A Swinging Party at Bash ’98

Swing is all the rage this year. But for some, swing dancing and big-band music are more than today’s fads. They’re lifetime obsessions.

Several hundred such swing devotees were at the Grand Ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel Orange County Airport in Costa Mesa on Sunday, twirling, stepping and very occasionally leaving their feet as nine big bands paraded across two stages over 10 hours in the ballroom.

The performances were part of Bash ‘98, the 28th annual Orange County Musicians’ Festival, staged to show the breadth and range of talent working in Orange County and to raise money for scholarships and a musicians’ emergency relief fund.

The big-band room was only one of the six venues in the hotel, each dedicated to various types of music, but it was by far the day’s most popular.

The day’s big moment was the appearance of the event’s grand marshal, Kay Starr, the dusky-toned singer who scored a number of pop hits in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s.

Much like they did during the heyday of the big bands, an adoring audience crowded against the stage to hear Starr sing “Wheel of Fortune,” “Up a Lazy River” and other period pieces, backed by drummer (and Musicians’ Assn. President) Frank Amoss and his orchestra.

Starr, who was coy about revealing her age as she dithered with the audience (pop music reference books say she’s 76), showed the same complex tone, theatrical way of phrasing and endearing stage presence that won her legions of fans some 45 years back.

She was at her expressive best singing Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” holding on to certain lines for effect, emphasizing certain words with volume and pitch changes and thanking Patsy Cline at the song’s conclusion. Showing she’s not completely set in her ways, Starr introduced a medley of early rock ‘n’ roll songs with her own stylized rap (“It was somewhere back around 1955, when rock ‘n’ roll came in and took over from jive.”).

The day’s most poignant moment came before Starr’s appearance when 81-year-old bandleader and trombonist Si Zentner mentioned in the middle of his set that he has leukemia. The information came out casually as Zentner joked with his orchestra members and the audience, while directing one of the day’s better sets. He noted that after undergoing chemotherapy, he’s feeling fine now.

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Fine solo efforts came from alto saxophonist Ann Patterson, tenor saxophonist Tom Kubis and longtime Zentner associate and trumpeter Bob “Waldo” Carter. Zentner picked up his trombone to introduce the blues-shaped “Sweetie” and the band, propelled by bassist Putter Smith and drummer Jack Sperling, cruised nicely on Bill Holman’s arrangement of “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.”

Other highlights in the big band room included fluegelhornist Buddy Childers’ warm play in front of the Norm Major Big Band and trumpeter Art Depew’s solo on “Satin Doll” with the Bill Tole Orchestra.

In a show of utility, reed player Kim Richmond played clarinet on Artie Shaw’s “Moon Ray” with the Tracy Wells Orchestra, then jumped to the adjacent stage for the next set to add stunning alto play to Bill Tole’s band.

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In the jazz room, vocalist Stephanie Haynes gave an emotional midday performance backed by pianist Jon Mayer, bassist Eric Stiller and drummer Paul Kreibich. Haynes applied her captivating tone and smart sense of phrasing on a well-chosen, somewhat eclectic set of numbers that ranged between Johnny Mercer and the Brazilian pop composer Djavan. Mayer’s captivating solo play and timely accompaniment made the perfect complement to this immensely satisfying program.

Other jazz-room acts included Jim and Martha Hession’s American Jazz Quintet, which featured the vigorous tenor saxophone of Sylvester LeBlanc, guitarist Bobby Redfield’s spirited Latin septet in tunes from, and inspired by, Cal Tjader, and singer Karen Gallinger, who blended equal parts Sarah Vaughan and Etta James into her own vivacious style.

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Seven-string guitarist Ron Eschete showed derring-do and a surplus of ability as he created lead lines and accompanying harmonics in a rich, rewarding version of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”

Earlier in the day, the five-trombone-and-rhythm-section band Slide FX harmonized in beautifully burnished tones on John Coltrane’s “Impressions,” despite the absence (because of illness) of group leader John Campanella.

As they have for many years, pianist Jack Reidling and saxophonist Leo Potts combined in the classical room for impeccably performed pieces of new music, most notably the premiere of Reidling’s “Nocturne,” which featured Potts’ sinuous soprano.

Reidling was one of the day’s busiest musicians. After his appearance with Potts, he jumped to the jazz room, where he backed Gallinger, then crossed the hall to the big band room, where he played piano for Zentner. The Bash also devoted rooms to Dixieland and country music.