Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

This week begins with a birthday celebration and ends with, what you call, a celebration of Boston’s Berklee College of Music. On Thursday, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson (born July 24, 1939 in Joplin, Missouri) wraps up his most recent stay at Dazzle, 1512 Curtis, celebrating his 80^th birthday. Eight decades into his life, McPherson is still going with a sound that captivated Charles Mingus and led to a long stay with Mingus’ musical workshop starting in 1960, as well as one that can capture Bird as displayed in the Clint Eastwood movie on Charlie Parker.

 

At Dazzle is supported by an area-based rhythm section made up of pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker and drummer Todd Reid. The quartet is on stage for a set at 7 p.m. (303-839-5100).

 

Then the week in music ends on Wednesday with a mighty trio made of bassist/singer Jeff Denson, French guitarist Romain Pilon and drummer Brian Blade.  Denson, in other words, comes to the stage at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a very strong hand of players with him. The trio’s latest recording is Between Two Worlds and it’s a band to hear. Denson moved to New York in 2010 and he worked and recorded with alto man Lee Konitz, as well as the group Minsarah and others. The Berklee connection here is that this is where Denson and Pilon connected.

 

There is also another birthday celebration on tap – pianist Neil Bridge’s 90^th time blowing out the candles. For this affair, Bridge has three of groups on stage at 6, 7 and 8:15 p.m. Then things continue with a jam headed by bassist Andrew Hudson at 10:30p.m. That’s a pretty full night of music from a musician who has had a great influence on so many players growing up here.

 

Other sounds around this week at Dazzle are the Next Generation: East + West Syndicate with talented young artists such as Rico Jones and Gabe Rupe later on Thursday (at 9 p.m.), the Lost Dog octet doing Tom Waits music at 7 p.m.  and mnop, The Quartet on Sunday.

 

Over at Caffe Sole in Boulder, 637R S. Broadway (303-499-2985), there’s bassist Matt Skellenger’s septet at 7 p.m.

 

 

And at La Cour, 1643 S. Broadway (303-777-5000), saxophonist Rico Jones plays at 7p.m. as does trumpeter David Fromm. Both musicians are with trios.