A Musical Picnic in Central Park

Playboy Jazz in Central Park is always the centerpiece for the annual Old Pasadena Summer Fest, and this year’s three-day event was no exception. With a lineup ranging from Jeff Lorber and the Harvey Mason Organization to Susie Hanson’s Latin Jazz Band, the Banda Brothers and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, there was a little something for virtually every musical taste.

Sunday’s program was a good example. Opening with the brightly swinging Ron Kobayashi Trio, the genre level shifted quickly with the arrival of the gospel-tinged sounds of Reverend Bill & the Soul Believers, followed by the surging salsa rhythms of the Hanson ensemble. Undeterred by the discomfort of having to perform with her broken foot in a cast, Hanson delivered her upbeat violin playing with characteristically high-spirited enthusiasm.

The Littleton Brothers offered yet another style switch with a program blending hard bop lines with Latin rhythms (with special effectiveness on Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”) and tossing in a soulful blues or two for seasoning. Enhanced by a front line consisting of saxophonist Charles Owens and trumpeter Shaheed Nolan, the soloing was first rate, powerfully supported by pianist Danny Grissett and the two-brothers rhythm team of drummer Don and bassist Jeff Littleton.

Big-band jazz in all its glory came next via the superbly crafted sounds of Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Performing a program largely drawn from the ensemble’s highly praised debut album, “Swingin’ for the Fences,” the ensemble and its all-star array of soloists romped through numbers such as “Sing, Sang, Sung” (a new take on the Benny Goodman swing-era classic, “Sing, Sing, Sing”) and the album title track (based on the chords of “Sweet Georgia Brown”). At a time when big-band jazz rarely receives the exposure it deserves, the enthusiastic reception that greeted the Phat Band’s performance offered potent testimony to the genre’s persistent capacity to excite and entertain.

Drummer Harvey Mason’s Organization wrapped the day with a set of numbers displaying a sense of drive and swing not often found in the smooth jazz/funk genre. Mason’s irrepressible drumming took the lead, enhanced by the solid keyboard work of John Beasley, rendering such odd selections as “Take Five” (performed in 4/4 meter rather than the original 5/4) with engaging style and substance.

For the overflow crowd, it all added up to a colorful musical menu, offered on a gorgeous, blue-sky California afternoon.

And it was no wonder that the Summer Fest producers were informed by the Pasadena Police Department that overall attendance for the three-day event was expected to surpass the 125,000 who turned out for last year’s programs.