POP MUSIC REVIEW : A Night of Upbeat Americana at the Bowl

The spectacular finale of the Hollywood Bowl’s Fourth of July show was very nearly obscured by the smoke from the fireworks Friday night.

Whether the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, or the infamous San Fernando Valley inversion layer was bearing down on Highland Avenue, the result was a cloud of eye-stinging smoke that made the climactic, fireworks-outlined rise of the figure of Liberty almost impossible to see.

Up until that point, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under John Mauceri had rolled efficiently through an upbeat program of Americana.

Among the high points, Gershwin’s “An American In Paris” received a warm reading that effectively highlighted the familiar melodies, as well as the urgent, jazz-tinged rhythms.

Equally appealing was the Mauceri/Krasker assemblage of songs and scoring from “The Wizard of Oz.” Remarkably, the Harold Arlen/Herbert Stothart music held together very well as an orchestral suite, with the ensemble performing the atmospheric character themes with appropriately spunky assertiveness and the nostalgic lines of “Over The Rainbow” with sweeping lyricism.

Among the other major items on the program were a highly idiosyncratic rendition of “Tubby the Tuba” by Charles Nelson Reilly that featured Jim Self on the tuba, a collection of tunes from Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” (sung by Tim Noble and Rebecca Luker), Morton Gould’s “American Salute,” Richard Rodgers overture from “Oklahoma” and “Guadalcanal March,” and the annual Sousa medley.

All in all, it was a delightful evening, and a perfect Fourth of July kick-off for the summer Bowl season. Let’s just hope the wind changes its bearing for the balance of the fireworks events.