There seems to be a lull in the big, nationally recognized names appearing in Denver this month. But that’s all right; sometimes the under-the-radar stuff is deeper, more compelling, and even more rewarding if you’re willing to seek it out. Check out these examples.
Trumpeter Rod McGaha, tonight, Dazzle: I first heard of McGaha on 1999’s well-received “Preacherman” CD, which was laid-back and polished in all the right ways. He seemed like the next big trumpet thing at the time.
Then I heard nothing until this year’s “A Gentle Man,” with its predominant balladry and string quartet. On the surface, it seemed a little too safe. But it might be the first CD ever to contain covers of both Fats Waller and the Turtles. It’s a proper showcase for McGaha’s warm tone and tinge of eccentricity, and for a supposedly “gentle” recording, it really frees up at times. You won’t mistake McGaha for Chris Botti. ($15, $8 for students. 930 Lincoln St. Call 303-839 5100.)
Frank Potenza, Friday, Broadway Music School: Guitarist Potenza is a follower of Joe Pass, one of those warmly remembered artists who had a way of engaging the head as well as the heart. The younger player has carried the Pass torch admirably, especially in recent years.
Potenza’s early recordings were a bit bland due to slick production, but he’s gained subtlety on record, and his latest on Colorado’s Capri label, “Old, New, Borrowed and Blue,” is Potenza at his sophisticated best. His solo show should hypnotize jazz guitar students; the rest of us should be impressed by his likable approach. (7:30 p.m., $20; 1940 S. Broadway. info@broadwaymusicschool )Janine Santana and Richie Cole, Thursday and Friday, Dazzle: Santana is a local percussionist with a sense of history that deserves to be heard beyond the Front Range. Cole is a highly respected alto saxophonist who evoked Sonny Stitt and Charlie Parker before settling into his own highly expressive style.
The duo has recorded a couple of discs together, and for those who want to compare and contrast, it’s interesting that Santana is top-billed on Thursday while Cole’s is the first name on the Friday-night gigs. Either way, expect sunny mainstream and Latin jazz with expert local support from Ken Walker, Paul Romaine and more. (7 and 9 p.m., $15; 303-839-5100)Set list.
Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval appears at Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House tonight . . . pianist Joe Bonner, whose stellar work reaches back to his ’70s days with Pharoah Sanders, plays for free tonight at the Mercury Cafe . . . Spider Saloff celebrates and sings the music of Irving Berlin at the Lakewood Cultural Center on Friday . . . Dotsero plays from their own stage at Jazz@Jack’s on Saturday . . . vocalist Lisa Bell presents “A Very Jazzy Christmas” at Nissi’s in Lafayette on Nov. 29.
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
