The Roar of Trumpets | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

The guest of honor at this year’s Telluride Jazz Festival that runs from August 5-7 is New Orleans keyboardist, vocalist and guitarist Jon Cleary. At Telluride, Cleary will perform with his Absolute Monster Gentlemen band as well as doing a duo deal with guitarist John Scofield. But if you can’t wait until August, Cleary is in Denver on Thursday to play the piano and sing at Baur’s Listening Lounge, 1512 Curtis, at 8 p.m. (303-615-4000). It’s hard to think of a better way to generate some New Orleans heat to melt some of the spring snow on the ground.

 In addition to Cleary, other notable visitors to town this week are alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, trumpeter Randy Brecker and trumpeter Brian Lynch. Like many people who are not from Detroit, I first heard of McPherson after he moved to New York in 1959 and before long joined bassist Charles Mingus – a musical relationship that would last for many years. By 1964, the alto saxophonist began recording under his own name and, toward the end of the 1970s, he headed west, settling in San Diego.

McPherson’s Bird-like sound was featured in the soundtrack of the movie Bird and the 76-year-old saxophonist’s most recent CD, The Journey, was recorded by Colin Bricker here in 2014 and released on Colorado’s Capri Record label operated by Tom Burns. In addition to McPherson, the quintet on that disc is made up of Denver-based players Keith Oxman on tenor saxophone, Ken Walker on bass and drummer Todd Reid, along with former Coloradan Chip Stephens on piano. McPherson is at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, on Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. and Sunday at 6 and 8 p.m. (303-839-5100).

Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, trumpeter Brecker hits Dazzle to perform with fellow trumpeter Greg Gisbert, pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist Mark Simon and drummer Paul Romaine at 6 and 8 p.m. For more than four decades, the noted jazz player Brecker has been an in-demand player for rock, pop and R&B sessions as well. And together with his tenor saxophone-playing brother, Michael Brecker (who died in 2007), he did the fusion thing with the Brecker Brothers band.

On the more straight-ahead jazz side, the trumpeter put in time with Eliane Elias and earlier with pianist Horace Silver’s quintet. In fact, I still have a strong memory from the late 1960s hearing Silver play in a Philadelphia club with Randy and Michael Brecker as the band’s very impressive frontline. At Dazzle, there should be more than a few musical sparks flying with the two-trumpet frontline of Gisbert and Brecker. Also Brecker’s current CD, with the DePaul Jazz Ensemble, titled Dearborn Station, is on Denver’s Jazzed Media label. 

When Brecker winds up his two nights at Dazzle on Wednesday, another noted trumpeter takes the stage at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., at 7:30 p.m. (303-295-3333). That player is Brian Lynch who also played with Horace Silver (in the 1980s) along with spending time as a Jazz Messenger, overlapping with Denver tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson in the famed group led by drummer Art Blakey, and also knocked things out of the Afro-Cuban park with pianist Eddie Palmieri and others.

Lynch is at Nocturne with his touring quartet that includes the fine, young pianist Emmet Cohen, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Colin Stranahan (who grew up in Denver). Speaking of Nocturne, on April 10, the club hosts the Gift of Jazz Festival that raises funds for that organization that supports the music. Meanwhile, on Thursday, there’s New Music from the Gift of Jazz Composers/Arrangers at Dazzle at 7 p.m. Jeff Jenkins, Ken Walker, Todd Reid and horns are part of the action. And on Friday, Walker leads his fine sextet at Dazzle for sets at 7 and 9 p.m.

 Then it’s April with a ton of sounds on tap including, bassist Chris Lightcap’s strong Bigmouth quintet at Dazzle on the first day of the new month followed by singer Rene Marie’s mighty return to Denver on April 2-3 at Dazzle, right before the release of her new Motema release. Additionally, Dazzle has pianist Steve Kuhn on April 4, pianist Lenore Raphael on April 6 and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz and his septet on April 7. Also on April 7, pianist Omar Sosa and his Quarteto Afrocubano are at Mount Vernon Country Club (303-526-0616). And that’s just the first week of the month.

Comments & submissions: Normanprovizer@aol.com