Chico O’Farrill’s legacy stars at the Bowl

Rhythmic energy was bursting in all directions at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday in a performance modestly titled “Latin Jazz Night.” Three impressive groups -- Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, the New Orleans-based Los Hombres Calientes and the stirring ensemble of salsa great Willie Colon -- sustained a virtually nonstop flow of musical jubilation.

Despite the quality of the musicianship on the stage, however, the most impressive creative presence traced to an artist who died three years ago -- Chico O’Farrill. His “Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite,” composed five decades ago, was the centerpiece of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra’s opening set, and the highlight of the concert.

Filled with rich ensemble textures, enlivened by startling bursts of dissonance, the 20-minute work was a marvel, a classic interface of primal Afro-Cuban rhythms, sophisticated composition and soaring improvisations.

“Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite” may well have been included on the program because the music director and pianist for the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra is Arturo O’Farrill, an avid supporter of his father’s music. But the work’s inventiveness and vitality stand firmly on their own merits.

If anything, what became clear as the piece unfolded in successive waves of mesmerizing musicality was that the elder O’Farrill’s music is overdue for a major revival. It’s sad to note that, in the middle years of his career, Chico O’Farrill did not have a recording session under his name for nearly three decades. Credit his son, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, for working to ensure that O’Farrill’s music does not suffer a similar fate.

The power of “Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite” eclipsed everything that followed. Despite that, Los Hombres Calientes, led by trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and percussionist Bill Summers, offered an intriguing view of a rare aspect of Latin jazz -- its confluence of the many styles that have coursed through New Orleans.

Moving easily across tunes reflecting the band’s array of interests -- “Creole Groove,” “Brazilian Sugar,” “Night in Tunisia” -- Los Hombres spiced the inventiveness of jazz improvisation with irrepressible Latin grooves.

Colon, in the headliner position, displayed the entertaining skills that have helped him sell more than 30 million albums, singing in his magisterial tenor voice and playing trombone with passionate drive.

But his music is best heard in a dance setting, in which musicians and dancers can feed off each other’s vigor. Lacking that environment, a less-than-appreciative audience began moving to the exits well before Colon’s salsa-drenched set concluded.