Jazz Review : Star of the Show Is Honoree Williams

The star of the Joe Williams Salute at the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night was--surprise!--Joe Williams.

How could it have been otherwise? Even with a lineup that included Jon Hendricks, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves and the Count Basie Orchestra, there was never any doubt that Williams, as soon as he stepped on stage, would rule the proceedings.

Which is not to minimize the other artists. The Basie unit kicked off the evening with a rip-roaring opening highlighted by such classic items as Neal Hefti’s “Little Darlin’ ” and “Whirly Bird.” Now led by Grover Mitchell, the band, even without any well-known players, still retains the ensemble fire and the rhythm section surge that always has characterized the Basie groups.

Next came brief appearances by singers Carmen Bradford--gently persuasive with “I’ve Only Myself to Blame”--and Bill Henderson, who roused the crowd of 10,527 with a romp through “Smack Dab in the Middle,” followed by an all-star jam featuring trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison and tenor saxophonist Red Holloway.

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Dianne Reeves, who seems to sound better at every outing, added a Sarah Vaughan-tinged reading of “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” then provided the climax of the concert’s first segment in a memorable, and apparently purely spontaneous, duet with Williams on “Tenderly.”

Ironically, the second half of the program--with bigger names Hendricks and Wilson spotlighted--bogged down considerably. Hendricks wasted much of his performance time attempting to croon tunes such as “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” instead of going to the rapid-action scat singing that is his strength. And Wilson’s once enviable jazz technique was nowhere to be seen, reconstituted instead into a highly mannered, vocally self-congratulatory style dominated by excruciatingly long-held tones and odd, phrase-ending yodels.

But Williams made everything right again with a short set that illustrated most of his many powers. “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me” was a rhythmically inspiring selection from his new Telarc album of spirituals. “How Deep Is the Ocean” (done with solo guitar by Henry Johnson) and the superb “Here’s to Life” were inimitable examples of world-class ballad singing. And “Alright, Okay, You Win” supplied a robust reminder that Williams has no peer as a big-band blues singer, either.

The salute closed, appropriately, with all the performers on stage to support the proud honoree in a loose, happy, dedicatory sing-along rendering of his signature number, “Every Day I Have the Blues.”