BIG BAND NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWLThe distinction between the general term “big band music” and the fabulous Swing era oftenassociated with the term comes clear at the end of the first paragraph in the Wikipedia entryabout the beloved style. Technically, we learn, “a big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musicalensemble of jazz that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections.” And then:“The term “big band” is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the onlystyle of music played by big bands.”The Hollywood Bowl described their Big Band Night as one where “some of the biggest bigbands in the land take the stage for a night of swinging good times.” Those who attended thevenue’s Big Band Night thinking they would be swing dancing to timeless Glen Miller or BennyGoodman tunes may have left disappointed, but the three large ensembles that performed –Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra ft. guest vocalist Nnenna Freelon andMaria Schneider Orchestra – offered an eclectic blend of dynamically arranged jazz marked byexciting swells of brass, buoyant rhythms and (most significantly), a seemingly endless blaze ofcolorful, richly improvisational horn solos.Closing in on its 40 th anniversary, the L.A. large ensemble treasure known as the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra opened in robust, high-energy form, with the great Rickey Woodard’spowerhouse sax solo standing out over the whimsical swing of “Georgia” and a cool rompthrough Horace Silver’s “The Jody Grind” featuring fiery, percussive brass flourishes andanother hot, smoky sax solo. In a set unfortunately limited to four tunes, a grand unexpectedhighlight was their choice of Billy Joel’s gorgeous yet somber and meditative “And So It Goes.”After a reflective, easy swaying intro section, the heart of the melancholy melody was expressedvia the beautiful solo bowing of leader/bassist John Clayton on the upright.Led since 2013 by trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, the Count Basie Orchestra has been a magnificent,ever evolving constant in large ensemble jazz for nearly 90 years. Easily providing the mostconsistently exciting performances of the night, the group got off to a speedy, whimsy filled startwith the dizzying piano of Glen Pearson, who traded fours with the intensely percussive,swelling horns before an explosive onslaught of competing, fiery sax solos. The openinginstrumental portion of their set included Basie staples like “Easin’ It” and “Doodle Oodle,” butthe most memorable, enduring highlight was their lush, soulful and ultimately vibrant spin onStevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” which began with a graceful piano solo by Glen Pearsonbefore the band strutted its intimate romantic, slow danceable stuff.Bringing an even more deeply immersive emotional feeling to the show, guest vocalist NnennaFreelon gave everyone a lift with her heartfelt, dramatic take on “I Like The Sunrise,” which shefollowed with a stylist sultry twist on “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” (which shecuriously introduced with a wordless operatic chant), a slow burn through “Black Iris” and aspirited, devil may care version of “Too Close For Comfort” that called to mind Dianne Reeves’sublime version in the film Good Night and Good Luck.

After all the amiability of Clayton-Hamilton and Basie and their many familiar tunes, theuniquely conceptual original offerings by the Maria Schneider Orchestra gave the audience a bitmore of a challenge. She and her much-hailed Grammy winning crew complemented fairlymainstream, tuneful pieces like the opening number “Bluebird” (which featured a charmingaccordion solo) and “Green Piece” with more unusual exploratory compositions that tapped intothe avant-garde side of her eclectic artistry, including the trippy, atonal space odyssey “Sputnik”(headlined by saxophonist Scott Robinson’s eerie notes) and the intentional cacophony of“American Crow,” an off-kilter, multi-mood swinging musical reminder of our country’s currentstate of sociopolitical disarray. Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez’s extended lyrical solo offered amuch-needed oasis between the more chaotic segments.

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