Even if you prefer to stay in this January, there are some compelling reasons to venture out and hear something beautiful.
Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona takes to the Dazzle stage on Jan. 10 and 11. He performs with a reverence for his African heritage, but Bona’s music encompasses styles from multiple continents. Sample any of his recordings and hear contemporary sounds from Brazil, Cuba and aspects of American fusion jazz. Bona’s strength as a bassist is convincing: He’s been a member of the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, serving as a proxy for the late Pastorius himself.
Bona plays melodic, friendly basslines that should appeal to everyone, and his resonant vocals are equally accessible. These shows should bring considerable warmth to the Denver jazz scene in January. Tickets are currently available for the 6:30 and 9 p.m. shows both nights, at dazzledenver.com.
The growing buzz around pianist Emmet Cohen is well-deserved. The 34-year-old has been playing since he was 3, and his technique demonstrates he has a wide-ranging knowledge of the music’s history. His latest album, “Vibe Provider,” is an absorbing set, and perhaps even more impressive is his “Masters Legacy Series” string of releases, where he collaborates with beloved veterans like saxophonists George Coleman and Houston Person. Cohen represents a living connection to the past.
He’ll visit the Boulder Theater with his trio featuring Kyle Poole on drums and bassist Philip Norris on Jan. 16. Get tickets through Z2ent.com.
Saxophonist-flautist Anna Webber has been blazing new sonic trails for years, and some of her most stunning work comes from collaborations with accomplished pianist Matt Mitchell. I experienced the duo in a packed house at last year’s Big Ears Festival in Tennessee, and the crowd was enthralled with their dynamic ideas. Webber’s Simple Trio, with Mitchell and drummer John Hollenbeck, who supplies propulsion, will play the King Center Recital Hall on the Auraria Campus on Jan. 24. The group’s new album, “simpletrio2000” is exciting and smart. Don’t miss out on some of the most intriguing music to be performed in Colorado this winter. Find out more at ahec.universitytickets.com.
In more jazz this month:
The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra presents “A Night In New Orleans” featuring Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield at the Aurora Fox Arts Center on Jan. 11 and “The Music of Gershwin and More” to the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities on Jan. 25. … Performing at Denver’s Nocturne this month: The Gabriel Mervine Quartet honors Clark Terry on Fridays, The Adam Bodine Quartet on Jan. 25 and The Keith Oxman
Quartet on Jan. 30. Details at nocturnejazz.com. … At Dazzle, it’s pianist-drummer Julius Rodriguez on Jan. 9, pianist Miki Yamanaka on Jan. 17, the New Jazz Underground on Jan. 23, vocalist Sy Smith on Jan. 26 and trumpeter Hugh Ragin’s Creative Orchestra on Jan. 28. … A few recent releases I find myself putting on again and again: Miles Davis, “Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8,” guitarist Jeff Parker’s “The Way Out of Easy,” the John Blum Quartet featuring Marshall Allen, “Deep Space,” and the excellent 1966 archival find “Forces of Nature Live At Slugs” from McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson.