Armstrong Tribute Strikes Uneven Tone

Wrapping up the 2000 Lexus Jazz at the Bowl season with a tribute to Louis Armstrong was a great idea. And the inclusion of a line of world-class trumpeters--Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton and Jon Faddis--made the program sound even more enticing.

Somewhere between the initial idea and its final delivery, however, something went awry.

The first misstep was the double-wide setup of the stage, which placed the large risers for the resident Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra in an angled position on the rights side; to the left, an oppositely angled set of risers included a large array of percussion, music stands, etc., apparently to accommodate more than one ensemble.

The orchestra itself was in fine form--especially during a subtly swinging John Clayton setting of the spiritual “How Great Thou Art”--and tenor saxophonist Ricky Woodard and trombonist George Bohanon soloed in particularly stirring fashion throughout.

But, predictably, the offset physical orientation tended to diminish the usual high quality of the orchestra’s sound. (Nor was it enhanced by the far too common failure of the sound technicians to open solo mikes until the players were a few bars into their choruses.) Equally problematic, the double set made for distracting ensemble changes, with collections of musicians constantly rushing on or off stage and a generally disorganized air prevailing.

Aside from the production diversions, there wasn’t much to quibble about with the individual playing. Hargrove seems to become more fluent with each performance, and his soloing on “Nature Boy” revealed a rapidly maturing skill with ballad work as well.

Payton is a technical wizard, playing brilliantly, often with convincing echoes of Armstrong. But most of his solo opportunities were too rigidly framed by the accompaniment of an 11-piece band (which included such sterling performers as tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Anthony Wonsey and drummer Adonis Rose.

Performing a program of music mostly associated with Armstrong was a good choice, but the arrangements of the material--by unidentified arrangers--while competently written and played, too often lost touch with the wit and spirit of the Armstrong style.

Faddis took a somewhat different route, offering his vocal simulation of Armstrong on “What a Wonderful World” and showcasing his stratospheric high-note style. In one of the evening’s highlights, he partnered with emerging star singer Jane Monheit, making her Bowl debut with an impressive rendering of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

Interestingly, Faddis’ rendering of the famous Armstrong solo over the busily moving orchestra accompaniment of the mid-’30s piece “Swing That Music” only served to emphasize Satchmo’s astounding skills. Too bad the evening’s uneven focus and too-stretched length didn’t do a better job of centering upon that essential fact.