There are more jazz masters moving through Denver and Boulder in the next few weeks. This has been one of the better winters for the music in recent memory, and we’re only a few months out from the mountain festival season.
Freddy Cole, March 3, Mount Vernon Country Club: Who would have thought that Nat King Cole’s brother could be experienced live in the 21st century? This is as close as we’ll get to Nat until someone figures out time travel. Actually, the younger Cole has both a light pianistic touch and vocal presence superficially comparable to Nat, but he’s no imitator. Freddy has been recording for nearly 60 years, and while his voice has mellowed, his approach has remained essentially the same. There’s no need for him to change because what he does has nothing to do with current trends. He’s practically a genre unto himself. Tickets are $18, or $45.95 with dinner. Find out more at .
Convergence With Bobby Watson, March 3-4, Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge: If you know Denver jazz, then you should be familiar with the unit Convergence, which features some of the brightest thinkers in local creative music. Recently, it’s been inviting national names to improvise with them, and this time around it’s state-of-the-art alto saxophonist Bobby Watson, who grew up in Kansas City, Kan., just like Charlie Parker. Watson is a fleet player who has released a few discs that could be regarded as among the best examples of contemporary saxophone recordings, and brilliant ideas should be flying off the stage for these collaborations. $22; get information at .
Medeski Martin and Wood, March 4, Boulder Theater: For a while, this organ-bass-drums trio was marketed to the jam-band crowd, but I never thought that was the right fit. There probably isn’t a “right fit” for them in terms of categorization, so let’s just say that they produce an enjoyable sonic cloud of noisy jazz-rock-funk that can be heavy on the backbeat and, on a good night, takes off to inspired places. I haven’t witnessed them in a few years but have much enjoyed keyboardist Medeski’s recent projects with saxophonists James Carter (“Heaven on Earth”) and John Zorn (the truly trippy new “Interzone”). I hope that these associations manifest themselves in Boulder. Tickets are $32. Call 303-786-7030.
Stanley Clarke Band and Victor Wooten Band, March 12, Boulder Theater: Who doesn’t enjoy some apocalyptic, low-end rumbling every now and then? It’s something of a rarity for two bassists to tour with their groups in tandem, but Clarke and Wooten have teamed up (with bassist Marcus Miller) in the past, so I wouldn’t rule out some sort of “duel” between the two during these appearances. Clarke, who has anchored Return to Forever and Keith Richards’ New Barbarians, is on a roll with a new best contemporary jazz recording Grammy for his group’s self-titled CD. Wooten is probably best known for his work with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, but his bio indicates that he is a magician, as well. No word as to whether he’ll appear at any local kids’ parties before the show. $34.50-$58.75.
Here are a couple of other shows to look forward to at Dazzle: trumpeter Ron Miles, pianist Gary Versace and drummer Matt Wilson on March 5-6 and the superb violinist Regina Carter on March 17. . . . Ellyn Rucker sings and plays at the Burnsley Hotel on Saturday. . . . CU musicians will pay tribute to Glenn Miller with the First Annual Spring Swing Concert on Feb. 27 at Macky Auditorium.
