Brown, Schoen Stitch Together Two-Piece ‘Suite’ : Big band: The pair will reprise their 1959 recording for two orchestras at a union scholarship benefit on Sunday in Costa Mesa.

The scene in the rehearsal auditorium at the Musicians’ Union local a couple of days before Thanksgiving wasn’t much different than one on the cover of a 1959 Kapp label recording, “Suite for Two Bands.”

Two orchestras, each with its own director, sat side by side. On the album cover, each conductor sported a tuxedo and a healthy head of dark hair. Here in 1995, the same directors, now dressed casually, still had their hair (one actually had more, or, to be exact, longer hair) even if was a different color (gray).

Les Brown and Vic Schoen had come to the union hall to rehearse parts of “Suite for Two Bands,” which Schoen wrote, and some of his other, newer material for two orchestras, for a performance Sunday at the Orange County Musicians’ Union’s 25th annual “Bash” scholarship benefit at the Red Lion Hotel in Costa Mesa.

The session wasn’t going so well. It was the second time the combined orchestras had rehearsed, with Bill Tole’s ensemble playing left channel to Brown’s Band of Renown on the right. More than a few kinks still had to be worked out. Most of the first rehearsal had been spent correcting problems in computer transcriptions of the music. Seems that Schoen’s computer found the score a bit too much to handle and crashed completely in mid-project.

But at the second session, as both bands roared through the close of “Ballet in Brass,” the centerpiece of Schoen’s ’59 project, the promise of the material was beginning to assert itself. The rousing passage is the kind of music that makes neck hairs stand at attention, and as the two groups steered into its conclusion, Schoen lept out in front of his music stand in a kind of clenched fist, martial arts pose, shaking to get the maximum from Tole’s band. Brown, meanwhile, was stirring up his own musicians.

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“Don’t worry,” Brown announced to the all players. “There’ll only be one director that night. I’ll watch you,” he said to Schoen. “Don’t worry, it will all work out fine.”

Later, the two conductors talked about their relationship and how the “Suite for Two Bands” had come about in the first place. “Vic and I have known each other for 50 or 60 years,” Brown said, laughing.

Brown led one of the most visible orchestras on the scene in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. They recorded such hits as “Sentimental Journey” (with Doris Day as the vocalist) and “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.”

Brown became Bob Hope’s musical director in 1947; he and his band traveled around the world with Hope to entertain American troops. Brown’s orchestra also was part of “The Steve Allen Show” and later “The Dean Martin Show” on TV. Brown continues to make appearances with his orchestra, though he sometimes turns duties over to his son, Les Jr.

Schoen, though less often in the spotlight, was an equally important contributor to the music scene of the time. Beginning in the ‘30s, he arranged songs for Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey and Count Basie and was the long-time musical director and arranger for the Andrews Sisters. Besides his own recordings, on which he played trumpet, Schoen recorded with the likes of Danny Kaye, Patti Page, Eddie Fisher, Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby, for whom he wrote the music to “The Road to Morocco” and “The Road to Rio” among other films.

In the late ‘50s, Schoen was the musical director of “The Big Record,” a musical variety TV show on CBS hosted by Patti Page. “They’d give me the guest list to the show weeks in advance, and it was usually just singers who were coming on. But I looked once, and there [Brown] was on the list with his whole band.”

Schoen had been wanting to write for two orchestras and he saw Brown’s appearance on the show as his chance. He approached the show’s producers and told them what he wanted to do. “Well, they turned me down. Said it would cost too much.”

Brown picked up the story from there. “Vic wasn’t going to give up that easily. So he went to the CBS brass, and they finally decided to give him two minutes. He finally worked them up to six minutes, and they ended up loving what he did.”

The two bandleaders used those six minutes to present “Ballet in Brass.” Schoen continued: “They were so pleased that they asked [Brown] to come back three times.”

Dave Kapp, who owned Kapp Records, also was impressed with the results of the Schoen-Brown collaboration and enlisted them to record it. The disc that resulted is now a collector’s item. As the liner notes state, the suite was the “first time two big bands have recorded together in original material written specifically for the project.”

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Orange County Musicians’ Assn. president Frank Amoss was familiar with the suite, and, earlier this year when he was looking for something special for the 25th anniversary Bash, he approached Schoen (who lives in Corona del Mar) to see if he would be interested in resurrecting the two-band ensemble. Both Schoen and Brown attacked the project with gusto.

“What’s so great,” said Brown, “is that all these musicians are giving of their time, and it’s a worthy cause, raising money for music scholarships. A lot of man hours are going into this.

“And Vic, the hours he’s put in, writing new music, putting it all into the computer. I hope we’re going to get a chance to record some of that stuff in the future.”

Schoen shrugged ,and the two began talking about all they had left to do. Brown was simultaneously stern and encouraging: “You’d better be home tomorrow working [on charts],” he told Schoen.

“I know, I know.”

“It’s going to be great,” Brown said to his friend. “Everything will turn out fine.”

* The Orange County Musicians’ Assn.’s Bash ‘95, with continuous music on five stages, takes place Sunday at the Red Lion Hotel, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, from noon to 10 p.m. Les Brown and his Band of Renown and the Bill Tole Orchestra’s performance of music from “Suite for Two Bands,” conducted by Vic Schoen, is scheduled for 5 p.m. $20, benefits scholarship funds. (714) 540-7000.