Many Splendid Valentine’s Day Live Jazz Choices |Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

Since his arrival from Germany, vocalist/composer Theo Bleckmann has captured a special spot as one of the most original and adventurous singers on the scene. On Saturday and Sunday, you can hear why Bleckmann is special when he travels to Denver to celebrate the release of his new ECM CD Elegy.

On Elegy, Bleckmann has a high-powered quartet with Ben Monder on guitar, Shai Maestro on piano, Jorge Roeder on bass and John Hollenbeck on drums. That’s the band that will be at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, with the sole exception of Maestro who had to back out for family reasons and will be replaced by Julian Shore. Bleckmann follows a variety of musical paths. He has discs of Mother Goose’s Melodies, Shumann’s Favorite Bar Songs, Kurt Weill and America and one called Las Vegas Rhapsody. He has also explored the music of Kate Bush and Twelve Songs by Charles Ives. That’s anything but one more run through standards.

At Dazzle, Bleckmann and friends are on stage on Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. and on Sunday at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. (303-839-5100). Also, Bleckmann’s recording of 12 Ives songs features the singer in the company of the beyond label, genre- jumping band Kneebody. And as the fates would have it, the Kneebody quintet is also in town this week. On Monday, Kneebody that has a new CD out on the Motema label titled Anti-Hero is at Metropolitan State University of Denver on the Auraria campus.

Kneebody is Denverite Shane Endsley on trumpet, Ben Wendel on saxophonist, Adam Benjamin on keyboards, Nate Wood on drums and Kaveh Rastegar (out of Boulder) on bass. The origins of the band go back to the start of the 21st century when several of the players were students at the Eastman School of Music. Currently, when not on he road, Endsley teaches in the Music Department of Metro State University. There is a free master class at 3 p.m. on Monday in Arts 295. At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, there’s a concert in the King Center on campus (303-556-2296). Sticking with that theme for a moment, Endsley will also be at Dazzle on March 14 at 7p.m. in a duo with the Bad Plus’ drummer David King. Fortunately they haven’t labeled this duo the BadKnee. Add an appearance by Bleckmann to one by Kneebody and the Endlsey/King duo and you have one strong dose of creative music.

In addition to Kneebody, MSU Denver also has the Imani Winds on campus on Friday. The Winds (Valerie Coleman on flute, Toyin Spellman-Diaz on oboe, Mark Dover on clarinet, Jeff Scott on French horn and Monica Ellis on bassoon) are another musical aggregation that colors outside the lines. You can find them on saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s disc Without a Net and they have hooked up with singer René Marie to explore the sound and spirit of Josephine Baker. And once again, it just so happens that Marie will be back in town at Dazzle on February 21-22 at 6 and 8 p.m. There is a free master class by the Imani Winds on Friday at 4 p.m. in the King Center and a concert at 7:30 p.m.

Also this week, the fine trumpet player Brad Goode brings his Polytonal Dance Party quintet to Dazzle on Friday at 7 and 9 p.m., while the veteran vocalist Ed Battle, who knows how to deliver a jazz standard with class, wraps up the musical week at Dazzle on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Guitarist Sean McGowan trio does Lerner and Loewe love songs on Thursday a Dazzle at 7 p.m. and violinist Katie Glassman and her Snapshot band celebrate Valentine’s Day at Dazzle with dinner at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

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