If you’re seeking sonic diversity in September, look no further.
The hard-touring, crowd-pleasing Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will appear at Denver’s Levitt Pavilion on Sept. 5. Saxophonist-flutist-vocalist Denson is a gifted jazz-funk veteran, and his band can be relentlessly energetic live. A large outdoor space is ideal for the former Rolling Stones and Lenny Kravitz sideman, as mass dancing will certainly take place. While remaining commercially viable, Denson is a thoughtful performer who can create next-level improvisations. This show is part of Levitt’s free concert series, and if you prefer, a premium upgrade ticket is available with early entrance and more. RSVP for the free passes or otherwise at tickets.venuepilot.com.
Guitar hero
Guitarist Fred Frith has served as a hero to free-thinking music lovers for more than five decades. Beginning with the intelligent progressive jazz-rock group Henry Cow in Cambridge, England, in the late 1960s, Frith and his guitar have been fearlessly pushing forward with multiple inspired records. Colorado’s Janet Feder, an educator and equally adventurous guitarist, will team with Frith for a performance at Denver’s Bug Theater on Sept. 16. Expect a rush of mind-bending sounds from the duo. (Creative Music Works, the presenters of the show, were kind enough to ask me to moderate a Q&A for premium ticket-holders with the artists right before the music begins.) Find out more at creativemusicworks.org.
Outstanding vocalist
Judging by the mail I receive, it seems like jazz vocalists are releasing new music several times a week. It’s difficult to keep up with all of them, but Jazzmeia Horn stands out. A singer of uncommon depth, Horn brings elegance to all her recordings, including the latest, “Messages.” She can project on ballads and scat with equal authority, and deservedly won the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, as well as the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition in 2015. Horn will appear at Denver’s Dazzle Sept. 18-19 for some rare Colorado appearances. Get tickets through dazzledenver.com.
Saint of free jazz
Pharoah Sanders has all but been canonized as a kind of free jazz saint. Numerous generations have looked up to the great tenor saxophonist, who performed alongside John Coltrane in the ‘60s and participated in numerous transcendent dates before his passing in 2022 at 81. His albums are ecstatic and beautiful, but most listeners probably only know about his glorious work for the Impulse! label in the ‘60s and ‘70s. After leaving the majors, Sanders still had much to express on independent labels like the California-based Theresa Records. Those albums have been frustratingly difficult to obtain, but the mail-order-only Mosaic Records has just released “The Complete Pharoah Sanders Theresa Recordings,” covering his activities between 1979 and 1986.
For those who haven’t heard Sanders in this period, the results are astonishing. Not only could his intensity raise the roof, he also spun intimate solos on ballads infused with wisdom, an aspect of his playing that wasn’t as apparent in the years before. Those of us who miss longtime Denverite Joe Bonner will be delighted to hear the pianist stretch out on the 1981 album, “Rejoice.”
Mosaic sets are always limited editions, and there are only 5,000 copies of this one. It should sell out quickly, so get yours at mosaicrecords.com.
And more jazz
The Vail Jazz Festival concludes Aug. 31, with former Denver vocalist Rene Marie and others. … Pianist and former “Late Night With Stephen Colbert” bandleader Jon Batiste appears at Red Rocks on Sept. 4. … Guitarist Grant Green Jr. teams up with drummer Adam Deitch at Dazzle on Sept. 11. … Trumpeter Chris Botti plays the Paramount Theatre on Sept. 18. … The Dave Hanson Quintet celebrates Thad Jones at Nocturne on Saturdays in September.