The time has arrived to build your summer schedule around the jazz festivals returning to the mountains. How fortunate are we to have so much natural beauty intersecting with so many people obsessed with bringing you excellent music at altitude?
Boney James will perform at this summer’s Winter Park Jazz Festival. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
First off, the annual Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience presents an intriguing lineup at various Aspen venues June 20-23. Likely the most promising act scheduled to perform is The Headhunters, as they tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Formed under the guidance of Herbie Hancock, founding members Mike Clark (on drums) and Bill Summers (percussion) have brought some fine New Orleans-based musicians into the fold, and their show at the Wheeler Opera House on June 22 should be funk-drenched and danceable. Other artists on the bill that weekend include Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Christian McBride, The New Mastersounds and Lisa Fischer’s tribute to Aretha Franklin. Tickets and lodging are available at jazzaspensnowmass.org.
The 41st annual Winter Park Jazz Festival, July 20-21 at the Rendezvous Event Center, has endured this long because the organizers know how to put together a crowd-pleasing show. This year’s performers include Boney James, Pieces of a Dream, Lalah Hathaway and Anthony Hamilton. It’s probably the “smoothest” gathering of the year in the high country, and I’ve heard raves about this event for years. playwinterpark.com
Admirers of traditional jazz will find a lot to like about the Evergreen Jazz Festival, scheduled for July 26-28. It’s nice how this festival integrates into the community, with shows at the Evergreen Elks Lodge, Evergreen Lake House, the Evergreen Christian Church and more. The lineup is still coming together, but you should expect plenty of swinging sounds from artists committed to jazz history. evergreenjazz.org
It’s been 47 years since the first Telluride Jazz Festival, “America’s Destination Jazz Festival” according to its website. This year’s lineup is admirably eclectic, including performances from Angelique Kidjo, Christian McBride (the bassist is also playing Jazz Aspen Snowmass, so he must adjust to the altitude well) and the Rejuvenation 50! Celebration of The Meters featuring Dumpstaphunk and special guests George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli and Cyrille Neville. This has long been one of my preferred fests, and the spirit of the music meshes well with the majestic atmosphere of Telluride. Tickets and lodging can be found at telluridejazz.org.
The Vail Jazz Party returns for its 30th anniversary, Aug. 30-Sept. 1. The performers mostly reside in straight-ahead territory: Drummer Lewis Nash, trumpeter Terell Stafford, bassist John Clayton, vocalists Ann Hampton Callaway and Curtis Stigers will participate in various sessions throughout the weekend. vailjazz.org
Miles of memories
Denver jazz legend Ron Miles performs on the trumpet for 9th-grade students at Thornton High School, Feb. 15, 2002. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post)
It’s been more than two years since local luminary Ron Miles passed. I was hesitant to listen to “Old Main Chapel,” out May 10 on Blue Note from the beloved trumpeter-composer-bandleader-educator. Not because I doubted the quality of the music recorded on the University of Colorado campus in 2011; I was in attendance, and it was exemplary. My hesitation to dive in came from a sense of dread: Would this be the final music ever released under my friend’s name?
I shouldn’t have put off engaging with this. The performances, featuring drummer Brian Blade and guitarist Bill Frisell — two completely appropriate and sensitive collaborators from Miles’ career — only cement his legacy. There’s plentiful sonic drama, comedy and love on display throughout these 78 minutes, and Miles is in excellent, searching form from beginning to end. I don’t know what else, if anything, remains in the vaults when it comes to the recorded life of Miles, but I’m grateful that this warm artifact exists. Be sure to connect with this profound live date.
Jazz this month
And more jazz this month: Saxophonist Javon Jackson returns home to Denver and Dazzle on May 10. … Vocalist Tatiana “LadyMay” Mayfield performs at Nocturne for Mother’s Day, on May 12. … The Flatirons Jazz Orchestra appears at the Buffalo Rose on May 12. … Hugh Ragin pays tribute to Sun Ra at the Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery on May 17. … Living legend and multi-instrumentalist David Amram performs in celebration of his new book at The Savoy Denver on May 23. … And pianist Brad Mehldau is scheduled for the Boulder Theater on June 3.