Cunliffe Sextet Takes Off at Airport Hotel

Jazz in the lobby of an airport-area hotel? Call it a novel concept. But, amazingly, it’s an idea that is working with remarkable success in the Lobby Court of the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel.

On Wednesday night, pianist Bill Cunliffe--who appears regularly with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra--brought his own sextet to the Westin for an appearance before a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Performing in an area directly in front of the room’s large windows, the Cunliffe ensemble played to an audience comfortably situated at tables, chairs and couches. And because the location straddles the walkway from the front desk to the elevators, an intermittent stream of guests--many with luggage, some reacting with pleased smiles to the unexpected musical encounter--flowed past the bandstand.

It might not seem like the most felicitous environment for jazz performance, but the Cunliffe group, all well-established Los Angeles professionals, quickly adjusted to the surroundings. Time and circumstance made it necessary for Cunliffe to appear with a number of subs, but the music was well-played, if somewhat lacking the collective spirit that can only come when performers have spent continuous time with one another.

Cunliffe’s arrangements and compositions, in any case, were the real focus of the program. Writing for a three-horn section--trumpeter Clay Jenkins, tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning and trombonist Alex Isles--and a rhythm team that also included bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Joe LaBarbera, Cunliffe offered a surprisingly diverse array of musical textures.

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Among the highlights, his own pieces “Minnesota” (whimsically based upon the chord changes of “Indiana”), “Unknown Flowers” and “Cityscape” contrasted effectively with an atmospheric rendering of Thelonious Monk’s “Crepuscule With Nellie” and a rocking version of Thad Jones’ “Ain’t Nothin’ Mo’.” The soloing was generally well-crafted--and more than that when Jenkins, an underappreciated jazz artist, was at work.

For the audience, it was an opportunity to hear some first-rate jazz in a warm and friendly setting--perhaps best of all, with no cover and validated parking.

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* Jazz at the Westin Lobby Court, the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, 5400 Century Blvd. Wednesdays from 5 to 9 p.m. No cover. May 31, the Stacy Rowles Quartet; June 7, the Herb Geller Quartet; June 14, the George Coleman Quartet; June 21, the Jazz Co-Op; June 28, the Jon Mayer Quartet.