Blasts from the past vitalize the present

There’s nothing quite like the sound of a big jazz band. Ranging in size from 16 to 20 players, each of whom is fully in sync with the subtleties of jazz rhythms, phrasing and textures, it is a musical entity with seemingly infinite potential for creative expression.

A healthy sampling of that potential was on full display Wednesday at the Hollywood Bowl’s “Big Band Bash,” featuring the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band under the direction of Slide Hampton and the Kenton Orchestra 2006. Three very different ensembles, they presented a compelling view of big-band jazz styles primarily associated with the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

Wilson has been a factor in large-group jazz since the ‘40s. At 87, he continues to find inspiration in the Jimmie Lunceford and Count Basie styles that were his inspiration as a young composer and bandleader. His “Blues for the Count” (dedicated to Basie) captured the irresistible combination of Basie’s in-the-pocket groove and powerful, hard-driving, blues-drenched horn passages. On his composition “Viva Tirado,” he offered his own supercharged version of the tune that became a 1970 pop hit for the group El Chicano.

The Kenton ensemble, conducted by Robert Curnow with musical director Peter Erskine playing drums, made an effort to encompass nearly two decades of music from the always-adventurous Stan Kenton orchestras. The results were played superbly by a collection of L.A.’s finest musicians, but the quality of the music was uneven -- a reflection of the creative roller-coaster ride that was often characteristic of the original ensembles.

In part, the problem traced to the selection of material, ranging from the innovative “Artistry Jumps” and “Artistry in Percussion” of the ‘40s and the superb Bill Holman charts of the ‘50s (“Malaguena” and “Stomping at the Savoy”) to the far less intriguing “Turtle Talk” and “Time for a Change” of the ‘60s.

The Gillespie group topped off the evening with a set that was first-rate on all counts. Trumpet soloists such as Roy Hargrove, Claudio Roditi, Diego Urcola and Greg Gisbert virtually guaranteed that the Gillespie style would be fully honored.

Other players -- saxophonists Jimmy Heath, Antonio Hart and, especially, James Moody -- further assured the presence of bebop in its most vivid form. And singer Roberta Gambarini, scatting playfully with Moody, added another touch of bebop credibility to a set that climaxed in brilliant fashion with Gillespie and Gil Fuller’s startlingly visionary “Things to Come.”