Vets Accent Close of Jazz Educators’ Conference

As 70-year-old drummer Louie Bellson delivered an amazingly agile and musical solo to close the 22nd International Assn. of Jazz Educators conference on Saturday, all around the room one saw the smiling faces of young musicians.

Performances by often remarkable high school and college amateurs had threaded through the three-day event, held at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers. And while some youths were arguably ready for prime time, the seasoned pros demonstrated in evening concerts what it takes, musically speaking, to make it in the jazz world.

Bellson’s big band, bassist Charlie Haden’s Quartet West and the duo of clarinetist Eddie Daniels and pianist Mike Garson were the veterans spotlighted at the final show in the 3,000-seat Pacific Ballroom. Also on the show were the Clifford Brown-Stan Getz Young Talent award winners.

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Drummer-composer Bellson fielded a crew of longtime associates to deliver his varied brand of colorful and dynamic big band jazz. No matter what the piece, percussion master Bellson never overplayed, using succinct figures to push soloists and bring in ensemble passages. His solos, particularly on the finale, “Santos,” were paradigms of the musicality possible with the drum kit.

There were solid solos throughout, particularly from sax man Pete Christlieb and trombonist Thurman Green--both of whom have sweet, rich sounds--and trumpeter Walt Johnson, whose high notes were the epitome of excitement.

No less rewarding was the opening set by the Brown-Getz winners, a quintet of 17- and 18-year-olds who revealed sometimes startling degrees of maturity. Pianist David Grossman employed both space and measured drive on “But Not for Me,” where guitarist Stefan Schultz also offered singing, rich-toned lines.

On “Faltering Steps,” sax man Joseph Berryman sent forth well-formed phrases with a big, rich sound, while another pianist, Jacob Sacks, gave his solo an inventive whammy with insistent, flowing lines. Bassist Elias Bailey was a bold bottom player and drummer Jason Marsalis, an added player, rounded out the band.

Daniels and Garson, who followed the youngsters, are two stylists who can play faster than light. And while their stunning cat-and-mouse exchanges on “Green Dolphin Street” and “Autumn Leaves” were the crowd-pleasers, more musically captivating was the serene quality of the players’ evocative stuff on the slow “My Foolish Heart.”

Likewise, the dulcet “Sunset Afternoon” and “Hello My Lovely” highlighted Haden’s set. Tenorman Ernie Watts’ crying sound was perfectly suited to “Sunset,” where Haden soloed movingly with fat, round notes. Pianist Alan Broadbent offered appealing, sensuous lines on “Hello” and drummer Larance Marable, who dropped in a driving, whirring solo on a calypso piece, bolstered the band throughout with crisp set work.