By Bret Saunders, Special to The Denver Post
What have I been digging into the most this summer? Here are a few recently released sets that are getting a lot of play in my car and on my phone while I run around Denver:
There’s so much material available from innovative guitarist Wes Montgomery that it’s hard to believe he died (far too young, at 45) more than half a century ago. The latest excavation, from the excellent Resonance Records label, is a treasure trove of previously lost recordings. “Back On Indiana Avenue: The Carrol DeCamp Recordings” is loaded with winning, swinging solos, made in his hometown of Indianapolis circa 1959. While he was a few years away from the type of jazz celebrity that would bring him financial success and string sections, these are the musings of a virtuoso. Montgomery’s personality shines through his guitar here, and he’s often abetted by his siblings, Buddy (piano) and Monk (bass.) Everything on these two discs is worth savoring, but I take the greatest pleasure in the soaring tracks featuring longtime Montgomery collaborator, organist Melvin Rhyne.
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William Parker is a towering figure in 21st-century jazz. The New York-based bassist oversees multiple vibrant projects, but his most rewarding may be the quartet In Order To Survive. The new release, “Live/Shapeshifter” (Aum Fidelity) spills over with intense communications between Parker, drummer Hamid Drake, saxophonist Rob Brown and pianist Cooper-Moore. Moore is a dynamic performer. His style is sometimes reminiscent of titan Cecil Taylor. Head over to Parker’s Bandcamp page (https://williamparker. bandcamp.com/album/live- shapeshifter) and check out the 23-minute tour de force “Demons Lining The Halls Of Justice.” If it resonates with you, shell out the 16 bucks for the download (the double CD is $20) and support some contemporary visionaries.
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One of saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton’s finest attributes may be his ability to surprise. Earlier this year, he released an 11-hour-long avant-garde acapella vocal collection, which is not only out of the confines of this column, it’s also over my head. (I find it enjoyable nonetheless, sort of like a Robert Ashley opera.) But the just-issued “Quartet (New Haven) 2014” (Firehouse 12 Records) is more like jazz, I suppose. The four-CD collection dedicates an hour each to famous non-jazz artists Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, James Brown and Merle Haggard. Braxton is in searing form throughout, expertly utilizing his arsenal of woodwinds, and guitarist Nels Cline (best known as a member of the rock group Wilco) is a terrific foil. This is adventurous music, driven by drummer Greg Saunier (of another forward-thinking rock group, Deerhoof) and individualistic cornetist-trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum fits right in with the fun. It’s challenging stuff, but the open-minded will find it enjoyable and even thrilling. I keep returning to it myself.
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And more: Freddy Rodriguez & The Jazz Connection play for free as part of City Park Jazz on July 28. … Jon Cleary appears at Vail’s Lionshead Village Aug. 1. … Guitarist Charlie Hunter teams up with vocalist Lucy Woodward at Dazzle Aug. 2-3. … The Rich Chiaraluce-Keith Oxman Quartet plays the Nocturne stage Aug. 3. … Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue is scheduled for Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium on Aug. 5.
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