You couldn't swing a cat at last night's Columbus Jazz Orchestra concert in the Riffe Center's Capitol Theatre without knocking a french horn player off the bandstand.

Cats were sleeping with dogs, lions were laying down with the lambs. Heck, trumpeters were even in the same row as trombonists.
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Pianist Richard Lopez reprised his role as Gershwin (the CJO last performed Rhapsody in Blue in 1995) and infused the piece with high drama, hands tensed inches above his keyboard, ready to punce, to dart, to stop full and start again, depending on the whims of the composer.

During the first half of the 2-hour program, the orchestra was joined by jazz singers Jeanette Williams-Brewer, Mary McClendon and Dwight Lenox (a late replacement for Cornell Wiley, who took ill late last week and had to be hospitalized).

McClendon delivered a sweet, lascivious rendition of Here Come De Honey Man, her phrasing suggesting she had more than honey on her mind.

Williams-Brewer was her powerful, sassy, bluesy self, yet managed admirable restraint and subtlety on Summertime.

Lenox did a terrific job on short notice, especially on the technically challenging duet Bess, You Is My Woman Now.

Ola Hanson nearly stole the show with a furious, caudy, hilarious violin solo on A Foggy Day in Old London Town. At one point he paused and joked, "I'm getting paid by the note."

In a nutshell, everything I said last year about Columbus Jazz Orchestra's Gershwin show was borne out again this year.

A couple of differences: The sound at the Capitol Theatre, where CJO did the show this year, was better. Trombone player Ola Hanson brought out his fiddle again this year on A Foggy Day. Subbing for ailing Cornell Wiley, tenor Dwight Lenox almost stole the show in his struttin' part in the suite of selections from Porgy and Bess, which also featured Jeannette Williams-Brewer and Mary McClendon.

The important change was flipping the order of the program, so that pianist Richard Lopez and the band capped things off with the obvious closer - the piano / jazzband version of Rhapsody in Blue. I worried: Will this yank me out of my seat like it did last year? It did.

To da Dwight-ster— Thanks for your visit, the full CD, and the e-mail. I hope you, your band, and many of your family and friends got to hear the show and the comments.

I played "Summertime" about 1/2 way thru the first hour—plugged it on the Show Open at 9—and will be playing many more trax as the weeks roll by—so be sure to tell all of your friends, fans, and compadres to listen regularly—and to spread da word that there's some heavy-duty jazz Sunday nites, 7pm-to-Midnight on WJZA (it AIN'T ALL KENNY G–ALL the time! And Sunday nites, with Ramsey Lewis from 7-9PM, followed by da Owl, 9-til-Midnight PROVES IT).

'Tis a SUPERB CD in all respects. In my opinion, your BEST YET— you really sound sensational in front of the larger group. My compliments to you and the band. Hope I can help you move $ome CD$.

When you go platinum—remember da Owl—and put me on the payroll!! I'll carry in your music sheets—and make sure that all of the 55-year-old voluptuaries get good seats.

Good luck—keep swingin', singin', and in touch!!