JAZZ REVIEW : Aarons Leads Ad-Hoc Band

Fluegelhornist-trumpeter Al Aarons organized a seven-piece band for the latest in the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s series of Sunday brunches at the Hollywood Holiday Inn.

Any ad-hoc group of this size is unusual these days for economic reasons, particularly when it presents arrangements of original material. Aarons wisely enlisted the assistance of his pianist, Phil Wright, who brought in a library of unpretentious but comfortable works to provide neatly cohesive ensembles.

With Aarons--whose sound and style were equally effective individually and as leader of the four-man horn section--were the exceptionally inventive valve trombonist Mike Fahn, the veteran jazz flute-master Sam Most and Jeff Clayton, who doubled on alto and baritone saxophones.

Although nothing startlingly new happened, what emerged was consistently pleasing mainstream jazz. Wright provided some of the more upscale moments at the keyboard, with bassist Allan Jackson and drummer John Guerin offering solid support in such Wright originals as “Lazy Day” and “The Chaser.”

A surprise guest was the Rev. O.C. Smith, still doubling as a singer. In “Watch What Happens” he offered evidence that his burnished baritone is as commandingly personal as ever.