Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes—Kirk Knuffke

Recently, I’ve been listening to drummer Matt Wilson’s recent CD, Hug, on Palmetto Records. Wilson, like drummer Brian Blade has a sufficient number of ties to Denver (especially through cornetist that I sometimes think of him almost as an adopted son of the city, especially through Ron Miles. Most fans here are more than familiar with trumpeter/cornetist Miles, who was in an earlier version of Wilson’s quartet, as well as working with Blade, guitarist Bill Frisell and tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman.

On the Hug CD, the quartet’s trumpet chair (actually the cornet chair) is occupied by Coloradan Kirk Knuffke. Knuffke, who has been with Wilson’s band for just over a decade, was born in the Springs and spend some time in the northern part of the state before settling in Denver, connecting with Miles and others. By 2005, Knuffke was ready to move on and he headed to the Big Apple.

Once in New York City, the cornetist worked with Butch Morris and rather quickly gained widespread recognition. As DownBeat magazine put it , Knuffke “has quietly emerged as one of the most exciting and flexible hornmen on the (New York) scene.”

With more than three score recordings to his credit, a lot of players clearly want Knuffke aboard for their session; and under his own name, the cornetist’s 2017 disc, Cherryoo on Steeplechase, was named by NPR the as album of the year. That album revisits, in Knuffke’s own way, multiple tunes from Ornette Coleman (as originally played by Coleman’s long time, frontline companion Don Cherry.

What is rather fascinating is that Knuffke is part of an impressive list of trumpeters or cornetists connected to Colorado. In that camp, you can find Knuffke joining: Ron Miles, Hugh Ragin (one of the leading avant-garde player), Greg Gisbert (a regular with the Maria Schneider Orchestra), Shane Endsley (part of the band Kneebody), Scott Wendholt (the Vanguard Orchestra), Nate Wooley (who is from Oregon and spent time here at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver) and is known for his experimental, solo trumpet performances), And, of course, there is Bob Montgomery, a long time area based player (who played with the Clark Terry Orchestra), and Pete Olstad (who played with the big bands led by Maynard, Buddy and Woody. Also on the younger side, there  are numerous others players as well, represented by Gabriel Mervine.

Norman Provizer
Jazz Notes 8-21-2020