November Begins With Numerous Choices | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

One of the things that continually amazes me is the sheer number of world-class jazz players emerging from Israel and Cuba – countries that have a combined population of some 20 million people. On the Cuban side, the list of pianists landing on these shores is almost beyond belief and one of the names on that list is Fabian Almazan who is at Dazzle, 1512 Curtis, on Saturday with his trio. That trio is top shelf with Linda May Han Oh (who was recently in town at the Newman Center with Pat Metheny) on bass and Henry Cole on drums.

Almazan, who has gone from Cuba to Miami to New York, has worked with trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Dave Douglas and Ambrose Akinmusire, as well as drummer Mark Guiliana (who, by the way, will be at Dazzle on Nov. 13 with his band Space Heroes). Almazan’s trio with Oh (born in Malaysia and raised in Western Australia) and Cole (a native of Puerto Rico, who has worked with saxophonists David Sánchez and Miguel Zenón plus trumpeter Nicholas Payton to name just a few of the players with whom he has spent time) are players you would pay to see on their own. The group plays at 7 and 9:30 p.m. (303-839-5100).

On Friday, the night before Almazan performs, Dazzle has guitarist/singer (and mouth trumpeter) Raul Midón doing his potent solo thing that blends Latin, jazz and pop together in a rather compelling fashion. On the jazz side, Midón also toured with Payton, Gerald Clayton, Greg Hutchinson and Joe Sanders under the Monterey Jazz Festival label in 2016. Raul, a native of New Mexico plays at 6:30 and 9 p.m.  His current disc on Mack Avenue with the Metrople Orkest under the direction of Grammy® winning arranger, Vince Mendoza is titled If You Really Want and it has been garnering massive airplay around the jazz radio and streaming outlets

A third visitor to town during this musical week is keyboardist Erik Deutsch, who spent a number of years living in these parts. Since returning east to Brooklyn in 2005, the Washington DC native has established a strong national reputation with his work with Charlie Hunter (appearing on two of the guitarist’s discs), singer Norah Jones and guitarist Nels Cline. On Thursday, Deutsch (who is part of the band Leftover Salmon) celebrates the release of his 6^th CD Falling Flowers with his sextet that has Tony Mason on drums, Brian Drye on trombone, Victoria Reed on vocals, Greg Garrison on bass and Jon Gray on trumpet at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St. starting at 6:30 p.m. (303-295-3333).

Then on Friday, Deutsch and his Falling Flowers band heads to Boulder for a night at Caffé Sole, 637R South Broadway, starting at 7 p.m. (303-499-2985).  

Some other items to keep in mind are the groove sounds of saxophonist Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe group at the Boulder Theater, 2030 14^th St. in Boulder, on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (303-786-7030) and the SongBird Jazz Festival that runs all day on Saturday from 8 a.m. until the concluding concert by singer Jackie Allen that starts at 8 p.m.  The Wisconsin-born singer has recorded a number of discs, including Tangled on Blue Note in 2006. The entire event takes places in The Muse Performance Space, 200 E. South Boulder Rd. in Lafayette (720-352-4327). Also on Saturday, Manuel Molina presents “A Night Around the World” with musicians drawn from around the world at the Elaine Wolf Theater, 350 S. Dahlia, at 2 and 7 p.m. (ManuelMolina.net).

Returning to Dazzle, Franny (singer Fracesca Rubin) and the Jets are at the club on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Gypsy Jazz Jam Session at 8:30 p.m. On Sunday at 5:30 p.m., Dazzle has a fundraiser for People House (a mental health facility), while on Monday and Tuesday, the club has guitarist Bob Margolin with the Delta Sonics at 7 and 8:30 on Monday and at 6:30 and 8 on Tuesday. And finishing the week, Dazzle has the Tri-City Trio on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Masontown at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

To end on a sad note, tenor saxophonist/composer and professor of music at Metro State University Fred Hess passed away on October 26. Services, according to he Creative Music Works website, will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 700 S. Franklin St., at 3 p.m. on Saturday. On Monday at the Syntax Physic Opera,  554 S, Broadway-Denver, there will be an open jam session in honor of the late Fred Hess. All are welcome! Dr. Hess was a serious musician, a serious teacher and as superb human being. I will miss him. 

Comments and submissions: normanprovizer@aol.com