A relatively new club–Muchmore’s has ample space with walls lined with couches, the staff is friendly, and the noir murals lining the interior set the mood as a great place to listen to forward-looking jazz and improvised music.

Last night’s show featured Kirk Knuffke‘s Denver General with the leader-cornetist backed up by guitarist Jonathan Goldberger and drummer Jeff Davis. The band played three extended originals, lasting nearly an hour in total. Each of the songs displayed the versatility of the sound that the group is able to conjure–they play so well together and they bring diverse talents to their live performances. Knuffke has developed an amazingly sweet tone on his cornet, but possesses the ability to mix in edgy, fiery lines effortlessly. He moves air through the horn with the ease of a third lung–his impressive legato always keeps his lines fluid, though he can make them sharp when he wants to do so. The cornetist displayed his very active imagination, leading the band around a number of unexpected twists and turns throughout the night. Davis and Goldberger added well-portioned doses of tension–attacking and releasing–moving around, between, and beside each other in their sound. One of the most impressive things about the performance was the patience each of the members of this trio showed for each other. The musicians seemed comfortable with their own contributions and showed no haste to crowd the others out.  The open calmness of the band’s sound seemed to fit the mood both of the club and the downpour of rain that accompanied them outside.

We can only hope that the band will commit their music to record soon–it is certain to be popular among attentive enthusiasts for modern creative jazz music.

Kirk Knuffke’s next live performance is with the Billy Newman Sextet at Cornelia Street Café this coming Sunday, June 16 at 8:30 pm.