As the smoke rose and lazily wound its way around the dim, orange stage lights, you got the feeling that any minute one of a number of rock ‘n’ roll bands was about to take stage.

But as the stage lights came on, the crowd was hardly aware of the barrage of musical talent they were about to witness. Doc Severinsen and His Big Band enthralled and mesmerized during their two-hour performance Wednesday night.

The former musical director for the “Tonight Show” bounded on stage clad in black leather pants and a pink and black striped coat. Trumpet in hand, he was greeted with a familiar “Heeere’s Doc,” taken from his years playing with Johnny Carson.

“You know,” he said, speaking with casual fluency, “most of these guys are the same guys I played with on the show oh those many years ago.

“Johnny decided to hang it up, but we weren’t ready. In all those years we never played a whole song. I think the longest we played was 20 seconds. So we decided to go out on the road and show people what we could do.”

And show they did, performing such big band classics as “Sing, Sing Sing” and “One O’ Clock Jump.” Each song was accented by solos from some of the best musicians and their instruments.

The full sound of the big band filled the auditorium, conjuring up forgotten memories for the older set and just plain admiration for the music from those too young to have experienced the big band era in its prime.

After a brief intermission, Doc returned this time in pink leather pants and a flowered vest.

As he danced around on stage, you began to swim in the free flowing, easygoing spirit that was the music.

The crowd watched as trombones and trumpets swayed and each solo was backdropped by whimsical encouragement from fellow band members.

It was that nonchalance, along with unbridled talent, that captivated the audience. Muffled laughs and the occasional, “Thank you very much,” or “Come on, Iowa, put your hands together,” kept the mood light and the crowd laughing.

And as the band finished its last song and took its last bows to a standing ovation, the lights went down, and Doc and His Big Band left the stage — definitely leaving the crowd wanting more.