Friday's concert at Heinz Hall was billed as "An Evening of Pittsburgh Inspired Brazilian Jazz," featuring legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter Ivan Lins, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lucas Richman, and a large supporting cast. It was so well put together that had it not been mentioned you might not have known that one person on the original bill -- veteran vocalist Nancy Wilson -- was forced to miss the gig due to illness.

No matter. Organizers substituted the New York Voices, who nearly stole the show, a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild/Bidwell Training Center, which includes a strong jazz component.

The theme of reaching back to "roots" started right from the opening bar with a PSO performance of early-20th-century Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Tocata (Catida Batira)" from his "Bachianas Brasilieras" (literally, "Brazilian Bach-pieces") "No. 8"; and a medley of songs -- "Beautiful Dreamer," "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)" and "Camptown Races" -- by Lawrenceville native Stephen Foster. Lins said that his mother used to sing them when he was a child.

That was followed by a "Hank Loves Dindi" medley that paid tribute to the late composer and West Aliquippa native Henry Mancini, another of Lins' musical influences. It consisted of Lins' "Henrysville," Mancini's "Dreamsville" and Jobim's "Dindi," arranged for the orchestra by Don Sebesky.

Of course, you just can't have a concert of Brazilian jazz without some of Antonio Carlos Jobim's music, so among the numbers during the NYV's set -- much of which included the Ashby brothers, guitarist Marty and trombonist Jay -- was a gorgeous a cappella arrangement of "Modinha," which featured Lins and the Voices' Kim Nazarian, who I understand lives in Pittsburgh. In fact, "Modinha" alone was nearly worth the price of admission.

That part of the show closed with what might be considered a political statement -- a few people applauded when Lins uttered the word "change," perhaps a reference to President-elect Barack Obama -- with his "Children's Medley" of "Aos Nossos Filhos" ("To Our Children"), "Somos Todos Iguais Neste Noite" ("We Are All Equal Tonight") and "E De Deus" ("It's From God"), during which Nazarian and the Children's Festival Chorus joined in.

The second half of the show opened with an orchestra performance of Sebesky's exquisite "Confluence," excerpts of which can be heard behind those television commercials for UPMC, a show sponsor.

Next up was trumpeter Sean Jones, the Warren, Ohio, native and professor of jazz studies at Duquesne University, who delivered a sonically powerful performance (and I'm not referring to volume, either) on flugelhorn over the orchestra on Lins' "Love Dance" and Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses." In that context the rounder, softer tone of the flugel balanced so perfectly with the orchestra that it sounded like a recording.

The last number, all hands on deck, was a bossa nova rendition of the "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" song "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" with guitarist Joe Negri (known for his "Handyman" role on the show) playing part of the lead line.

The only real negatives were the too-soft volume of the Children's Festival Chorus, and the ensemble's difficulty getting into the groove of the closing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

Negri was one of the local jazz legends honored at a pre-concert gala. The others were trumpeter Chuck Austin; drummer Cecil Brooks II; trombonists Nelson Harrison and Harold Betters; organist Gene Ludwig; pianist/educator James Johnson Jr.; drummer Roger Humphries; and trumpeter/arranger John Wilson, former head of jazz studies at Duquesne University.