emergency relief fund for professional musicians and scholarships for high school-age performers.

“We collect about $7,000 each year,” says Frank Amoss, president of the club and of Local No. 7.

Big bands and vocal groups will be featured in the Grand Ballroom on the hotel’s lower level. They will include Amoss’ orchestra with Judi Wallace, Tracy Wells’ big band, the Modernaires with Paula Kelly Jr. and Tex Beneke, the Glenn Miller singer-tenor saxophonist who is the event’s grand marshal.

Amoss is delighted to have Beneke on board. Beneke, who last played the Bash about 10 years ago, “is one of the last of the original leaders of swing era bands, along with Les Brown and Ray Anthony, who is still active as a leader,” Amoss noted. “He’s respected by musicians and fans alike.”

There will be two bandstands in the Grand Ballroom, so when one band finishes its set, another can begin immediately. The ballroom dance floor can accommodate hundreds of couples.

Rooms devoted to chamber music and Dixieland jazz will be on the lower level as well. Groups slated for these rooms include the Artisan Brass Quintet and the International Strings playing chamber music, and the Yankee Wailers with Wally Holmes, the Hyperion Outfall Serenaders and the Dixie Rhythm Ramblers offering various styles of classic jazz.

On the hotel’s ground floor, there’ll be music in Maxi’s Lounge, where jazz groups are on tap, and in the lobby lounge, where you’ll be able to find bands that don’t fit into a larger category, including singer/harmonica player Kirt Rasmussen and the Pocket Rockets, bluesman Otis Brown backed by the Johnny V Band and Tommy Pederson and his Terrible Tempered Trombones.

“Tommy has about 20 to 25 trombonists, and they play all kinds of pieces,” said Nappa, who is coordinating the performers. “There’s no rhythm section, just trombones, so they play all the parts including the bass and drums.”

Among the jazz performers scheduled for Maxi’s are guitarists Ron Eschete, Frank Potenza, Peter Woodford and Tom Hynes; bassist Luther Hughes and his band Cahoots with saxophonist Hollis Gentry, and drummer Chiz Harris’ Group Therapy.

The Bash will conclude in Maxi’s with a jam session, “the only performance that’s not organized, and anyone who wants to participate, does,” Amoss said. “Last year, it went on until midnight, maybe even longer.”

Last year’s Bash drew 2,600 fans; Kay estimates from increased advance ticket sales that close to 3,000 will attend this year. Admission is $17. Food and drinks will be available, and the Red Lion is offering special rates of $49 a night for Bash attendees.

The 22nd Orange County Musicians’ Club Bash at the Red Lion Inn, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, starts Sunday at noon. $17. (714) 546-8166.