Bassist and bandleader Christian McBride has spent a considerable amount of his 52 years in the spotlight, and deservedly so. A restless practitioner of the music, he’s expertly performed multiple styles of jazz with artistic (and commercial) success.
McBride’s latest project is a collaboration with up-and-coming musicians he’s assembled. The group is named Ursa Major, and it’s made up of performers who represent the future: keyboardist Michael King, drummer Savannah Harris, saxophonist Nicole Glover and guitarist Ely Perlman. They’re being billed as “four rising master instrumentalists,” and sound accomplished alongside McBride’s authoritative bass.
The unit’s last Colorado appearance took place at the 2024 Telluride Jazz Festival, where, McBride stated on Facebook, they “took care of business.”
They’ll be performing four nights at Dazzle, Feb. 17-20, which is a residency of sorts. Perhaps it will be history in the making but, at the very least, some excellent, straight-ahead music will transpire.
Local trumpeter Joshua Trinidad will also appear at Dazzle, on March 1. Trinidad employs production techniques that make his horn sound otherworldly. It’s easy to compare him to sound-sculpting trumpeters like Jon Hassell and Nils Petter Molvaer, who have also embraced electronics, but Trinidad has definitely crafted his own beautifully unique sound.
He recently released a single, “Shame,” on streaming services, and it’s as powerful as it is mournful. Track down his albums, like “Sleeping With My Memories,” which I believe is mischaracterized as “New Age” on Apple Music, and hear an artist who is on the cusp of worldwide acclaim. The show will also feature poetry by Jozer Guerrero and live painting from Evelyn Aranda.
Tickets for the Dazzle performances from McBride and Trinidad can be found at dazzledenver.com.
Saxophonist-bandleader Tim Berne is one of my favorite musical polymaths. He’s blazed a singular, wild trail in his long career, and his recordings and live shows are known for their intelligent risk-taking.
Berne just released a labyrinthine new set of recordings titled “Yikes Too” (Screwgun/Out Of Your Head Records). Part of the fun, for listeners up to the task, is following his winding alto as it interacts with Gregg Belisle’s distorted guitar lines and Tom Rainey’s tense drumming. The trio’s sound is so full, they don’t require a bassist, or anyone else, to fill up the atmosphere.
The two hours of music on “Yikes Too” is split between studio and live recordings, with some compositions performed in both settings. But everything here basically maintains the same level of collaborative intensity. Nice of Berne to pay homage to one of his mentors with the track “Julius Hemphill,” the late saxophonist who remains a clear inspiration.
And more jazz in February: The Adam Bodine Trio pays tribute to Bob Marley at Lafayette’s Muse Performance Space on Feb. 6. … Shows at Denver’s Nocturne in February include trumpeter Gabriel Mervine and his Quintet on Fridays and pianist Camilla Vaitaitis’ Quartet performing original works on the 16th and 23rd. … The 60th annual Mike High Jazz Fest features saxophonist Donny McCaslin with the MSU Denver JAIM Faculty at the King Center Concert Hall on Feb. 12.
