Suites and Savories : Jazz review: At the O.C. Musicians’ Assn. fund-raiser, Les Brown and Vic Schoen add to the day of diversity with a double dose of big bands--simultaneously.

After composer-arranger Vic Schoen concluded his opening piece at the Red Lion Hotel on Sunday, Les Brown had a question:

“Can you hear it?” he asked the packed ballroom.

Brown’s inquiry brought a big laugh from the crowd assembled for the 25th anniversary edition of the Orange County Musicians’ Assn.’s Bash. Of course they could hear it--Schoen’s piece had been written for the muscle of dual big bands.

But the legendary Brown, whose Band of Renown made up half of the 32-piece ensemble, could have easily meant, “Can you hear the genius here?”

Schoen’s selections from his “Suite for Two Bands” and its recently composed sequel, “Suite for Two Bands II,” were about much more than volume. All of the nine pieces played, whether new or dating back to the original 1959 session, were ambitiously composed and orchestrated and replete with the kind of emotion-charged sounds that do more than simply set toes tapping.

As Brown pointed out before the first number, the original suite was written in the early days of high fidelity and took full advantage of “Ping-Pong stereo” as the bandleader put it. Sure enough, “The Fire and the Flame” opened with trombonist Bill Tole’s orchestra sounding fanfares echoed by the Brown band from the right. Droning trombones backed the exchange before the combined roar of 26 brass instruments exploded into the grand theme.

Each piece was decidedly different yet equally ambitious. “Cries and Whispers” found inquisitive lines being handed back and forth among the different brass sections. “Smokeylune,” a medley arrangement that combined “Clair de Lune” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” was a sensitive melding of styles, as if, Brown said, “(Claude) Debussy and Jerome Kern got together and wrote a song.” At one point, the tune counterpointed both themes, with Debussy’s coming from one orchestra, Kern’s from the other.

Both “Smokeylune” and Schoen’s “Classical Jazz” illustrated the composers’ skill at applying classical themes to jazz rhythms. Pianists Jack Reidling and Paul Smith were featured in the latter as they traded turns on the piece’s insistent lead.

The most moving piece was “Ballet in Brass” from the 1959 session that, as Brown explained, “started it all.” Both Schoen and Brown conducted, and the combined might of the two orchestras gave spine-tingling effect to the number’s central line. The grand, overpowering climax was greeted with a roar from the audience, who had pulled chairs onto the dance floor so they could better see the performance.

It was a most appropriate highlight for the Musicians’ Assn.’s Bash anniversary, which featured 10 hours of continuous music at five locations in the hotel. Fittingly, Brown was honored as this year’s grand marshal, an award bestowed on him by composer-arranger Billy May.

Prior to Schoen’s early afternoon performance, Brown and his Band of Renown warmed up the crowd with favorites including “Sentimental Journey” and “Anything Goes” with singer-flutist Linda Price. And while the breakdown of the hotel’s escalators made travel between the venues a bit of a workout, there was plenty to be heard in rooms dedicated to jazz, classical, Dixieland and other styles of music, both preceding and following the Brown-Schoen collaboration

In the jazz room, vocalist Karen Gallinger delivered her usual high-spirited performance backed by a trio led by pianist Reidling. Her version of “Emily” recalled the low-register warmth of Sarah Vaughn, and her up-tempo numbers combined the energy of Etta James with her own sassy style.

Guitarist Bobby Redfield, who announced that he’d played at the very first bash a quarter century ago, led a loose and lively Latin-fired quartet that covered tunes from Cal Tjader and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. Vocalist Jack Wood, who worked with the excellent trio of pianist Lou Forestieri, bassist Greg Eicher and drummer Paul KreibichQ, added fluegelhornist Buddy Childers to his band to great effect.

In a show of utility, Reidling reappeared in the classical room to play a number of program pieces with saxophonist Leo Potts. Potts played tenor, soprano, alto and baritone during a set of Spanish dances. Upstairs in the hotel’s lobby, the nine piece trombone choir Slide EFX applied burnished tones to such numbers as “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Isn’t It Romantic?” Later, guitarist Tom Bevans and his band Electric Air brought a touch of R&B; to the lounge’s bandstand.

Though it was impossible to see it all, the Bash--with proceeds going to support scholarships and an emergency relief fund for musicians--again mirrored the lively and diverse music community in Orange County. Many of the 45 groups booked for the event appear regularly in the area.