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Dave Hanson: Blues Sky
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Dave Hanson opens his Blue Sky with a joyful barnburner, “Two Masters," a tip of the hat to Bill Evans and Chick Corea, two of the biggest names in piano jazz. Hanson is probably best known for his work as composer-arranger and co-leader of Denver's H2 Big Band, but he pares things down on his Blues Sky album release, thanks in part to a weeklong artist-in-residence gig at Denver's Dazzle Jazz club, which allowed him to shape his sound ...
Continue ReadingKeith Oxman: This One's for Joey
by Jack Bowers
The “Joey" saluted on Denver-based tenor saxophonist Keith Oxman's latest album is Joey Pearlman, a jazz bassist who died far too soon, at age twenty-four, in Febuary 2021. Joey's “music and personality," Oxman writes, “brightened every day for us at [Denver's] East High School. His presence brought joy to our music room...as he challenged us with his brilliant compositions and performances. Joey's musical influence on his classmates, as well as his one-of-a-kind sense of humor, had an undeniable and positive ...
Continue ReadingJazz Worms: Squirmin'
by Pierre Giroux
There is something to be said for playing the long game. If a group is willing to wait for over thirty years between the issuance of albums, then clearly there is a bond among the participants that is remarkable. This clearly applies to the Jazz Worms. The group's debut release was Crawling Out (Van Buren) in 1987 and only now do we have the follow-up, Squirmin'.This Denver-based quintet has a unique approach to their music and it is ...
Continue ReadingJazz WORMS: Squirmin'
by Jack Bowers
The Denver-based quintet Jazz WORMS recorded its first album, Crawling Out, in 1987. Based on the time it took to record a second, Squirmin', they may as well be called the Jazz SNAILS. To be fair, there are reasons why the next go-round took so long to materialize, the most conspicuous being success. In '87 the members of the quintet were relative newcomers to the jazz scene, merely finding their way; since then they have led busy and successful lives ...
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