Jazz News: Jazz at Sloans Lake, Ramsey Lewis, Thundercat, & Clarence Avant!

Paul Romaine of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts recently told KUVO’s Carlos Lando how important it was for musicians to get through the last couple of years by playing on front porches for neighbors.  That winning formula has also worked for saxophonist Rico Jones, who has performed on the family’s front porch across from Sloan’s Lake for the past couple of summers.

At the corner of West 17th Avenue and Meade Street, Rico has assembled players like Bill McCrossen, Vlad and Aleks Girshevich, and Harold Summey for public jam. Brad Goode, Eric Gunnison and Seth Lewis are in the mix too.

Jazz at Sloan Lake is Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. until September. (SOURCE: Denverite -Front yard jazz returnes to Sloans Lake)

Ramsey Lewis started writing his autobiography not long before his journey ended in 2022.  Now his story has been released.  “Gentleman of Jazz – A Life in Music,” co-authored by Aaron Cohen, chronicles his journey from the Cabrini Green projects in Chicago, through gospel and classical music, to jazz, and crossover stardom by covering pop hits of the day.  One wonders what his relationship with Chess Records house drummer Maurice White had to do with the launch of Earth, Wind and Fire.

“Gentleman of Jazz” is published by Blackstone at 176 pages. (SOURCE: DOWNBEAT – Gentleman of Jazz)

Always pushing the envelope just a little further, Thundercat’s latest release is a co-production with a guy named Tame Impala. They’re issuing a limited edition seven-inch disc of “No More Lies,” on cheetah screen print vinyl. The digital release of the song last spring was Thundercat’s first new song in more than three years.

Thundercat opens his “In Yo Girl’s City Tour” of North and South America this month, and his stop in Denver is at Red Rocks on October 10th. (SOURCE: The Amazing Thundercat Tour) (SOURCE: The Vinyl Factory-Thundercat & Tame Impala)

One final note. With the passing of music producer Clarence Avant last week at age 92, I finally sat down for the NETFLIX documentary on his remarkable life, “The Black Godfather.” Made in 2019 and directed by Reginald Hudlin, it was a historic, sobering, uplifting film.

Avant learned the ropes by working for Louis Armstrong’s manager Joe Glaser, and later he managed the careers of Little Willie John, Freddie Hubbard, Sarah Vaughan, Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Curtis Fuller and many others. (SOURCE: NETFLIX)

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