Here’s something you don’t see every day in Colorado: two former members of trumpeter Miles Davis’ “Second Great Quintet” from the 1960s will appear, albeit on separate stages, in Denver and Boulder on the same night.
Keyboard innovator Herbie Hancock and bassist Ron Carter will perform in the area on Sept. 12: Hancock and his band at Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium, and Carter’s Golden Striker Trio at the new Dazzle location in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. (Carter’s gig will extend to three evenings, through Sept. 14.)
Both are among the most accomplished artists of the last 60 years. Hancock has successfully performed in a dizzying array of styles, and has two platinum albums (sales of 1 million units or more), “Head Hunters” and “Future Shock,” to his credit. Carter, meanwhile, has appeared on more than 2,200 recordings in his astounding career, holding a Guinness World Record as the most recorded jazz bassist in history. Judging by the Carter-featured recordings I’ve heard over the course of my life, the quantity of his appearances does not obscure the quality.
If you’re fortunate enough to have a ticket to Hancock’s Boulder show, which is sold out (unless you decide to pay an inflated price through various ticket brokers), expect a wide variety of styles, from electronic funk to driving acoustic virtuosity. His current band includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard and guitarist Lionel Loueke, both brilliant leaders themselves. Carter’s trio should provide something more relaxing, as his group features the subtle guitarist Russell Malone and classically-trained pianist Donald Vega.
No matter whose show you attend — or you can experience both, since Carter’s in town for three nights — you should easily grasp the history and authenticity that will be on exhibit. Seeing that the two are the only surviving members of Davis’ historic ‘60s quintet, (saxophonist Wayne Shorter passed away in March at the age of 89), we should honor these innovators while they’re still with us. In the meantime, why not pull that astounding run of Davis albums featuring Hancock and Carter — “Miles Smiles,” “Sorcerer,” “Nefertiti,” “Miles in the Sky” and “Filles de Kilimanjaro” — off the shelf? Or perhaps even better, “The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965,” where these guys were profoundly reinventing jazz music.
(Herbie Hancock, Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. The show is sold out. Golden Striker Trio with Ron Carter, Dazzle, 1080 14th St., Denver, Sept. 12, 7 p.m., Sept. 13, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Sept. 14, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Get ticket information at dazzledenver.com)
More regional jazz this month: Guitarist Oz Noy appears at Dazzle with Dennis Chambers and Jimmy Haslip for two shows on Sept. 7. … Brazilian jazz group Passiflora with Marion Powers, Annie Booth and Camilla Vaitaitis plays Saturdays in September at Denver’s Nocturne. … Compelling saxophonist and poet Alabaster DePlume appears at Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox on Sept. 10, and similarly forward-thinking keyboardist Kamaal Williams is slated to perform there on Sept. 13. … Snarky Puppy takes to the Ogden Theatre stage Sept. 30, and there’s a B-3 Organ Night every Tuesday at Herb’s Hideout.
