Spring Has Sprung Sensational Live Music | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

First. Let’s give the drummer some. On Thursday, drum man Kendrick Scott brings his Oracle band to Dazzle, 930 Lincoln. The Houston-born Scott went to the city’s noted High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (as did folk like Jason Moran and Robert Glasper) and then went of to Boston and Berklee College of Music. In 2007, he formed his Oracle band and that’s the group at Dazzle at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday night (303-839-5100).

That band has Mike Moreno (who also went to Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts) on guitar, Taylor Eigsti (who, when he was 12, performed with Dave Brubeck and released his first album when he was 14) on piano, Joshua Crumbly on bass and, of course, Scott on drums. Along with his own group, Scott has worked with the Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Garrett, Joe Lovano, Charles Lloyd, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves and, for a long period, Terence Blanchard.

Then, on Friday, drummer Dennis Chambers is in town as part of the trio led by bassist Victor Wooten, who made his name as one of Bela Fleck Flecktones. That trio is at Cervantes, 2637 Welton at 8:25 p.m. (303-297-1772). Chambers was a member of the early jazz/rock group the Free Spirits (with guitarist John McLaughlin) and worked with Santana, P-Funk and was the house drummer at Sugar Hill Records, as well as recording with guitarist John Scofield and a host of others. Wooten’s trio is also at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14^th St. in Boulder, on Saturday at 8 p.m. (303-786-7030) and at the Aggie Theater, 204 S. College Ave. in Fort Collins, on Thursday at 9 p.m. (970-482-8300).

On Wednesday, the drum theme continues with the very young drummer Aleks Girshevich performing with a trio that has his dad Vlad Girshevich on piano and special guest Eddie Gómez on bass. The trio has an impressive CD out titled Algorithmic Society featuring nine of Vlad’s compositions. The Girshevichs met Gomez when the great bassist was at Dazzle, introduced to him by pianist Ellyn Rucker (who will be at La Cour Bistro and Bar, 1643 S. Broadway, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. – 303-777-5000). He heard their music and on the disc the trio comes together in fine solid style. By the way, Aleks was all of 12 when the recording with Gomez was made. The trio is at Dazzle on Wednesday at 7 p.m. It also plays two sets at Dazzle on March 30 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

On the big band and little big band front, the Ben Markley Big Band launches its new CD, Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton,  at Dazzle on Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. with special guest trumpeter Terell Stafford. Stafford is a mighty player who has worked with Bobby Watson, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson and the Clayton Brothers to name just a few. Other big bands and little-big bands on tap this week are the Denver Jazz Orchestra at Dazzle on Friday at 7 and 9 p.m., the What’s Cookin’ Big Band at Jazz at Jack’s, 500 16^th St. (303-433-1000), on Sunday at 6 p.m., the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra (with Greeley Central High School) at Dazzle on Monday at 7 p.m. and the Wil Swindler Eleven at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (303-295-3333).

Some other items are a CD release event by The Democracy quintet coordinated by trombonist Adam Bartczak at Nocturne on Thursday at 7 p.m. and a tribute to Joao Donato by a quartet that includes Eric Gunnison on piano and Bill Kopper on guitar at Caffe Sole, 637 S. Broadway in Boulder, at 7 p.m. on Friday. The great Brazilian pianist Donato was frequently a guest at Vartan’s jazz spot during its time in Denver. And on Sunday, Venezuelan vocalist/trumpeter Linda Briceno and bassist Myles Sloniker lead a quartet for an El Sistema Colorado Fundraiser starting in 6 p.m.

Two of the guitarists mentioned in the column, McLaughlin and Scofield, both appeared on the Miles Davis album You’re Under Arrest released in 1985. On that album, Davis offered up his version of the Cyndi Lauper tune “Time After Time.” Right now, the musical Kinky Boots with music by Lauper is at the Buell Theater in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With its feel-good, accept-people-for- who-they-are message, the musical moves the audience to join in enthusiastically on the “Raise You Up/Just Be” conclusion to the show. It runs at the Buell through Sunday (303-893-4100). Of course, he songs in Kinky Boots are less than memorable when compared to the Gershwin music featured in the musical An American in Paris that preceded Boots at the Buell. Named for the famed, extended piece of Gershwin music and based on the 1951 movie of the same name, An American in Paris offers up serious choreography, combined with lasting sounds and striking sets. And the story behind the play and George Gershwin’s writing of An American in Paris provides their own lessons in just being who you are.

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