Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes: 12-4-2014

Jazz Notes 12-4-2014

By Norman Provizer

By now, jazz fans in these parts know of death of pianist Joe Bonner on November 20 of heart failure in his Denver home. He was 66. Not long after his passing, his band mates paid tribute to him at Café Sole in Boulder and there are more tributes to come. On December 14, there’s a “Memorial Vespers” evening of sound saluting the pianist’s music at Cleo Parker’s Dance Theater, 119 Park Ave. West, organized by drummer Tom Tilton. Among the many players on hand, there will be keyboardist Jeff Jenkins and saxophonist Keith Oxman along with a host of others. The doors open at 5 p.m. with the music at 6 p.m. (303-295-1759).  Then, on December 19, there’s an event at The Living Room, 1055 S. Broadway marking the release of Bonner’s most recent solo effort, Current Events on Cherry Sound Recordings (303-339-6636). To the end, Bonner remained a player with a potent combination of modal power and pure lyrical beauty. 

Meanwhile, Thursday offers the final night of the Ben Allison Band at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln. Bassist Allison, who was born in New Haven, Connecticut, recently turned 48 and possesses a long list of credits. When he was 25, Allison and pianist Frank Kimbrough established the Herbie Nichols Project and the Jazz Composers’ Collective in New York. While he played in groups led by others, such as alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, Allison quickly ventured into leading his own groups, producing his first disc in the mid-1990s. Over time, the bassist has led groups like Medicine Wheel and Peace Pipe; and, in the process, has emerged as one of the most highly regarded bassists on the scene. From 2005 through 2007, he was named the top, rising-star bassist in the Downbeat “Critics Poll.” And in the current compilation from DownBeat, he captured the fourth spot among bass players (not of the rising-star kind), behind Christian McBride, Dave Holland and Ron Carter. Not bad at all. And beyond his string work, Allison is also a composer of note. Returning to this year’s poll of critics, the bassist held the top spot in the rising-star composer category. Allison’s 2013 CD The Star Look Very Different Today has his group with Steve Cardenas on guitar, Brandon Seabrook on guitar and banjo and Allison Miller on drums. That is the band at Dazzle on Thursday at 7 and 9 p.m. (303-839-5100). It’s also worth noting that on several of the other discs on the Palmetto label by Allison, Denver’s Rudy Royston is on drums. In fact, on Allison’s Thinking Free CD, you not only find Royston on drums, but Shane Endsley, another player with Denver roots, on trumpet. 

Speaking of trumpet players connected to Denver, Gabe Mervine, is the artist in residence each Thursday in December at 10:30 p.m. Mervine has matured into an extremely fine player.  After Allison leaves Dazzle for Chicago and a date at the Green Mill Jazz Club there, the club on Lincoln has the Organization (Jeff Jenkins, Dave Corbus, Peter Sommer and Mike Marlier) on Saturday doing the music of Jimi Hendrix at 7 and 9 p.m. On Sunday, Dazzle offers a saxophone battle with John Gunther and Sommer dueling it out in front of a rhythm section made up of bassist Bijoux Barbosa and drummer Jim White along with guitarist Dave Devine. The sets are at 7 p.m.  And on Friday at 10:30 p.m., Devine is on the bill for Dazzle’s “Friday 10 p.m. Social.”  On Tuesday, drummer Paul Mullikin has a quintet at Dazzle at 7 p.m. to celebrate the release of a new disc; and on Wednesday, it’s the Center for Musical Arts Ensemble and Combo at Dazzle at 7 p.m. Also on Saturday, the Rebirth Brass Band will get you to Move Your Body (to borrow the title of the band’s latest CD) at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax, at 9 p.m. (with opening acts, 303-377-1666). That same night Ron LeGault Jazz brings back the music of Charlie Brown (created by Vince Guaraldi) meeting the Nutcracker. The free sounds are at the Hotel St. Julien, 900 Walnut in Boulder, from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. (720-406-9696). And on Friday, you can get into the holiday spirit when cast members from the play Forbidden Broadway: Alive & Kicking sing songs of the season in a free event across the street from the Cherry Creek Mall at the Denver Center’s holiday box office, 2771 E. 1st Ave. The very funny spoof of Broadway musicals is at the Galleria Theater in the Denver Performing Arts Complex until March 1.  

Normanprovizer@aol.com