Trumpeters Close Out February | Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

At the start of 1996, I wrote an article on New Orleans for Jazziz magazine called “No Last Call.” It featured conversations with two New Orleans players and one from north Louisiana who adopted the Crescent City as his home. That last player was drummer Brian Blade, while the N’awlins natives were guitarist Steve Masakowski and trumpeter Nicholas Payton who will be at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, on Friday and Saturday with a trio doing the sounds from his recent Afro-Caribbean Mixtape release.

One of the things that impressed me talking with Payton when he was 22 was his mature approach to the music. “When I was 15 or 16 record companies were after me,” he noted back then. “But I wanted to develop the fundamentals and not just be a quick and ill-prepared young lion who would fade.”  He spent time developing with Elvin Jones and others and released his first album as a leader in 1995, the year he turned 22. And he has continued to build on those fundamentals in a variety of ways, the latest of which is his Afro-Caribbean Mixtape outing. The full group on the album, that includes a DJ, isn’t on this tour, but a strong trio is – with drummer Joe Dyson, who is on the disc, and bassist Braylon Lacy joining Payton who has his trumpet and keyboards in tow.

Payton’s sets on Friday are at 7 and 9 p.m. and on Saturday they are at 6 and 8 p.m. You might not make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but you can certainly get a taste of the Crescent City just a few days before Fat Tuesday when Payton is in town (303-839-5100). . KGNU is a sponsor of Payton at Dazzle and the trumpeter will be on KUVO on Friday afternoon with Susan Gatschet at 2:30pm to debut his new recording, “Afro-Caribbean Mix Tape”.

On Sunday, there are two items of interest. First, there’s a benefit to help with medical expenses for Kathleen (wife of Gene) Smookler. The event is at Jazz at Jack’s, 500 16^th St., starting at 3 p.m. The What’s Cookin’ big band kicks things of at 3 p.m., followed by the Bob Montgomery/Al Hermann Sextet at 4 p.m. and trumpeter Brad Goode at 5 p.m. What’s Cookin’ is back at 6 p.m. and a jam at 7 p.m. wraps things up (303-433-1000). Also on Sunday, the Gift of Jazz has a “Blind Tiger” event as part if its centennial series paying homage to great players born in 1917. This “Blind Tiger” focuses on Thelonious Monk with a trio called Spherio plus a guest saxophonist. The event starts at 3 p.m. at the Colorado Auto Dealers Association, 290 E. Speer, with dinner, drink and sounds (giftofjazz.org).

On Fat Tuesday itself, Dazzle has pianist Billy Wallace and singer Jean-Marie offering their take on the sounds of the French Quarter at 5:30 p.m. followed on stage by trumpeter Dave Rajewski and his Welton Street Players doing the sounds of Louis Armstrong at 7 p.m. On Monday leading into Fat Tuesday, Dazzle has the Queen City Jazz Band at 6:30 p.m.

Also during the week, Dazzle has clarinetist Dexter Payne and his quintet doing the sounds of Brazil on Thursday at 7 p.m. while Carnival gets going in Rio. And on Wednesday, Dazzle wraps up the week with piano trios form the University of Colorado Denver.

Over at Nocturne, 1330 27^th St., the Big Swing Trio wraps up its current residency there on Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Tom Gershwin Sextet does the same on Saturday at 7 p.m. (303-295-3333). And on Thursday at 7 p.m., The Democracy quintet performs live from KUVO at 7 p.m.

Singer René Marie has been one of my favorite vocalists for a number of years now; and during her recent stop in Denver, she reminded folks that trumpeter Etienne Charles was going to be at Dazzle on March 15-16 and that they should try and get a taste of the trumpeter’s Creole Soul. The context for that reminder was that Charles arranged the horn parts for Marie’s last two CDs, both of which received Grammy nominations. And another extra treat connected to Marie’s visit was that there were several young children in the audience to hear her. That’s something that doesn’t happen often enough and it’s special to see.

Of course, speaking of children, Circus 1903: The Golden Age of Circus is at the Buell Theater in the Denver Performing Arts Complex through Sunday (303-893-4100). This is a show with children aplenty; and it appears to work for kids of all ages, including those labeled senior citizens. The focus is on the circus acts but the thread tying it together is David Williamson in the role of the Ringmaster who offers a first rate and very funny performance in a role that includes bringing children from the audience on stage and into the fray. And there are elephants to boot, puppets from the people who created the striking equine in the play War Horse.  It’s a family affair that has something for people of every age.

Comments and submissions: normanprovizer@aol.com