Another Bumper Crop of Music to Select From | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

When it comes to the Fourth of July, the fireworks are over until next year. But when it comes to musical fireworks, there are plenty of them going off this week. The musical week begins on Thursday with the trio made up of pianist Monty Alexander, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton playing at Vail Square at 6 p.m. as part of the Vail Jazz series leading up to Vail Jazz Party over Labor Day (vailjazz.org). Then, the musical week ends on Wednesday when the Bad Plus threesome begins the first of its sold-out, two-night stay at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln,  (303-839-5100). And in between, there are singers Nicole Henry and John Pizzarelli (who also plays some very strong guitar) and others.

The Alexander-Clayton-Hamilton combo has a history that goes back 40 years and it’s clearly a trio that deserves the all-star label. After playing in Vail Square, the trio lands in Aspen as part of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass season. Monty and friends are at the Aspen Art Museum at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (jazzaspensnowmass.org). Beyond the trio, Alexander will also be back in Colorado for an August 13 KUVO event with his Kingston-Harlem Express band. That annual fundraising party is at the Balistreri Vineyards in Denver (kuvo.org). The pianist from Jamaica had his Express aggregation in Denver in 2015 at Dazzle. One of the Express drummer’s at that time was Brian Claxton out of Greeley. And it was drummer Jeff Hamilton who recommended Claxton to Alexander.

Recently, I caught Claxton as part of guitarist Steve Kovalcheck’s group remembering Grant Green at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., on Saturdays as one of the club’s current artists in residence. On Wednesday, another of the current artist-in-residence crop, guitarist Dave Devine’s trio doing Led Zeppelin, launches Nocturne’s high end and impressive Renditions dinner named for a Zeppelin disc at 7:30 p.m. (303-295-3333).

That brings us back to the Bad Plus. The Plus emerged as one of the major bands of the 21^st century, with pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson and drummer David King generating an absolutely giant sound for a trio. The group’s first disc in 2001 blended Nirvana into its jazz blend and that set the stage for all that would come in the decade-and-a-half that followed. The last time I saw pianist Iverson he was at Dazzle with drummer Albert “Tootie” Trio.  He, like the others in the trio, is a player. Remember the trio’s current CD is with Joshua Redman. The group is at Dazzle on Wednesday and July 14 at 7 and 9 p.m. All the shows are listed as sold out, but it’s definitely worth some effort to try and score a ticket.

Additionally, singer Nicole Henry and her trio are at Baur’s Listening Lounge, 1512 Curtis, on Saturday at 8 p.m. (303-615-4000). On Monday, Henry does “The Great Ladies of Song” at the gala held at the lodge at Vail, 174 Gore Creek Drive, that is part of the Vail Jazz Festival. On Tuesday, Baur’s follows up with singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli who is on stage at 7 and 9 p.m. with his quartet not long after spending time at the Jazz Standard in New York. The son of guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, John comes by his playing quite naturally. The added twist is his smooth singing that has gained him enormous popularity and much wider recognition. On July 14, Pizzarelli is at Jazz at Vail Square at 6 p.m.

Also, you can catch at Dazzle: trombonist John Hines and singer Donna Devine on Thursday at 7 p.m.; singers Erienne Romaine and Annie Booth on Thursday at 10 p.m.; Shark Truce (with Tania Katz, Devine and Shawn King) on Friday at 7 and 9 p.m.; and the Neil Bridge 7 plus band with singer Karen Lee and guest percussionist Gary Sosias on Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m.; the Stephen Thurston Trio on Sunday at 7 p.m.; and Mass Hipsteria doing Tower of Power on Monday at 7 p.m.

At City Park Jazz in City Park on Sunday at 6 p.m., there’s the Heavy Heavies (with a couple of players from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey); and on Saturday, singer Lannie Garrett does her “Great Ladies of Song: From Billie to Bette”on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, 1601 Arapahoe (303-293-0075). That show continues on Saturdays through Sept. 10. And on Saturday as well, there is a fundraiser labeled “CancerBlows” at the Lone Tree Brewing Company, 8200 Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree, fro 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Bob Montgomery/Al Herman Sextet is among the groups performing. 

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