Denver’s Five Points Jazz Festival continues to grow in stature. Tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets of the Five Points neighborhood on June 8, paying tribute to the glory days of a part of town where the most revered names in the music’s history would perform.
Five Points’ contribution to jazz is well-documented. Beginning in the 1930s, the legendary Rossonian Hotel and other local venues showcased artists like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, cementing its reputation as the “Harlem of the West.”
Decades later, multiple esteemed local artists will perform throughout the day, beginning with a parade led by the Otone Brass Band at noon, proceeding from 29th to 25th along Welton Street. The band will take to the Denver Arts & Venues Stage at 12:15 p.m., followed by Charles Blenzig & Simple Math, Linda Theus Lee’s “Vocal Musical Journey,” the Brian Claxton Quartet and world-renowned trumpeter Hugh Ragin and the Messengers of Peace.
Other acts on various Five Points stages include Beats of No Nation, Buckner Funken Jazz, Clare Church Quartet, Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Danette & The Good Guys, Jonathan Powell Latin Jazz Septet, Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors, and more. Did I mention the entire festival is free? It’s an excellent way to connect with your neighbors and fellow lovers of elevating music. Plan your entire June 8 at artsandvenuesdenver.com. If you have the time and inclination to volunteer and make the day a bit easier for everyone involved, there’s information on the website.
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As multiple press downloads clog up precious remaining space on my laptop, there’s an occasional exemplary release that breaks through. This month, the highly communicative “Heart Trio,” (AUM Fidelity) led by the multi-faceted William Parker, rings truer for me than just about anything else vying for attention.
Parker, best known as one of the most prolific bassists since Ray Brown, utilizes an array of instruments you don’t often hear on a jazz recording, like the stringed doson ngoni and the handmade Ney flute. Fellow innovator Cooper-Moore goes even further in terms of unusual instrumentation in that he builds his own, including the percussive ashimba and the hoe-handle harp, which is exactly what its name says it is. Drummer Hamid Drake, a national treasure, sticks to the frame drum and drum kit.
As for the music, it’s nothing less than three masters communicating beautifully, at once “outside” and warmly hypnotic. This is some of the most soothing avant-garde music I’ve heard in a while.
Parker has another new album out this month as well: the spoken word (with intriguing sound design) “Cereal Music” (also AUM Fidelity,) a collaboration with vocalist Ellen Christi, which can be described as a cerebral journey. As for “Heart Trio,” it’s one of the loveliest albums so far in 2024.
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And more jazz in June:
City Park Jazz presents Roka Hueka on June 2; Stafford Hunter and the Jazz Explorations on June 9; Mistura Fina on June 16; Zimbira on June 23; and Hazel Miller and the Collective on June 30. All these shows are free; information at cityparkjazz.org. …Pianist Brad Mehldau plays his rescheduled Boulder Theater date on June 2. … Guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston collaborate at Dazzle on June 7. … Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia team up at Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium on June 18. … Gogo Penguin appears at the Boulder Theater on June 19. … The Rebirth Brass Band takes over Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox on June 20. … The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience includes performances from The Headhunters, Jon Cleary and more June 20-23. Get tickets at jazzaspensnowmass.org.
