JAZZ REVIEWS : Variety of Kinks Limit Adderley Tribute

It sounds like a great idea--a salute to Cannonball Adderley to open the “sneak preview” season at the new Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. Unfortunately, Saturday’s execution of the idea fell well short of its aspirations.

Perhaps predictably, the most successful part of the evening was provided by Nat Adderley’s whimsical reminiscences about his late saxophonist brother, and the superlative playing of his own quintet. Restricted to a relatively brief set by a series of technical glitches, the Adderley Quintet made the most of a few jazz lines and the standard “Autumn Leaves.”

The second half of the bill, which featured the International Assn. of Jazz Appreciation’s All-Star Big Band and the Stephen Wayne Quartet, left far more to be desired. A promised compositional tribute to Cannonball Adderley by Cecil Bridgewater was so poorly performed that its carefully crafted dissonances and moving inner voices were almost impossible to discern.

Random alto saxophone solos were apparently intended to reflect the Cannonball salute, although Jeff Clayton very nearly stole the show with a blistering, blues-drenched paraphrase of a famous chorus--not by Cannonball, but by Charlie Parker.

The Cannonball salute was part of a trial run of programs leading to the Carpenter Center’s grand opening in October. A wise strategy, since both audio and visual presentation will have to improve dramatically if this otherwise attractive arena is going to become a major performing arts venue.