Like fans of pretty much every other genre in this town, the jazz connoisseurs here are spoiled with a steady stream of great shows. In the past few months, we've been treated to shows from the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Ron Carter, the Bad Plus, the Vijay Iyer Trio, Keith Oxman and David Torn, among others. While there's not quite the same caliber of acts to look forward to this month, there are still a bevy of groups worth checking out, like Dafnis Prieto's Proverb Trio, and Jane Bunnett, who teams up with Cuban pianist Hilario Durán. Keep reading for a full rundown of the five best jazz shows in November.
5. IMPROVISED ROOTS SERIES #3 @ DAZZLE | SUN, 11/11 As bassist for Leftover Salmon, Greg Garrison knows his way around bluegrass, but he's also a deft jazz player. With his Improvised Roots series, he brings the two worlds together with roots music. The previous two shows in his Improvised Roots Series featured local talent like Ron Miles and John Gunther, along with nationally known jazz talent like Bill Frisell, Dave Douglas and bluegrass guitarist Bryan Sutton and Crooked Still singer Aoife O'Donovan. For the third installment, Garrison is bringing in Chris Pandolfi and Jeremy Garrett of the Infamous Stringdusters to perform with local jazz players drummer Jim White and guitarist Dave Devine.
4. JANE BUNNETT and HILARIO DURAN @ MOUNT VERNON | WEDS, 11/7 Soprano saxophonist and flautist Jane Bunnett and pianist Hilario Durán are both classically trained and quite well-versed in jazz. The two musicians also share a love for Cuban music, showcased on last year's album, Cuban Rhapsody. While the songs on the disc are rooted in Cuban music, they're also infused with the pair's jazz sensibilities. Bunnett, who's a Grammy nominee and multiple Juno award-winning composer, has been playing Cuban music for three decades now and has performed with a number of legendary players from the island. Hailed as one of the greatest Cuban pianists of the 20th century by Chucho Valdez, Durán has performed with legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Arturo Sandoval, and Paquito D'Rivera.
3. BRAD GOODE QUARTET with RON BLAKE @ DAZZLE, 11/8-9 Every so often Dazzle teams pairs great local talent with stellar nationally know players. This time around, outstanding local trumpeter and his group team up with New York-based tenor and soprano sax player Ron Blake, who has a few records under his own name, in addition to having appeared on more than fifty albums with the likes of Roy Hargrove and Art Farmer. On 2008's Shayari, Blake, who is joined by Jack DeJohnette, Christian McBride and Regina Carter, shows that the wide-toned saxophonist's range, including lyrical phrasing on ballads to weaving some intricate lines on up-tempo cuts.
2. RON MILES GROUP @ DAZZLE, 11/30 One of Denver's finest trumpeters, Ron Miles has a gorgeous and unmistakable tone, and his lyrical phrasing works quite well in pretty much in any kind of instrumentation, as on latest effort, Quiver, which features long-time collaborator Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade, or on 2007's Blossom/Stone. For this show, Miles teams up with pianist Eric Moon, guitarist Roger Green, bassist Myles Sloniker and drummer Amy Shelley.
1. DAFNIS PRIETO'S PROVERB TRIO @ DAZZLE, 11/14 An insanely well-versed drummer who leads a number of his own distinctively different groups, Cuban-American drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto has also had the chance to perform with heavies like Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman and Eddie Palmieri. With his Proverb Trio, which includes lauded keyboardist Jason Lindner and vocalist/rapper Kokayi, Prieto explores territory quite different from anything else he's done. The band's self-titled album, released last summer, is a fascinating and exciting showcase of all of their improvisation skills. Expect the same live from trio.
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