Clayton-Hamilton’s Showcase Plays on Rich Musical Textures

Any doubts regarding the choice of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra as the resident jazz ensemble at the Hollywood Bowl were quickly overcome Thursday night at the International Assn. of Jazz Educators Conference at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Performing before a crowd that included most of the 6,000 to 7,000 attendees at the event, the orchestra gave a performance clearly illustrating that it has the potential to become one of the premier large jazz ensembles in the country.

The concert was actually a showcase for vibes player Milt Jackson. And the veteran artist, who turned 76 on Jan. 1, was in rare form, revealing the essence of his art with special potency in a rhapsodic, solo rendering of “Nature Boy.”

A broader view emerged in a number of pieces in which Jackson was accompanied by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, performing orchestrations written by bassist and co-leader John Clayton. The settings of the standard “The Nearness of You,” Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence” and Jackson’s own “Bags’ Groove” were masterfully rendered, superb frameworks that meticulously took into account Jackson’s unique style, as well as the special sound of his instrument. (An album of the pairing will be released on Qwest Records in February.)

And Jackson responded with gorgeous soloing--his trademark blues-driven phrasing romping through the faster tunes, his luxurious textures sifting into the atmospheric orchestral sounds in “The Nearness of You.”

The few brief numbers by the orchestra--”Indiana,” “Emily” and “ ‘Deed I Do”--were equally stunning, with Clayton’s dynamically charged arrangements uncovering remarkable musical riches within the familiar big-band jazz instrumentation. Using a wide variety of muted sounds for the brass instruments, emphasizing his own work and the playing of co-leaders Jeff Hamilton on drums and Jeff Clayton on alto saxophone, bassist Clayton offered convincing testimony for his asserted plans to make the orchestra a major player in the jazz world.

Equally important, the lovely and eminently successful combining of Jackson’s vibes with the sounds of the orchestra was a harbinger of things to come at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, when the ensemble will be providing musical support for a wide range of jazz stars such as Diana Krall and Dee Dee Bridgewater. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra may still be a relatively unfamiliar entity to the wider music audience, but it--and John Clayton--appear more than ready to move into the spotlight.