Here’s why I enjoyed Telluride: First I met the big, genial guy who claimed to work as a bodyguard for Tom and Katie; then I saw an army of folks cruising along the town’s historic streets on Segway transporters. A short while later I ran into turbaned Hammond B-3 organ master Lonnie Smith, who shared the heart-wrenching tale of his new iPhone’s obliteration under the merciless wheels of a New York City bus.
And after that, I heard a lot of very fine, very smart improvised music.
Telluride is remote, unique and a little eccentric. It’s an environment that seems to encourage creativity, as last week’s 31st Annual Jazz Celebration proved. Since this year’s guest of honor was guitarist John Scofield, he seemed to be everywhere, sitting in with guitar contemporary Bill Frisell’s whacked-out trio, talking about his lengthy career and meeting admirers in a town park, and best of all, with the dynamic Trio Beyond, making some glorified noise as imposing as the mountains that surrounded us.
Teamed with drummer Jack DeJohnette and organist Larry Goldings, Trio Beyond put Scofield’s guitar in an early fusion context, paying tribute to late drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime band, as well as early-’70s Miles Davis. The three are committed to the adventurousness of an exciting era, when jazz improvisation collided with rock amplification. No one seemed interested in noodling solos or one-upmanship. This was about forging a tough sound, and they succeeded.
Trumpeter Roy Hargrove led the charge for an energetic quintet, and he’s found an engaging foil in saxophonist Justin Robinson. The mixture of blues, straight-ahead bop and ballads made for a well-rounded set, and after hearing this band for 90 minutes, you can’t help but wonder why Hargrove isn’t a bigger name. It isn’t for lack of talent or effort.
A couple of vocalists were also worth mentioning. Giacomo Gates scatted and employed crowd-pleasing vocal effects on standards while being pushed by a superior Denver-based trio, including pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist Mark Simon and drummer Paul Romaine. And bassist/singer Esperanza Spaulding sang with power and unrestrained joy to a crowd that didn’t seem to mind being caught in a downpour.
Frisell’s late-night trio performance at Telluride’s high school auditorium displayed him in an instrumental stand-up comic’s mode, abetted by drummer Joey Baron and bassist Tony Scherr. Whether they were tearing apart Thelonious Monk’s “Misterioso” or wringing the irony out of “The Days of Wine and Roses,” they created slapstick virtuosity.
When special guest Scofield (billed as “Superman” in the festival booklet) took to the stage to join the trio, expectations were high, but the apparently unrehearsed results were a little disappointing, though it was all in good, jam- session style fun.
Scofield, Frisell and Gates all played in the Denver/Boulder area with their own gigs in the days leading up to the festival, and that was good news for their fans. But the question remains: Why can’t a festival like this be staged on the Front Range?
Set list
Denver’s Convergence will be recording a live CD Monday night at Dazzle, if you want to show up and say “whoo!” … On Thursday at Dazzle, the American Council of the Blind in Colorado presents New Orleans pianist Henry Butler to provide musical accompaniment for Dinner in the Dark, and the Ron Miles Group gets two nights there on Friday and Saturday … Eohippus is slated for Jazz@Jacks on Thursday … Flutist Holly Hofmann is joined by saxophonist Houston Person at the Mount Vernon Country Club Aug. 23 … David Sanborn and Tower of Power share the bill at the Paramount on Aug. 25 and Tower of Power moves up to the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek on Aug. 26.
Bret Saunders’ column on jazz appears every other Sunday in A&E. Saunders is host of the “KBCO Morning Show,” 5:30-10 a.m. weekdays at 97.3-FM. His e-mail address is bret_saunders@hotmail.com.
