Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

A cool item on tap this week is the Stafford Hunter Quintet with Brad Leali. Hunter is a relatively recent addition to the area scene, after spending almost three decades in New York. The trombonist, vocalist and shell master has been a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more 20 years and has worked with a large number of prominent jazz performers (such as McCoy Tyner and shell maven Steve Turre) as well as singers from the more pop world (such as Lauryn Hill, Dionne Warwick and Joss Stone). He is at Dazzle with a quintet that features Leali on alto saxophone.

Leali, like trumpeter Greg Gisbert and saxophonist Javon Jackson, grew up playing on the area scene and is now a professor at the University of North Texas’ highly regarded jazz program. He left these parts to go off with Harry Connick’s Orchestra and has been part of the Count Basie Orchestra. It’s good to have him home for a few days. He is on stage with Hunter at 6 and 8:30 on Saturday and starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Dazzle also has the chamber-like duo of James Hill and Susie Maddocks (on flute and piano respectively0 on Monday starting at 6:30 p.m. and the progressive, two-trumpet and two-trombone, lane-changing band the Westerlies on Tuesday at 6:30 and 9 p.m.

For Valentine’s Day on Friday, there are singing choices available with Elaine Dame (out of Chicago) at Dazzle, with trumpeter/vocalist Tom Gershwin at Nocturne, with Robyn Gisbert and Justin Adams at La Cour and a host of instrumentalists at Boulder’s Caffe Sole.

Norman Provizer
Jazz Notes 2-13-2020