Confusion Mars Quartet’s Set in Jazz at the Bowl Concert

Wednesday night’s Lexus Jazz at the Bowl program wasn’t exactly one of the most thrilling events of the season. If it didn’t quite sink to the level of tedium, it didn’t exactly achieve the high excitement present at most of the series’ other evenings, either.

There was, in fact, some question about how the program would turn out as soon as it was announced that the starring act would be a group consisting of organist Jimmy Smith, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, guitarist Kenny Burrell and drummer Harvey Mason (Grady Tate was originally scheduled to perform). Burrell and Turrentine have worked frequently with Smith over the years, but each has had a highly viable solo career for years, and there was no telling how they would react to the spontaneous adventures that are always a part of a gig with Smith.

The individual showcases for Burrell and Turrentine (“Midnight Blue” and “Back in the Day,” respectively) were first-rate. And the first few numbers by the quartet, heavily drenched in Smith’s blues-based Hammond B-3 sounds, were equally appealing. Turrentine’s big, brusque sound and Burrell’s slippery string phrasing were in fine form, and Mason drove everything forward with his dependable, high-spirited sense of swing.

But matters soon got a bit chaotic. After some apparent confusion about what to play next, Turrentine abruptly left the stage, leaving Burrell, Mason and Smith to perform in a trio setting. A bit later, when Smith and Mason were accompanied by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra in a rendering of Smith’s hit version of “Walk on the Wild Side,” more confusion appeared to surface before the combined ensembles found a common groove.

Fortunately, the CHJO once again delivered a strong, but brief opening portion of the program, highlighted by trombonist Isaac Smith’s showcase soloing on the appropriately titled “Plunger Mute Syndrome” and the entire ensemble’s energetic romp through “Shout Me Out.”