Spirit of Charles is in charge at Bowl

It wasn’t surprising that “A Night With Concord Records” at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday devoted the second half of the program to Ray Charles. Always an important jazz label, the company moved beyond jazz last year to establish itself as a major independent with the posthumous release of Charles’ multiplatinum, Grammy-winning “Genius Loves Company.”

But although a full panoply of talent -- Diane Schuur, Patti Austin, Billy Preston, Karrin Allyson, Dave Koz, Joey DeFrancesco and a big jazz band featuring Tom Scott, Shelly Berg and others -- was brought to bear on a program of songs associated with Charles, one crucial element was missing. And that, of course, was Charles himself.

It was hard to understand why the concert couldn’t have included even a brief montage of the genius in action. Despite noble efforts by Preston, Ellis Hall and Sam Moore to conjure Charles’ musical memory, the fact is that no one could do Ray Charles like Charles himself.

That said, the program’s second half nonetheless opened with a bang, as the band romped through a brassy, hard-driving arrangement of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” conducted by the arranger, Quincy Jones. The next segment was fascinating, as Jones told one anecdote after another -- some whimsical, some touching -- about his long friendship with Charles.

In songs that followed, high points were provided by the brilliantly versatile Austin (singing “Come Rain or Come Shine”) and spunky renderings of “Hit the Road, Jack” and “What’d I Say” featuring Allyson, Austin, LaToya London and Monica Mancini.

The opening half of the bill was more uneven. On the plus side, vibist Gary Burton’s Generations band showcased extraordinary playing by a pair of rising players, 17-year-old guitarist Julian Lage and 26-year-old Ukrainian pianist Vadim Neselovskyi. Conguero Poncho Sanchez’s set, however, didn’t really come to life until veteran pianist Eddie Palmieri, saxophonist Donald Harrison, vibist Dave Samuels and organist DeFrancesco kicked the Latin jazz rhythms into high gear.