From 2000 through 2004, singer Rene Marie released four CDs on the MaxJazz label, earning a top slot on the list of up-and-coming jazz vocalists. But for her new recording, the singer, who now lives in Denver, decided to go independent and issue Experiment in Truth on her own.

The impressive results of that effort are on display at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln St., tonight and Saturday when Marie performs with her working group of pianist Kevin Bales, bassist Rodney Jordan and drummer Quentin Baxter.

"Being on a label," the singer notes, "is kind of like being married to the wrong person. You are led to believe that you will have a lot of freedom, but you don't have that at all. So I wanted to see what it was like to be a singer and to make all the decisions."

As an example, for years the singer has performed a tribute to Nina Simone called O Nina, yet she could never convince the label to include it on a CD. That song closes the new disc in stellar fashion. There may be a sane reason why a label chose not to record this tune, but I sure can't think of it. It's a knockout.

Though Marie has performed on occasion in Denver with talented area-based players, this is the first time she has had the opportunity to sing with her own band. That's an exciting prospect for her. As she points out, "There are certain songs that developed their sound within the context of the group."

Marie's Truth covers a number of musical bases, from the whimsical to the saucy and on to the profound. This strong outing is available on renemarie.com. This evening, she sings at 7 and 9 p.m. ($20, 303-839-5100). She does the same Saturday as a benefit for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless ($30). On that front, the new disc contains the striking This Is (not) a Protest Song that was originally issued as a single, with all proceeds going to groups involved with the homeless.

ALSO ON TAP: Tonight, David Grisman's quintet does his "dawg" music at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., at 8:30 p.m. ($25, 303-786- 7030), and Cab Calloway's daughter, Chris Calloway, sings at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret in the D&F Tower, 16th and Arapahoe streets, at 8 p.m. ($25, 303-293-0075). Calloway also performs at Lannie's at 8 p.m. Saturday.

• At 7 p.m. Sunday, string player Wu Fei presents her second of three concerts sponsored by Creative Music Works in the Lab at Belmar, 404 S. Upham St., Lakewood. Along with Fei's guzheng playing, the performance features the guitar and electronic work of Janet Feder and Colin Bricker ($7/$5 members, creativemusicworks.org).

• After the weekend, the Convergence sextet (Greg Gisbert, John Gunther, Mark Patterson, Eric Gunnison, Mark Simon and Paul Romaine) plays at Dazzle on Monday. The band's sets at 6 and 8 p.m. will be recorded for a live CD ($15).

• At 6 and 8 p.m. Tuesday, trumpeter Gisbert joins saxophonist Dominic Lalli's quartet, plus cornetist Ron Miles, at Dazzle ($10). The group, which also has Gunnison on piano, Bijoux Barbosa on bass and Rudy Royston (returning home for a visit from the East Coast) on drums, will record a CD the following day.

• At 7 and 9 p.m. Thursday, the week of music ends with a benefit for the American Council of the Blind at Dazzle featuring the monster New Orleans pianist/singer Henry Butler and his trio. Butler, who relocated to Colorado in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, can do it all, including getting you to join the second line for a march down Lincoln Street.

ON A FINAL NOTE: Despite a hard rain that frequently fell on Telluride last weekend, the town's annual jazz celebration once again showed why it might be, musically speaking, the biggest little jazz festival in the world.

The almost magical vibe here captured many of the performers, whether it was guest of honor John Scofield adding his guitar to a late- night set by fellow guitarist Bill Frisell's trio, or trumpeter Roy Hargrove sitting in with everyone after playing with his powerhouse quintet.

Some other highlights were trombonist Steve Turre's quintet, the young bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding and singer Roberta Gambarini ( supported by Eric Gunnison's trio). It all ended with a closing party where members of Hargrove's band, plus pianist Stephen Scott, sat in with players from the Telluride Student All-Star Ensemble and the Arizona Jazz Academy Sextet. All this would have been special at sea level. At nearly 9,000 feet, it was something much more.

Normanprovizer@aol.com