Frank Wess playing with (from left to right): John Lee (bass guitar), Yotam Silberstein (guitar), and Jimmy Heath (sax). Photo credit: Fran Kaufman

The best way to ring in a new year? A party, of course. If Frank Wess’ 90th birthday celebration at Dizzy’s Club is any indication of what’s to come in 2012, this year is bound to be a great one. Roy Hargrove’s crisp trumpet launched the festivities with “Dizzy’s Blues”, echoing the pungent, nuanced touch of Gillespie himself. As conductor of the aptly named Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, Hargrove ebbed into rich tandem with the collective swell of over nine strings, saxophones, and trombones, and a powerhouse dose of five outspoken horns.

Once Wess graced the stage on “Without You, No Me” (composed by saxist Jimmy Heath, who also performed throughout the evening), the powerful set infused with vivacious complexity. His tenor saxophone, understated yet intricate, brewed forward amid the song’s fiery flair, as did his flute on the tune “Search”. Wess’ delicately assertive way with the flute was an interesting complement to his brassy craft, both floating above and lushly melting into the cruising, urban vibe of the Gillespie Big Band.

Roberta Gambarini belting out some James Moody. Photo credit: Fran Kaufman

Roberta Gambarini’s vocals echoed that breezy instrumental atmosphere on “Moody’s Groove”, a piece penned by saxist, flautist, and Wess collaborator James Moody. Gambarani conjured Moody’s wittily bold musical style with finesse, diving into the highest and lowest of pitches as smoothly as Douglas Purviance’s yipping bass trombone. Her inventive range shook the band – and audience – to riveting heights on another Moody original, liberally salted with regal horn accents and John Lee’s plump bass guitar inflections.

Gambarini edged her vocals into a tide of flaring trumpets, sparking a scat-brass battlefield that gripped just about every pair of ears in the full house. Hargrove spontaneously jumped out from behind his horn a few minutes in, playfully countering Gambarini’s vocals with some “bee-bap-de-baps” of his own. If that surprise weren’t enough, drummer Lewis Nash halted his light beat and emerged from a corner of the stage to join in on the scat, while claps from the audience kept the rhythm alive.

It’s not every day that an NEA Jazz Master and sax legend like Wess rings in a ninth decade of prolific artistry. But after this evening of both signature classics and wild surprises at Dizzy’s, it’s not just 2012 that’s going to be a great one: here’s to a happy 90th year for the great Frank Wess – and many more to come.