John Tchicai, an accomplished and significant musician, is experiencing another in a long career of renaissances. This veteran of the Jazz Composers' Orchestra, the New York Art Quartet and Contemporary 5 and an album called Ascension by an obscure saxophonist called Coltrane, has allied himself over the past decade with various musicians to varying success. His recent album on CIMP, made under the leadership of bassist Adam Lane, is a return to the forceful playing for which he is known. He worked with Russ Gershon, brain trust behind the Either Orchestra, a decade ago; the association now reestablished for a two-city tour.

Two camps attended the Orchestra's show at Tonic: Tchicai fans and fans of the Orchestra. Tchicai was given the opportunity by Gershon to compose new music for orchestra and act as their de facto leader, a deserved concession to his stature in improvised music. He conducted the music and, unfortunately, left most of the playing in the hands of others. Why unfortunate? The orchestra, once boasting a heavy lineup, has turned into a decidedly amateur unit through upheaval and overhaul. The 21st century big band concept is a difficult one to pin down. Not a free blowout like the Earth People or a nostalgic head-series of solos-head format used by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Even the newish model of conduction favored by Butch Morris is not an appropriate parallel. What makes the Orchestra ultimately unfulfilling is this lack of identity or the attempt to integrate all these identities.

The show began with a very groove-based figure that was repeated with little variation for well over 15 minutes. The energy level of the underwhelming soloists soon flagged. The rhythm section (upright bass, trap drummer and percussionist) kept mostly to the background on the first piece, maintaining a solid groove that supported little. The second number, with Tchicai on bass clarinet, featured the two highpoints of the eveni ng: extended duets between alto sax and flute and between bass clarinet and upright bass.

While the soloists treated the material tentatively, some concern must be expressed about the relative weakness of the compositions. Band leaders have often said they enjoy working with people they know because they can write parts to people's strengths. Since Tchicai presumably had not worked closely with this lineup, his compositions were very broad, lacking a certain focus.

The final piece, however, salvaged the show with two nice vehicles by Tchicai, "Far Sided Friendship" segueing into "I Want This and That." The composing was much more adventurous and the musicians did their best to respond. Two flutes were featured and the drummer played in a nice break-oriented style, keeping things vibrant. Tchicai displayed his astonishingly forceful attack, one that can push you back into your chair if you sit close enough. Nevertheless, there was not nearly enough of that, particularly for those who came to see him. Since they ended the first set on a high note, one hopes the second set was better but given the inconsistency of the music and the players, nothing is guaranteed.