The blast of jazz performances scheduled for the upcoming week proves what a thriving scene we have here. Think of it as the aural equivalent of purchasing locally grown food — only it’s a cornucopia of blue notes that are about to be harvested.
The fourth Littleton Jazz Festival begins at 2 p.m. today at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St. This smaller, grassroots show gives Colorado musicians a much-deserved opportunity to shine. Centerpiece Jazz with singer Joni Janak, The CU Faculty Jazz Combo, and the 18-piece big band Zing (previously Jazz West) will animate a variety of upbeat standards. Tickets are $20, and you can get more information at 303-794-2787.
Free shows in Broomfield.
The CU-Boulder faculty continues to put together a commendable series of free shows the first Wednesday of every month at the Broomfield Auditorium. This Wednesday it’s trumpeter and educator Brad Goode and his trio. Goode’s latest CD, “Tight Like This,” serves as an excellent showcase for his ability to easily blend traditional styles with freer improvisations. The music begins at 7 p.m. at 3 Community Park Road in Broomfield. Find out more at 303-464-5835.
Convergence at Dazzle.
Is there a Denver-based band that deserves more national acclaim than Convergence? For years, pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist Mark Simon, drummer Paul Romaine, trumpeter Greg Gisbert, saxophonist John Gunther and trombonist Mark Patterson have remained true to their vision of uncompromising language, playing the occasional gig and trotting out finely crafted CDs. Convergence will appear at Dazzle twice on Friday, with guest trumpeter John McNeil, who, like Goode, can make a convincing argument for comfortable, straight ahead jazz, as well as slippery experimentation. I don’t know if they’ll be recording these shows, but the combination of personalities should be exhilarating. 7 and 9 p.m.; tickets $15; 930 Lincoln St. Call 303-839-5100.
’71 “California Concert.”
In recent weeks a full-fledged campaign was introduced to re-release the catalog of CTI Records, a ’70s label that sought to commercialize various established jazz artists without completely sacrificing their legitimacy. The results were mixed on a creative level: Performers like trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine sold truckloads of vinyl, but often the studio releases were slick and unsatisfying, particularly for fans who knew how brilliant these musicians had been in the ’60s. So it’s something of a revelation that CTI has resurrected a 1971 all-star show, simply titled “California Concert.”
About 50 minutes of unreleased material has been made available on these two CDs, and it’s easy to give in to the congenial vibe that we hear from this night in Hollywood.
Hubbard and Turrentine played with irresistible fire, and saxophonist Hank Crawford, as well as keyboardist Johnny Hammond, were gritty crowd pleasers, more so for Hammond when he dug into the organ as opposed to the electric piano, which hasn’t aged well in this setting. Flutist Hubert Laws is something more of an acquired taste, but he seems to partake in the sunny spirit here.
In the album’s original liner notes, jazz critic Leonard Feather asks, “Is jazz dying?” It’s amusing to know that the same question that is asked now was presented 40 years ago, and probably 40 years before that. The verdict was then as it is now: Jazz is continually changing, and those changes will always have detractors.
Set list.
Guitarist Wayne Wilkinson joins saxophonist Nelson Rangell at Jazz@Jack’s tonight. . . . Cuban singer Omara Portundo (of the Buena Vista Social Club) appears at the Boulder Theater on Wednesday.
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
