Music As Hot As the Temperature | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

Think of the events that provide the bookends for this week in music. The music week begins on Thursday when tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman wraps up his three-nights at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, with sets at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. (303-839-5100). And the week in music ends on Wednesday when bassist John Patitucci completes the two-night, return visit by his Electric Guitar Quartet to Dazzle at 6 and 8 p.m. Since he burst on the scene with his win in the Thelonious Monk 1991 saxophone competition, Redman (the son of tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman) has captured audiences in a number of contexts, including his first quartet back in 1994 that had Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass and Brian Blade on drums.

In the fall, Redman will be the Showcase Artist at the 2016 Monterey Jazz Festival. During the festival, he will hit the stage with three groups: his Still Dreaming band (that includes the masterful Denver trumpeter Ron Miles and made its debut at Dazzle at the start of this year); his extremely popular joint venture with the Bad Plus trio; and his quartet. Redman has been in town with that quartet this week and his stay at Dazzle ends on Thursday with sets at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The quartet has Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Greg Hutchinson on drums. That’s a pretty impressive collection of players and one that originally got together with Redman back in 1998. According to the Dazzle website, the sets on Thursday (as was the case for the first two nights) are sold out. That makes perfect sense, but it’s certainly still worth trying to score a last-minute ticket.

Then we can jump to Wednesday and bassist John Patitucci. The Brooklyn-born player has worked with a wide range of top musicians in the pop and Brazilian fields as well as in jazz (including Joshua Redman). In 1985, he began along-term connection with pianist Chick Corea in both the pianist’s Elektric and Akoustic bands. And since 2000, he has been a regular part of saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s quartet. Together with the other members of Shorter’s quartet (pianist Danilo Perez and drummer Blade), Patitucci has also been working in a trio called Children of the Light.

Patituci’s recording with his guitar band, titled Brooklyn, features Steve Cardenas and Adam Rogers on guitars and they are with him at Dazzle. On the disc, drummer Blade rounds out the quartet. At Dazzle, it’s Nate Smith on drums. Patitucci is at Dazzle on Tuesday along with Wednesday with sets at 6 and 8 p.m. on both nights.

In between Redman and Patitucci, trumpeter Greg Gisbert also swings into Dazzle on Sunday (at 6 and 8 p.m.) and Monday (at 7 p.m.) with his Giz Band quartet before the group heads out on tour. Gisbert, who grew up and Denver and has returned to live a mile high, is a strong player who has worked with any number of big bands including Maria Schneider’s along with smaller groups including the co-operative Convergence sextet that frequently plays Dazzle. Whenever I would travel, it was always a trip to run into Gisbert who might be playing with the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra or with the large ensemble recreating Charles Mingus’ Epitaph. The Giz Band as one added player from these parts, pianist Annie Booth, along with drummer Tommy Campbell (who can be found on numerous discs by folks like Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, and John McLaughlin) and bassist Mike Boone (who has spent time with people from Buddy Rich and Joey DeFrancesco to Clark Terry and Orrin Evans). 

Also on Sunday, the great modern bluesman, Otis Taylor (who also happens to live here), performs at City Park Jazz at 6 p.m. He is a major name and it’s a free event. His trance-blues sound is special and you don’t want to miss it.

This week also offers the Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience. That event is largely a pop-music affair with Diana Ross in Aspen’s Benedict Tent on Friday, Sheryl Crow on Saturday and Booker T and the Stax Review (plus Marcus Miller) on Sunday. The clear jazz is on Thursday as part of Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ Jas Café at the Aspen Art Museum at 7 and 9:15 p.m. That event features the striking vocalist Gregory Porter (jazzaspensnowmass.org).

On Friday, bassist Ken Walker leads his sextet at Dazzle at 7 and 9 p.m. On Saturday, Dazzle hosts a part of the Westword Music Showcase starting at noon followed at 7 p.m. by singer Mina Bradley-Belcaid. And moving away from Dazzle, this week at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., is the last for the current crop of artists-in-residence at the club. Trumpeter Gabe Mervine is on tap on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the Chick Corea Tribute is on stage on Thursday at 7 p.m. On Friday, it’s Ritmo Latin Jazz at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, it’s Wil Swindler playing Charlie Parker at 8:30 pm. Later on Saturday at 11:15 p.m., Gisbert and Booth do a duo for the late night show at Nocturne (303-295-3333).At Jazz at Jack’s, 500 16^th St., Dotesro is on stage on Friday and Saturday at 9:30 and 9:15 p.m. respectively (303-433-1000). The What’s Cookin’ Jazz Band is there on Sunday at 5 p.m. At Caffe Sole, 637R S. Broadway in Boulder, Joe Diamo and Current Intents (the group that worked with the late pianist Joe Bonner) plays on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by singer Janine Gastineau on Saturday at 7 p.m. (303-499-2985). And on Saturday, Dave Honig’s New Standards Project is at the Wazee Supper Club, 1600 15^th St. (303-623-9518), while the soul singer SuCh is at the Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 E. 1^st Ave., at 8 p.m. (303-830-9214).

Comments and submissions: Normanprovizer@aol.com