Norman Provizer’s Jazz Notes

During the ongoing covid-19 crisis (I’m not sure what else you would call an illness that can lay claim to taking over 600,000 lives in the United States alone), touring jazz players have become a rare breed. Fortunately, residents of these parts have a shelf-full of strong, area-based players to fall back on to keep the sounds alive. Under normal conditions those sounds could be heard at various spots around the area, but, more recently, they are concentrated at the city’s two primary jazz clubs – Dazzle at Baur’s and Nocturne.

There’s also a third spot that has come into its own with the care given it by musicians Pete Lewis and Clare Church, the Muse Performance Space in Lafayette. For example, this week you can find keyboardist Jeff Jenkins at the Muse on Friday exploring the essence of pianist Bill Evans at 7 pm, big band trumpeter Pete Olstad leading a small group on Saturday at 7 pm, and trumpeter Brad Goode doing the same on Tuesday. I remember reviewing Goode’s work in a column I wrote for Jazziz magazine and was especially pleased when the trumpeter settled in these parts to teach at CU Boulder.

On July 24, the Muse displays another strong musical suit, placing players together under a specific theme. Later in July, the Muse offers saxophonists Rich Chiaraluce and Pete Lewis in a set called Phil and Quill for the 1957 album from Phil Woods and Gene Quill.

Back to Dazzle, young saxophonist Shota Renwick is on tap for a set at Dazzle on Thursday at 10 pm. A student at the New England Conservatory, Renwick has a sextet of fellow young musicians on Thursday, followed on Friday by the Little Creatures playing Talking Heads.

At Nocturne, Friday finds the newest player to join the city’s impressive trumpet list on display when Gabriel Mervine brings a quartet to the Nocturne stage at 6:30 and 9 pm and saxophonist Peter Sommer visits the Colossus, Sonny Rollins on Saturday at 6:30 and 9 pm.

Norman Provizer
Jazz Notes 7-8-2021

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