A bubbly, Latinized Martini

A Pink Martini on New Year’s Eve may sound like another colorful concoction with which to raise the spirits as the clock approaches midnight. Something to add to the celebratory downing of green apple and Cosmopolitan martini variations, supplemented by a stroke-of-12 dash of pink Champagne.

All of which turned out to be a pretty good definition of the essence of what the group, Pink Martini, brought to a pair of packed-house performances at Disney Hall on Wednesday night. Beyond those obvious associations, however -- “a colorful concoction to raise the spirits” -- it was considerably more difficult to pin down the musical attributes of the 10-piece (with an added string quartet), Oregon-based ensemble.

Their most appealing quality, in fact, was their refusal to be locked into any specific musical style. Consider, for example, that the program opened with a romp through Ravel’s “Bolero,” featuring trombone lines from Robert Taylor and some dramatic piano playing by Pink Martini leader Thomas Lauderdale, supported by a groove-driven bass line from Phil Baker.

The next selection shifted into the Latin overtones of “Amado Mio” (from the film “Gilda”), followed by “Anna (El Negro Zumbon),” another atmospheric film-derived theme, and then by Ernesto Lecuona’s classic Cuban theme, “Andalucia.” By that point, it was clear that the underlying theme of an otherwise musically eclectic evening would be pop-tinged, lounge-spiced takes on Latin-styled numbers.

Singer China Forbes, singing in five different languages, was Pink Martini’s musical heart, her stylish interpretive range and dance-like movements smoothing the occasional quick shifts in musical genre. Lauderdale, with his whimsical, Paul Williams-like manner, held the musical proceedings together, while trombonist Taylor and trumpeter Gavin Bondy tossed in a few impressive jazz solos.

But the evening’s most intriguing moments took place during the most intimate tunes, especially the lovely group original, “Una Notte a Napoli,” and the brief, intense Brecht/Eisler song, “To a Little Radio.”

Climaxing the evening, Pink Martini’s four-man rhythm team kicked off a galvanizing samba rhythm, Forbes sang Ary Barroso’s “Aquarela do Brasil” and the colorfully costumed Viver Brasil Dance Company streamed on stage for a high-spirited, carnival-style closing number.