Southland sounds from after WWII

“Le Jazz Cool -- Le Jazz Hot,” Thursday night’s climax to “Cote a Cote,” the Getty Center’s three-day conference on the intersection of jazz with post-World War II arts and culture, had some intriguing possibilities.

The first was the presence of veteran French pianist Rene Urtreger, making his first Los Angeles appearance. Active since the early ‘50s, the veteran of gigs with Miles Davis, Lester Young and others, he is a masterfully diverse performer. Playing in the rhythm section throughout the program with a wide array of artists, he added his unique voice to each of the differing stylists. The only gripe is that the program unfolded so slowly that by the time Urtreger’s solo segment arrived, he was limited to a brief number, simmering with surging rhythms and Impressionistic harmonies. He deserves a full Southland presentation.

The balance of the program shifted gears into a chronological survey of ‘40s and ‘50s jazz in the Southland. Leading the way, the “Le Jazz Cool -- Le Jazz Hot Quintet” -- trumpeter Ron Stout, saxophonist Jerry Pinter, bassist Joel Hamilton, drummer Gerry Gibbs and Urtreger -- performed such stage-setting numbers as Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology” and Gerry Mulligan’s “Bernie’s Tune.”

The quintet’s tunes were followed by a series of showcase performances. Singer Ernie Andrews recalled the blues roots of the ‘40s and ‘50s, singing “Time After Time” and a blues medley with his larger-than-life voice and irresistible sense of swing. Alto saxophonist Bud Shank, playing “Manha de Carnaval” and “Here’s That Rainy Day” with a surging samba rhythm, revealed the fascinating connection between West Coast jazz of the ‘50s and the arrival of bossa nova in Brazil in the same decade.

Trumpeter Jack Sheldon spent a good portion of his set improvising gags about a stagehand before finally displaying the pleasures of his Miles Davis-inspired instrumental work. The duo of trumpeter Bobby Bradford and saxophonist Vinny Golia recalled the rarely mentioned presence of Ornette Coleman and the emergence of free-jazz improvising in Los Angeles in the late ‘50s. And singer-pianist Les McCann capped the evening with a taste of ‘60s soul jazz in “Compared to What.”

Did the program have anything to do with the “intersection of jazz with post-World War II arts and culture”? Not much. But producer Ken Poston’s choices did provide an entertaining, if minimalist (no mention of Central Avenue, very little bebop or cool jazz), survey of postwar jazz in the Southland.