Songs Without Words at the Aotea Centre

By TARA WERNER

Jazz either works extremely well with a symphony orchestra, or it flops.

This concert by the Auckland Philharmonia on Saturday night very much ran the danger of falling into the latter category, with a line-up of bland arrangements that were much of a muchness.

Composer and jazz pianist Alan Broadbent has a good reputation as an arranger, so it was surprising that his orchestrations of standards by Arlen, Weill, Loesser, Bernstein, Berlin and Lane appeared to be aimed at the lowest common denominator.

The result, a form of soporific boredom.

It was only after the interval that the necessary sparks flew, when Broadbent played piano in his own pieces with the jazz ensemble involved - Putter Smith on bass, Frank Gibson jun on drums and Gary Foster on saxophone.

The four played superbly when in their natural milieu, beautifully coordinated and yet allowing their individuality to come through.

As for the rest, Foster as soloist had a hard time of it, and no wonder he appeared so phlegmatic throughout the evening. There did not seem to be much rapport between him and Broadbent, the two hardly looking at each other in each orchestral arrangement.

Nonetheless, this saxophonist could teach a few lessons about smooth technique and effortless phrasing.

Broadbent, when he finally relaxed, seemed more comfortable at the piano than on the conductor's podium, where his propensity to announce every work before the applause died down was somewhat disconcerting.

Luckily, by the end of the evening things had picked up considerably, with smooth renditions of numbers by Dameron and Coltrane, and, as an encore, a lovely gentle version of Gershwin's Love is Here to Stay.

Meantime, the male orchestral musicians looked suave in their white dinner jackets, the women likewise in their formal attire.

And some excellent lighting created a mellow atmosphere.

But this concert would not rank among the best that the Auckland Philharmonia has offered for its normally innovative jazz and cabaret series.