Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes for May 28

If you were in New York this weekend, you get a taste of home by swinging by Jazz at Lincoln Center where guitarist Bill Frisell is offering “Up and Down the Mississippi Traveling Highway 61.”

Frisell, who was born in Baltimore, grew up in Denver where he switched from clarinet to guitar and learned about jazz from his teacher, guitarist Dale Bruning. But beyond that, the band traveling Highway 61 with Frisell includes Denver-based cornetist and trumpeter Ron Miles who heads the Jazz and American Improvised Music program at MSU Denver.

While Miles is based in Denver, his musical reputation is an international one. And it’s always worth reminding ourselves of the quality of so many of the players who reside in these parts.

On Thursday, for example, trumpeter Pete Olstad, who worked with Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, as well as Blood, Sweat and Tears (and has since settled here) is at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, with a quartet that has guest John Colianni (who worked with guitarist Les Paul) on piano. The group, that also contains Ken Walker on bass and Mike Marlier on drums, is on stage at 7 and 9 p.m. (303-839-5100).

On Saturday, Olstad’s quartet with Colianni switches venues and appears at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., on Saturday from 6 until 8:30 p.m. (303-295-3333). Also in June, Nocturne will unveil its next list of area-based performers who will perform as artists-in-residence for three months. 

While the strong bassist Walker is with Olstad on Thursday and Saturday, he is in front of his own sextet on Friday at Dazzle at 7 and 9 p.m. for his monthly visit to the club on Lincoln. The next night, Saturday, finds fiddler Katie Glassman and Snapshot at Dazzle for a tribute to the Sun Record sessions and Elvis Presley at 7 and 9 p.m. Think of it as Texas swing meets Memphis rock. Snapshot has Eric Moon on piano, Greg Schochet on guitar, Charlie Mertens on bass and guest Damon Smith on drums. 

Come Sunday, bassist Miles Sloniker, from Fort Collins, is back in Colorado from his new home in New York. He performs at Dazzle at 7 p.m. with a trio that includes his mentor Paul Romaine on drums and Finnish player Tuomo Uusitalo on piano. On Tuesday, area-based psychiatrist and pianist Jean Milofsky brings a trio to Dazzle at 7 p.m. And on Wednesday, guitarist Thomas Chance Murray pulls into Dazzle at 7 p.m. with the Chance Trio that does fusion plus with Kim Stone on bass.

Monday is the first day of June and that month has a number of jazz events to definitely keep in mind. On June 13-14, for example, drummer Brian Blade is in town with his Mama Rosa group in which he doesn’t play drums. During the same time Blade is in town, Jason Moran is here as well doing a solo-piano date at Baur’s Listening Lounge on June 14. Saxophonist Stan Killian is also in from New York on June 18-19 to play at Nocturne, while drummer Scott Amendola is at Dazzle on June 12 with a group that has Ben Goldberg (a player originally from here who has gained major national attention for his very out-of-the-ordinary clarinet work and compositions).

On June 6-7, the Estes Park Jazz Festival occurs with a lineup that includes the superb Tia Fuller band that has deep roots in this area. June also marks the 25^th anniversary of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass June festival that singers Roberta Gambarini and Kurt Elling, the Count Basie Orchestra and Maceo Parker and others on June 26-28. Also on June 28, there’s the “Jump for Jazz” event in Boulder at the Dairy Center for the Arts from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. There are free events during the day and a ticketed concert in the evening.

Normanprovizer@aol.com