During her time in Denver, Iowa-born pianist/singer Ellyn Rucker, who appears at Dazzle Friday and Saturday, has made a number of impressive forays into the national and international jazz scenes. From the mid-1980s on, Rucker was frequently in the company of the late tenor-saxophonist Spike Robinson; and in 1986, she made a splash at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

By the late 1980s, the hard-driving pianist, with a low-keyed, sensuous vocal style, released the first of five CDs on Capri Records. And all that produced sufficient attention to warrant a guest spot in 1992 on Marian McPartland’s famed Piano Jazz program on National Public Radio, followed by the release of a DVD titled Live in New Orleans.      

In recent years, Rucker has had a lower profile on the performing scene and that’s why her two-night stand at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, with Illinois-saxophonist Greg Fishman in tow is so welcome. The sets for both nights are at 7 and 9 p.m. ($12, 303-839-5100). In his book Jazz Singing, Scott Yanow describes Rucker as “one of Denver’s best kept jazz secrets.”  Anyone who has heard her knows it’s long past the time to let that secret out of the bag.

Tonight, another talented player living here performs at Boulder’s Blending Cellar, 946 Pearl, starting at 7 p.m. with a trio. (303-447-0475). That player is trumpeter Brad Goode whose horn packs a lot of wallop and who is one of the rather amazing number of talented trumpeters associated, in way or another, with the Colorado jazz scene.

On Saturday, the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra brings in saxophonist Eric Marienthal for a performance at the Cherry Creek High School Auditorium, 9300 E. Union in Greenwood Village, at 7 p.m. ($20/$15 students and seniors, www.mjo-denver.org . At 3 p.m., before the concert, Marienthal offers a free clinic at the high school. After spending a couple of years at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Marienthal settled in Los Angeles in 1980. There the saxophonist worked the New Orleans side of the street with trumpeter Al Hurt and was also part of the Disneyland Band. One night while he was playing at a club in North Hollywood, Chick Corea came by to hear him. That led to an invitation to join Corea’s Elektric Band.

The “Elektric” connection opened all kinds of doors and Marienthal ended up on more than 50 discs on the GRP label. Most recently, the saxophonist has been recording for Peak Records; and, on the big-band side, you can find him in Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. On Monday, the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, on its own, appears at Dazzle at 7 p.m. ($10).  

If you were in New York this weekend, you could hear another big band at work, recording mid-town in the famed Avatar Studios. That band is an all-star aggregation led by Denver’s Chie Imaizumi for her second CD on Capri. Joining Imaizumi, there are trumpeters Randy Brecker, Terrel Stafford and Greg Gisbert, saxophonists Steve Wilson, Scott Robinson and Gary Smulyan, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist Tamir Hendelman, guitarist Mike Abbott, bassist John Clayton and drummers Jeff Hamilton and Paul Romaine. That lineup, certainly, provides the ingredients for some impressive new beginnings.

When Imaizumi returns to Denver from the Apple, she is conducting a special composing/arranging class sponsored by the Gift of Jazz and Dazzle. It’s a beginner-level class that runs for seven Saturday mornings at the club on Lincoln starting on Jan. 16 and ending on Feb. 27. Space is limited and the $50 fee is a bargain (www.giftofjazz.org).  

Looking ahead: Charlie Hunter is back in town on Jan. 14-15 at Dazzle with Ron Miles and Rudy Royston; the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is in the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek on Jan. 14 and at DU’s Newman Center in Denver on Jan. 15; and the big time Fly Trio with Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier is at Dazzle Jan. 16-17.

Normanprovizer@aol.com