Leimert Park Festival Crosses Stylistic, Generational Bounds

Scenes from the Leimert Park Jazz Festival’s closing day Sunday:

* Two horn players not yet 21 bring the crowd to its feet with a style of play that dates back 60 or more years.

* When a rented piano fails to materialize, a keyboardist improvises with a borrowed electric instrument set up on a folding table. He uses a pile of telephone books as a makeshift piano bench.

* A bandleader sporting a colorful sling to support an injured arm discards the device to enthusiastically direct his ensemble with both hands.

* A pair of toddlers play imaginary violins in concert with a genuine violinist on stage.

* A drummer, still in high school, makes a big first impression with his mature play.

In its fourth year, the Leimert Park Jazz Festival has hit its stride. With a crowd numbering in the thousands, the home-grown, two-day event held where Degnan Boulevard abuts the Crenshaw neighborhood park proved to be the least pretentious, most family-oriented outdoor jazz event of the season. The program crossed generational and stylistic boundaries while featuring many musicians with roots in the Leimert community.

The day opened with a professional-level performance from the Multi-High School Band directed by Reggie Andrews. Promising play came from alto saxophonist Kamasi Washington, pianist Cameron Graves and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., who excited the crowd with his solo on Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island.”

Pianist Ark Sano, after telling the audience that he spent many hours working on his craft just down the street at the World Stage Performance Space, gave a technically impressive showing on the borrowed electric keyboard. The World Stage All-Stars, featuring young up-and-comers Terrance Martin on saxophone, trombonist Isaac Smith and drummer Kharon Harrison, enlivened the crowd with an exuberant stomp and shuffle number. Despite its name, Tradition Speaks with violinist Karen Briggs and saxophonist Dale Fielder brought contemporary touches to its program of standards.

Substituting for scheduled vocalist Mikki Coltrane, the daughter of the legendary John Coltrane who was home with a new baby, Charles Owens’ four-horn O Winds Ensemble with bassist Art Davis and drummer Billy Higgins gave the day’s most beautiful performance on a classically influenced “Jazz Canon.”

Pianist Horace Tapscott, recovering from nerve damage in his right arm and sporting a sling, led a talent-laden edition of his Pan-African People’s Arkestra but to little effect as the festival’s modest sound system could not handle the weight of double bass, triple drums, tuba and a host of brass and woodwinds. Maybe next year?