Straight-Ahead, Then Party Time

Chaka Khan sang “My Funny Valentine” with a backbeat. Bruce Hornsby interjected piano lines from Miles Davis’ “Nardis” while performing one of his easy rockers. And Jorge Leliebre, the flutist from Cuban dance band Los Van Van, played something that momentarily resembled Duke Ellington’s “Rockin’ in Rhythm” during a microscopic instrumental moment.

Jazz was where you found it Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl on the opening day of the 19th edition of the Playboy Jazz Festival. And it was especially hard to find during the later stages of the nearly nine-hour sold-out event. With most of the straight-ahead jazz acts coming early during the overcast afternoon, the evening was turned over to party music of various sorts, with only the infrequent interruption for a standard, an improvisation or a bit of swing.

In fact, scheduling jazz bands at the beginning of the day actually proved to make sense. Combos led by drummer Roy Haynes and trumpeter Nicholas Payton were given polite and attentive hearings at the top of the program, even as the crowd was still arriving.

But by late in the afternoon, the Playboy audience seemed to have little patience for acoustic music.

Joe Henderson’s much anticipated big-band appearance, coming at dusk after a boogie-minded set from bluesman John Lee Hooker, served as an interruption in the festivities, garnering widespread disinterest. Henderson surprisingly got only light applause for his efforts. The saxophonist sounded more comfortable working inside the big band than he does on his recent recording, and his trademark warbles, dancing lines and understated cries were nicely framed by the horns.

Sound problems marred this set as well, with the saxophonist and his band seemingly playing at different dynamic levels. One wonders what the reception would have been if the saxophonist appeared before the party got on its feet.

After Henderson, Los Van Van, making only its second L.A. appearance, got the crowd back up and moving. With only slight variations, the 15-piece band seemed to maintain the same heated groove throughout its performance, engaging the audience with enthusiastic vocals riffs and call-and-response passages.

Marred by poor amplification that left the brass badly understated and a pair of violinists all but invisible, the group’s delivery was often reduced to a percussive roar decorated by harsh vocals. But the rhythmic pulse beneath the sonic jumble drove the music on a consistent high-energy level, making for the day’s best-received moments. The rhythms drew emcee Bill Cosby from the wings to work out dance moves with Los Van Van’s front line.

The afternoon opened admirably with the surprising Multi-School Jazz Band, a group of all-stars from a number of Los Angeles area schools directed by Reggie Andrews, playing selections from Count Basie, Gerald Wilson, Duke Ellington and Eddie Harris. Payton’s quartet, an all-star gathering of fellow young lions, featured spirited play from pianist Anthony Wonsey, saxophonist Jesse Davis, bassist Ruben Rogers and drummer Adonis Rose.

Haynes played with the same energy and personality as he has in recent club appearances, though its effect was less in this larger setting. Saxophonist Craig Handy made strong impressions (second saxophonist Donald Harrison, flying in late from Tokyo, was unable to get to the performance) as did pianist Dave Kikoski and bassist Ed Howard. During his set, gritty-toned saxophonist Gato Barbieri played little of interest against a pan-American selection of rhythms.

Composer-vocalist-keyboardist Hornsby brought some jazz flavor to his set of feel-good pop tunes, but his piano work was ragged during jams and extended solos. As an instrumental group, Hornsby’s six-piece backing band sounded better when the keyboardist sat out.

Khan opened her set with “My Funny Valentine”--which, after the high spirits of Los Van Van, made for the evening’s worst segue--and a beat-driven rendition of “Night in Tunisia” before moving through a number of her hits dating back to Rufus days. Her jazz covers, in the current pop diva style, were overly stylized and heavy, a technique much better suited to funk numbers.

Leave it to saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. to close the day with a modicum of musical taste. Although driven by strong, danceable beats, Washington’s play on alto, tenor, soprano and baritone was of the sort that could please jazz purists as well as the party-minded.