There aren’t many days separating Christmas from the start of the New Year. But during that short time span, there are a couple of very different jazz events that definitely might want to consider. The first occurs Sunday and Monday at Dazzle when trumpeter Cuong Vu returns to town. This time around, the trumpeter, who was born in Vietnam in 1969, joins with the potent 9^th + Lincoln Orchestra for an exploration of new music from composer/conductor Tyler Gilmore. The second event is on Tuesday and Wednesday, also at Dazzle, and features singer Barbara Morrison with tenor saxophonist Houston Person.

Vu moved from Saigon to Seattle and then went to the New England Conservatory of Music. After moving to New York in 1994, he began recording as a leader with fellow new stream players such as bassist Stomu Takeishi, reedman Chris Speed and drummers John Hollenbeck and Ted Poor on board. Outside of his own band, the trumpeter is best known for his membership in guitarist Pat Metheny’s group where his blend of evocative sentimentality and a musical edge is a natural.

At Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, the trumpeter performs with the 9^th + Lincoln Orchestra in what should be a winning combination, especially when combined with the cross-fertilized music from the talented composer Gilmore. There are two sets on Sunday at 6 and 8 p.m. and one on Monday starting at 7 p.m. ($15, 303-839-5100).

The music takes a dramatic turn on Tuesday with singer the Michigan-born singer Morrison and saxophonist Person, originally from South Carolina. After attending college in her native state, Morrison settled in Los Angeles and has been a strong presence on the L.A. scene ever since that move in 1973. In 1986, she toured with the Phillip Morris Super Band and has performed with other big bands as well, including the Count Basie Orchestra, Gerald Wilson’s big band and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

For more than three decades, saxophonist Person frequently partnered with singer Etta Jones (until her death in 2001) and was also on Morrison’s CD Live at the Dakota. Without drawing too many parallels, Morrison, like Jones, has a soulful, bluesy approach to the music. In fact, Scott Yanow, in his 2008 guide to The Jazz Singers, appropriately describes Morrison’s musical style as one that “straddles the boundaries between jazz, blues and R&B.”

Person’s tenor saxophone is full-bodied and can roar. At the same time, the saxophonist has a firm grasp on how to generate a serious blues groove. The combination of Morrison and Person makes perfect sense. They perform at 6 and 8 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday (($16).

In addition to the combinations of Vu and 9^th + Lincoln and Morrison and Person, the week also offers the band Jeremy Jones and The Teaching with guest saxophonist Serafin Sanchez at Dazzle on Saturday and the D-Note in Arvada on Tuesday. The Teaching is a genre-jumping trio led by drummer Jones, joined by bassist Evan Flory-Barnes and keyboardist Josh Rawlings. Though he is billed as a guest, saxophonist Sanchez and Jones have frequently worked together. At Dazzle on Saturday, the band plays at 7 and 9 p.m. ($15). In Arvada, the group is at the D-Note, 7519 Grandview Ave., at 8 p.m. ($10, 303-463-6683). 

And if you are planning ahead for New Year’s Eve, keep in mind that singer Hazel Miller rings in 2010 at the Sherman Street Event Center, 1770 Sherman (303-778-0916), while Convergence brings the year in with a good deal of swing at Dazzle.

Normanprovizer@aol.com