Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

Hot on the heels of her Grammy nominations for The Book of Chet and Duets III, Luciana Souza sang a three-day engagement at New York’s Jazz Standard. Accompanied by one of her favorite guitarists, Romero Lubambo, she performed classics from the Brazilian and American songbooks. Nicky Schrire attended one of the performances and offers this concert review.

While pianist Lynne Arriale’s newest disc is her first solo album, she brought her trio with her for a two-night engagement at Dazzle nightclub in Denver. The sets included energetic trio pieces and intimate solo works. In this combined CD/concert review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that Arriale’s wide range of styles can both challenge the intellect and touch the heart.

At an energetic concert at Denver’s Oriental Theatre, the Manhattan Transfer proved that they are still a vital force in vocal music. The group’s founding member, Tim Hauser, was unable to travel due to illness, but Thomas Cunniffe reports that Hauser’s place was ably filled by m-pact’s bass, Trist Curless.

Culminating a four-day visit to the Boulder campus, composer/arranger Maria Schneider led the CU Jazz Ensemble I in a superb concert of her music. Thomas Cunniffe reports that the band and guest soloists John Gunther and Brad Goode played Schneider’s music with precision and spirit.

Colorado jazz fans were offered a rare treat with two performances by composer/bandleader Maria Schneider in just under two weeks. In addition to a four-day workshop with student musicians from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Schneider brought her entire New York-based orchestra to the Lakewood Cultural Center for a sold-out concert. Thomas Cunniffe was at both concerts and in his review, he notes how the combined repertoire of the concerts offered a unique overview of Schneider’s evolution as a composer.

On May 13, 2017, Denver jazz fans had the choice to hear several top-rank artists in live performances across the city. JHO’s Thomas Cunniffe joined about 1000 audience members at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for a concert by the Branford Marsalis Quartet with guest Kurt Elling. Cunniffe reports that the entire group was in top form, excelling their performances on their recent CD, Upward Spiral.

One of the founding members of the vocal jazz group Rare Silk, MaryLynn Gillaspie entertained a nearly-full house at Lannie’s Clocktower Cafe in downtown Denver. While the majority of the program featured Gillaspie’s fine work as a solo singer, Thomas Cunniffe’s review notes that the highlight of the concert was a group performance of a Rare Silk chart by the late Todd Buffa.