Evidence that Miles Davis was one of a kind

It probably wasn’t precisely what conductor James Newton and the Luckman Jazz Orchestra had in mind as a goal Saturday night at the Luckman Center, but the concert’s most remarkable, and unexpected, achievement was its underscoring of the extraordinary trumpet-playing skills of Miles Davis.

No, Davis didn’t magically return to participate in the performance. But the program -- titled “Miles ‘n Trane” -- featured five works arranged and/or composed by Gil Evans for his classic series of collaborations with Davis: “Miles Ahead,” “The Duke,” “Blues for Pablo,” “My Ship” and “Here Comes De Honey Man.” Each showcased soloing by one of the members of the LJO’s five-man trumpet section -- Nolan Shaheed, Bijon Watson, James Ford III, Salvator Cracchiolo and Richard Grant.

Each player made a gallant effort to play the musical role of Davis without abandoning his own unique musical identity. But, as it turned out, identity wasn’t the problem. The problem was bringing Davis’ challenging trumpet phrasing to life. No one was completely successful in doing so -- a real testimony to Davis’ often minimized virtuosic abilities on the instrument.

The Coltrane aspect of the evening was comparatively minimal, limited to a solo rendering of “Naima” by pianist Lanny Hartley and a pair of small ensemble renderings of “Equinox” and “Impressions.” (Why no selections from his “Africa/Brass” big band sessions?) Rounding out the evening, the LJO also performed two thorny works by Newton, “Nelson Mandela” and “Shammah,” which had nothing to do with Davis or Coltrane.

All of which made for a difficult collection of music. Evans’ orchestrations, in particular, called for precise playing and careful control of musical dynamics. The LJO often came close to producing impressive results -- very close in the case of “Blues for Pablo.”

Too often, however, one had the feeling that another rehearsal or two might have brought a more meaningful combination of clarity, texture and swing. But give the LJO and Newton credit for their continuing willingness to take musical risks by attempting to bring off a difficult, multifaceted evening of large ensemble jazz.