There are two major events on tap this week. The first is the 2010 edition of JazzFest Denver that takes place in the City Hall Event Center on Saturday and Sunday. Then the festival is followed, on Monday, by pianist Chick Corea’s appearance with his all-star Freedom Band at the Denver Botanic Gardens. 

Let’s start with JazzFest Denver that kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday and picks up again at noon on Sunday. On Saturday, the featured performers are the trumpet team of Thomas Marriott and Ray Vega, known as the East-West Trumpet Summit (which is also the title of trumpeters’ CD), and singer Karrin Allyson. For Sunday’s show top billing goes to alto saxophonist Bobby Watson’s quartet and the Brazilian sounds of Trio da Paz consisting of guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta and drummer Duduka da Fonseca.

Trumpeters Marriott and Vega, who take the stage at 6 p.m., are high powered players and they have a rhythm section made up of Travis Shook, Phil Sparks and Matt Jorgensen. As for Allyson, the Kansas-born singer began her move into the top ranks of jazz vocalists in the 1990s and, today, she’s a leading voice in the female vocal pack. Her band is on stage at 8 p.m. with Rod Fleeman on guitar, Eric Montzka on drums and Larry Kohut on bass. Both Montzka and Kohut can also be found in the company of singer Patricia Barber.

In 2008, Allyson released a CD titled Imagina: Songs of Brasil. And, on Sunday at JazzFest Denver, one of the best Brazilian groups around hits the stage at 6.m. Trio da Paz, which was formed in 1986, simply consists of some of the most outstanding Brazilian musician. Along with this Brazilian trio, Lubambo also performs with the great, Denver-based singer Dianne Reeves. 

Speaking of great, that’s a word which is legitimately applied to saxophonist Watson who at JazzFest Denver with longtime bassist Curtis Lundy, the superb pianist Orrin Evans and drummer Eric Kennedy out of Baltimore. Like Allyson, Watson was born in Kansas and, from the time he was one of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (1977-1981), it was clear that he was a powerful and fluid player whose musical horizons were without limit. Watson’s quartet is on stage at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition to the players at the top of the bill, JazzFest Denver also has the JazzArts Messengers and Dominant 7 (from the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts) and saxophonist Peter Sommer’s quartet on Saturday. Come Sunday, the earlier acts are the CU Jazz Lab Combo and trumpeter Brad Goode’s Polytonal Jazz Party. Tickets for the festival at the City Hall Event Center, 1144 Broadway, are $55 for each day and there is a special student rate available (303-674-9313). From 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday, there is also an opening party for the festival in the Living Room, 11th and Broadway. 

As soon as the festival is over, pianist Corea rolls into town with his star-filled Freedom Band that features saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Christian McBride (both of whom were members of the Five Peace Band with Corea and guitarist John McLaughlin) and drummer Roy Haynes who still has a strong pulse at age 85. This past month, Corea provided “further explorations” of pianist Bill Evans at the Blue Note in New York to mark the 20th anniversary of Evans’ death. In a wide range of contexts, Corea, who was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1941, continues to build on his reputation as one of the most important players in modern times. And, I’d say that even if I didn’t come from Chelsea. The Freedom Band (with two recognized Jazz Masters and two future ones) plays at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York, on Monday at 7 p.m. ($57 members/$62 non-members (888-440-9568 or the box office at Swallow Hill, 71 E. Yale).
Additionally, this week also offers the Greeley Blues Jazz. On Saturday, the blues event in the Island Grove Arena in Greeley that starts at noon has a lineup that includes singer Shemika Copeland at 3:25 p.m., Sonny Landreth at 5:15 p.m. and the Fabulous Thunderbirds at 7:25 p.m. ($25/$30 at the gate, 970-356-5000). On Friday, Greeley gets ready for Island Grove concert with blues sounds around town starting at 3 p.m. 

And that’s not all. At Dazzle, 930 Lincoln, on Thursday, trombonist John Hines performs with his Table for Five band, which includes trumpeter Hugh Ragin, at 7 and 9 p.m. ($8/$12 for two, 303-839-5100). On Friday at 7 and 9 p.m., drummer Colin Stranahan takes the stage at Dazzle with his quintet ($15/$10 students). A product of the Denver School for the Arts, Stranahan started receiving national attention at a young age and is now making a name on the New York scene. Then, on Saturday, Dazzle hosts a “cultural collaborations” event at 7 and 9 p.m. with the Aakash Mittal Quartet featuring trumpeter Ragin and Gaurav Venkateswar ($15/$20 with CD). 

In the 2009 Down Beat “Critics Poll,” saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa captured the top spot in both the rising-star jazz artist and the rising-star alto saxophonist categories. Mahanthappa, who blends the music of his family’s roots in India with jazz, actually grew up in Boulder. So, it’s interesting, to say the least, that another player who is providing his own take on that mix is also from these parts. At Dazzle, Mittal, a musician who should continue to gain increased attention, has a band that mixes Ragin’s fine trumpet with the classical Hindustani, vocal sound of Venkateswar. That’s a cultural collaboration worth noting. 

Also, on Sunday, the free City Park Jazz series continues in City Park with the O’Tone Brass Band performing at 6 p.m.
Normanprovizer@aol.com