Over a relatively short period of time in the 1990s, Houston’s High School of the Performing and Visual Arts managed to produce two of the most critically acclaimed young pianists on the jazz scene – Jason Moran and the even younger Robert Glasper, who appears at Dazzle tonight and Friday with his electric Experiment quartet.
           As soon as the pianist released his first CD on Blue Note (Canvas in 2005), he began receiving considerable attention. You can think of it this way: In the 2005 Down Beat annual poll of critics, Glasper’s name was no where to be found. By the 2006 Down Beat poll, Glasper ranked fourth among rising piano stars, one notch below Moran. The next year, Glasper came in first in that category – an achievement he repeated in 2008. That rapid rise reflects Glasper’s ability to blend the jazz tradition with more contemporary musical styles like hip-hop and, in the process, displays keyboard talents that are anything but ordinary.
          At Dazzle, Glasper has his working band that features Casey Benjamin on saxophone, Derrick Hodge on bass and Chris Dave on drums. Hodge spent several years with trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s group and can write as well as play, while saxophonist Benjamin can also be found in the company of vibraphonist Stefon Harris. As for drummer Dave, you catch him on discs by saxophonist Kenny Garrett. It all makes for an imposing evening of sounds from Glasper (whose current Blue Note CD is Double-Booked) and friends. The sets both nights are at 7 and 9 p.m. ($20/$10 for students tonight, 303-839-5100). It’s easy to hear why Blanchard, bassist Christian McBride and guitarists Mark Whitfield and Russell Malone have all made use of Glasper’s piano. 
       Also on Friday, crossover saxophonist Jackiem Joyner pulls into Bennett for a fundraiser to benefit the Eastern Colorado Music Director’s Group at the Bennett School, 615 7^th St. at 7 p.m. Keyboardist Keiko Matsui joins Joyner for the event (303-644-3234). Then, on Saturday, singer Diane Schuur powers into town for the “2010 Visionary Awards Concert” sponsored by the American Council of the Blind of Colorado. The concert is at 8 p.m. in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex ($70, 303-831-0117).       
      Now 56-years old, Schuur, who blind at birth, caught Stan Getz’s eye at the 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival. And it was Getz who directed her more into the jazz direction. She recorded for GRP and did big-band recordings with the Count Basie and Mel Lewis orchestras. Her most recent CD is Some Other Time on Concord.
       Also this week, singer James Van Buren makes one of his always anticipated appearances at Dazzle on Saturday at 7 and 9 p.m. ($15). Mixing jazz sensibilities with an engaging blues-drenched sound, Van Buren masters the stage better than President Van Buren mastered the White House. Additionally, Saturday finds singer Lynn Skinner doing her vernal equinox program, “It Might as Well Be Spring,” at 7323 W. Alaska Drive in Lakewood’s Belmar complex ($15/$20 at the door, 303-239-6021). Along with Skinner, the evening features the wonderful guitarist Dale Bruning and the strong bassist Bijoux Barbosa.     
          Sticking with Saturday, composer/arranger Chie Imaizumi starts a new round of mini-courses at Dazzle, following up on an earlier successful effort to introduce jazz composing and arranging to a broader audience under the auspices of the Gift of Jazz. This time around, there are three choices. Two of the classes are for beginners at different levels, while one is an advanced outing for experienced musicians. All three courses begin this Saturday with a small number of slots still available. The classes range from 7-to-9 weeks ($50-$150 depending on level, chie@giftofjazz.org).    
     On a final note: While pianist Glasper represents the melding of contemporary musical styles into the jazz tradition, that tradition has always had a connection to various forms such as the Great American Songbook that includes tunes from Broadway musicals. After seeing the engaging production of Mary Poppins (that runs through April 4 at the Buell Theater in Denver Performing Arts Complex), for example, I couldn’t resist breaking out the 1965 album The John Coltrane Quartet Plays to listen to what Trane did with the theme song from the movie that’s been turned into a play, “Chim Chim Cheree.” It wasn’t quite another “My Favorite Things,” but you get the idea.  

Normanprovizer@aol.com