Jazz By Coryell plays in tribute to his late father
Here are a few promising examples of fusion, world and straight-ahead sounds in the days to come around Denver and Boulder.
Celebrated guitarist Larry Coryell, who was one of the first artists to successfully bridge jazz and rock, died in February. His loss was felt deeply in the jazz community, not just for his numerous innovations dating back to the 1960s, but because he was still making exceptional music. His son, Julian, an accomplished player himself, is celebrating the elder Coryell’s legacy at Dazzle Jazz on April 23.
Julian may be paying tribute to his fusion-founding dad, but he’s no mere imitator. Something of a prodigy on the instrument, he began playing at age 5 and at the time he finished at Boston’s Berklee College of music, he was one of their youngest graduates ever at 18.
Like his father, he seems uninterested in stylistic boundaries, having worked with singer-songwriters Alanis Morissette and
as well as jazz figures such as and Dave Brubeck. Coryell is a burning straight-ahead guitarist, and his collaborators slated to appear in Denver, keyboardist Chuck Lamb and saxophonist Joe Anderies, have their jazz credentials in order.
Shows begin at 6 and 8 p.m., and tickets are $24. Dazzlejazz.com.
will collaborate at the Boulder Theater. Sharma is an expert on the santoor, an Indian string instrument capable of producing mesmerizing sounds. Multi percussionist Hussain is probably better known to American audiences for his outstanding collaborations with guitarist John
and saxophonist
Sharma and Hussain’s interplay makes for a celebratory tapestry of sound, which should resonate beautifully in this particular locale; it’s always reassuring to see music of this creative caliber at the Boulder Theater.
Tickets range from $15-35. Get them at bouldertheater.com.
Back to Dazzle in the waning days at their 930 Lincoln location: (they’re moving to the Baur’s Building on 15th and Curtis on May 23) bassist Christian
brings his trio the club May 3-4. McBride has become a spokesman and standard-bearer for smart, straight-ahead jazz in recent years, and his current swinging trio (with pianist and drummer
exemplifies the classic jazz-you-go-to-experience-in-a-club group.
McBride and his cohorts play with exhuberance, and these shows are a nice way to begin to say goodbye to Dazzle in its current incarnation.
Tickets for each of the four performances begin at $35.
Freddy Rodriguez plays the LoDo mainstay El Chapultepec on April 27 . ... Oleta Adams sings at the Soiled Dove Underground April 28 . ... Medeski Martin & Wood appear at Red Rocks April 29 . ... The Colorado Gypsy Jazz Festival takes place at Swallow Hill on April 29 as well . ... The Organization plays the music of Prince every Saturday in May at Nocturne. Bret Saunders (bretsaunders@ kbco.com) can be heard from 6 to 11 a.m. weekdays at KBCO 97.3 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @Bretontheradio