With the Labor Day weekend, summer is in its final throes. This season has been a fine one for outdoor festivals, but my favorite live music moments occurred when guitarist Nels Cline sonically peeled the paint off of Dazzle’s walls a couple of months back.
While that avant-leaning, improvised rock approach may not resonate with everyone, anyone who’s reading this probably has an affinity for the warm, straight-ahead stuff. So we can all agree on something like what’s happening in Vail through tomorrow.
The Vail Festival Labor Day Weekend Party is in its 16th year, and once again the organizers are bringing some of the most reliable names in jazz to altitude. The Clayton Brothers, bassist John and saxophonist Jeff, have been anchoring the party for several years and will perform with their own hard bop unit and with several other musicians throughout the weekend.
Fans of Cannonball Adderley and Lee Morgan will find a lot to value in the Claytons, and the jam-session atmosphere will include contributions from pianist Bill Cunliffe, trumpeter Terell Stafford, drummers Jeff Hamilton and Louis Nash, guitarist Bobby Broom and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Many of these names have played the Vail party in recent years, so expect a few good-natured instrumental duels like those of the famed Colorado mountain jam sessions of the past. Cunliffe will also be presenting what is billed as a “multimedia” salute to pianist Oscar Peterson tonight at 9:30.
If you’re desperately hanging on to the final days of the season or just want to get away to hear improvisers at the top of their game, this is the last shot at summer 2010 jazz glory in the Rockies. All performances are at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa. Get information on ticket prices and lodging at .
Don’t get me wrong: There’s still a lot to look forward to in the Denver area this fall, and a few recently announced dates are full of promise. Singer Nnenna Freelon evokes Sarah Vaughan but adds a personalized, heartfelt touch to standards at Boulder’s Macky Auditorium on Sept. 25.
Guitarist John Abercrombie has always been one of the most cerebral of players, rarely using gimmicks or feedback to sacrifice the purity of his ideas, and he’ll bring his accomplished quartet to the Mount Vernon Country Club for a rare Colorado appearance on Oct. 5. Finally, pianist Jason Moran has released some of the most exciting recordings of the past decade, and his group, the Bandwagon, will play Dazzle Oct. 16-17. It’s easier to let go of the summer knowing that so many engrossing moments lie ahead.
Set list. Vocalist Clare Wheeler (of the Swingle Singers) joins composer Tyler Gilmore at Dazzle tonight. . . . Saxophonist Nelson Rangell resumes his Sunday night gig at Jazz@Jack’s tonight, as well. . . . Jeff Hamilton will remain in Colorado after the Vail Jazz Party to play with his trio at Dazzle on Wednesday and Thursday. . . . Charlie Hunter is a guitarist who delights in making his instrument sound like anything other than what it is and it often sounds like he’s thinking with multiple brains. He’ll bring his latest trio, with trumpeter Michael Williams and drummer Eric Kalb to Boulder’s Fox Theatre on Thursday and to Swallow Hill on Friday.
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.
