Chasing Away Lindenhurst's Hurricane Blues

In The Mood. Jersey Jump. Summertime. Tuxedo Junction.

Whether or not these classic "swing-band era" numbers ring a bell to you, chances are if you dropped by the open grassy performance area behind Lindenhurst Memorial Library the Wednesday night after Hurricane Irene, the music got your toes tapping.

A kind of a respite for storm-torn Lindenhurst residents, the concert was the seventh in a summer-long series that began June 15 with Elvis impersonator Steve Mitchell.

Along the way, the season’s offerings have included the East End Trio, the Fabulous 60s Rock Show, Johnny Fusco, Tommy Sullivan in concert and Rich Sisson with his country sound.

was reserved for big band swing, and a large crowd gathered to hear the Something Special Big Band, the final band in this year's series, on the LML little concert stage - a permanent little fixture in the grassy lawn built, said Lindenhurst Library Director Peter Ward, big enough to accommodate an 18-piece jazz band.

Led by trumpeter Phil Costa, Something Special swung with the best of them, kicking off the evening with numbers by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller - plus a version of You Made Me Love, pumped up by Doc Severinsen.

Something Special Big Band is nothing, if not professional. With six CDs under the belt, the group works the New York metropolitan area widely, including music and jazz festivals.

Collectively, the band has accompanied Count Basie band leader, Frank Foster, jazz trumpeter, Clark Terry, and internationally famous bassist Percy Heath. Individually, members of the band have performed with swing bands led by Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie.

Listed in the Queens Jazz Alliance, the group currently features five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and a full rhythm section. Good videos of them may be found on YouTube, performing at the Port Washington Library, the Queens Farm Museum and the Poppenhausen Institute in Queens.

True to the band's billing as a “Basie-Style” ensemble, it delivered handsomely, playing nostalgic and swinging numbers from the 40s to the present in a relaxed, fluid style.

“We’ll be giving you a smorgasbord of music,“ said Costa at the outset. “The idea is to make people feel good.“

Kansas City-style, that is. From the front of the stage, Costa mixed in with the rhythm section, but also suggested directions for the band to go by breaking out into elliptical solos. Meanwhile, individual members took extended solos of their own, as did such sections as the saxophones, the trumpets and the trombones.

Was it all 4-4 Kansas City swing? Certainly not! The music was varied, including the group’s trademark Latin jazz/pop classic Oye Como Va, by Santana.

But sometimes nomenclature’s for butterfly collections, not music lovers - and whatever you call it, the jazz was working at the LML on Wednesday night.