Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

Anyone who has followed singer Rene Marie over the years knows the name of her Charleston-based drummer Quentin Baxter. On Thursday, Baxter will be up in Vail as part of the band Ranky Tanky, a quintet playing the music of the Gullah culture of the southeastern Sea Islands. Translated into English, Ranky Tanky means“Get Funky” and that seems to be a theme floating through this year’s summer-long jazz events in Vail that essentially wrap up at the end of the Labor Day weekend with the Vail Jazz Party (September 2-6).

In 2020, Baxter and Ranky Tanky were Grammy winners in the regional roots category for their Good Time disc and Thursday’s stop in the Jazz Tent at 6 p.m. as part of the Vail Square series and the Labor Day party that is sure to get you shakin’ (vailjazz.org).

Then on Sunday, reedman Nelson Rangell brings a quartet to Vail as part of the Vail Jazz Festival’s free, Sunday concert series at Solaris Plaza at 5:30 p.m. Rangell, who continues to be based in Denver is an internationally known player in the smooth-jazz world, but he is playing on alto, tenor, flute, and piccolo. Be aware of the covid-imposed limitations connected to Vail jazz events.

At Nocturne, the week, starting on Thursday, has groups led by bassist Seth Lewis, trumpeter Derek Banach, pianist Ben Markley, pianist Jack Dunlevie, And at Dazzle, Austin-based guitarist/singer Anders Drerup is onstage with a sextet at 7 p.m.

Moving over to Lafayette, the Muse Performance Space offers the duo of saxophonist Rich Chiaraluce and pianist Keith Waters on Friday at 7 p.m., an album-release party of acoustic folk-rock sounds on Saturday at 7 p.m., jazz fusion Joey Blunk Electric Band on Sunday at 7 p.m., singer Linda Maich at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and free improvisation on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Jazz Notes 8-276-2021
Norman Provizer