Magical ‘C Zone’ Defines Mancini’s Value

There was an exquisite segment--about halfway through the Mancini Musicale at Royce Hall on Saturday night--that defined, more than any other, the great value of the Henry Mancini Institute.

The piece was “The C Zone,” written by bassist-bandleader-composer John Clayton for his son, pianist Gerald Clayton.

Magically, the work, performed by the HMI orchestra under John Clayton’s articulate direction, brought together a superb composition, a brilliant soloist and an enraptured ensemble performance. Amid the ups and downs of the HMI’s sixth season, this work provided a persuasive musical illumination of how effective the HMI can be, given the right material and creative focus.

“The C Zone,” according to John Clayton, refers to “challenge” and/or “comfort,” “beginning with the former and ending with the latter.” And it fulfilled both goals via a kaleidoscopic palette of sound and rhythm, all of it circling, embracing and “challenging” the piano solo.

Southland jazz fans have become increasingly aware of Gerald Clayton’s remarkable skills through his local appearances. But he outdid himself here, brilliantly dashing off the often demanding written passages, adding his own unique touches, delivering virtuosic improvisations topped with a truly extraordinary cadenza to close the piece.

Add Saturday’s “C Zone” to last week’s HMI Orchestra performance of Bob Belden’s “The Black Dahlia,” toss in other important elements--the brilliance of the HMI Orchestra string section, which seemed to improve with every outing; the eagerness of the young players to seize every musical moment; the numerous examples of fine soloing--and the season begins to look like a success.

Much more so, that is, than in the far too many passages in which the various ensembles performed music that was beneath their skill levels. Or, for that matter, than in the too numerous inclusions of material by artistic director Pat Williams.

Like last week’s HMI Orchestra program, the Musicale included a cluster of Williams efforts: a movement from a trumpet concerto featuring solo work by Roy Hargrove; a vocal piece for the talented young soprano, Dawn Cantwell; and four arrangements for a set of Ella Fitzgerald songs, impressively sung by Patti Austin.

And there was irony in the fact that the trumpet work, with its electrifying orchestral passages, offered so much more convincing evidence of Williams’ skills than any of his other frequent contributions to the programs. Less can definitely be more.

Appropriately, the program opened and closed with a pair of buoyant Mancini compositions, the highly combustible “Strings On Fire” and the surging rhythms--enhanced by bassist Abe Laboriel--of “Peter Gunn.”