While we have to wait until Labor Day weekend for the 13th edition of the Vail Jazz Festival, this week does offer a taste of the giant jazz party right here in Denver.

For starters, trumpeter Terell Stafford performs tonight at Dazzle, 930 Lincoln St., in the company of budding organ star Pat Bianchi.

The Miami-born trumpeter made a name for himself while a member of saxophonist Bobby Watson's band, Horizon, and began recording on his own in 1995. Stafford is a member of both the Clayton Brothers Quintet and drummer Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts group appearing at the Vail event, which runs Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa (888-824-5526).

In Denver, the impressive trumpeter and Bianchi play alongside drummer Jim White and saxophonist John Gunther (7 and 9 p.m., $15, 303-839-5100).

Then on Thursday, pianist Taylor Eigsti also hits Dazzle before heading out to the Vail festival. Eigsti, whose 2006 CD on Concord is titled Lucky to Be Me, is on stage at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. with his group, featuring Harish Raghavan on bass and Aaron McLendon on drums ($15). Though Eigsti is in his early 20s, he provided adult sounds during his previous stop at Dazzle.

Between the visits by Stafford and Eigsti, there's also a major event at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Monday, when singer/pianist Diana Krall and trumpeter Chris Botti team up for a concert billed as Krall's "From This Moment On" tour.

The Canadian singer, who went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, built a reputation in the early 1990s with a sound influenced by Carmen McRae and Shirley Horn. Midway through the '90s, Krall added even greater commercial appeal to her persona. And by the end of the decade, she not only walked away with a Grammy for best jazz-vocal album, but her disc, When I Look in Your Eyes, was the first jazz release nominated for album of the year in a quarter century.

Today, she remains in the top tier of female jazz vocalists. The show at Red Rocks is at 7:30 p.m. with Botti (whose new Columbia CD is titled Italia) opening things up ($48.50-$88.50, 303-830-8497).

WEEKEND NOTES: Saturday finds the enormously influential alto saxophonist David Sanborn pulling into the Paramount Theatre, 16th and Glenarm streets, for an 8 p.m. show that has Tower of Power on the bill as well ($35-$59.75, 303-830-8497).

Saturday also marks the start of the two-day Longmont Jazz Festival in Roosevelt Park Pavilion, 725 Eighth Ave., in Longmont. The free festival begins at noon Saturday with the Hot Club of Boulder, followed by the Ellyn Rucker/Joni Janak Quartet, the Queen City Jazz Band, the Boulder Big Band and a closing jazz act that runs until 8 p.m.

Come Sunday, the music picks up again at noon with the Longmont All Stars. After that there are the Mambotet, Bianchi's Organ Trio and Fusion Juice. The Sunday sounds end at 6 p.m.

Keyboardist Jeff Jenkins provides some juiced-up fusion sounds with his group Cique. Tonight's celebration of the band's new CD on Capri Records is at El Chapultepec Too, West 38th Avenue and Perry Street, starting at 9 p.m. (303-480-9406).

On Saturday, guitarist Dale Bruning brings a quartet with Mark Patterson on trombone to Dazzle at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ($12). And on Sunday, the jazz sounds continue at Shakespeare's, 2620 Walnut St., starting at 6 p.m. (303-433-6000).

IN TRIBUTE: Tonight members of the Motet pay homage to Herbie Hancock at Hodi Half-Note, 167 N. College Ave., in Fort Collins, at 9 p.m. ($5-$8, 970-472-3034). On Thursday, singer Lynn Skinner and her quintet do the same for the songs of Joni Mitchell at the Denver Crossroads Theatre, 26th and Welton streets, at 7 p.m. ($15, 303-832-0929).

FINAL NOTE: The University of Denver's "Enrichment Program" has two items of interest on tap during October. On Oct. 24, there's an evening with singer Luciana Souza at Mount Vernon Country Club, with KUVO's Arturo Gomez providing a pre-performance lecture at 5:30 p.m. ($55).

There is also a four-week program examining "Sophisticated Ladies: Great Women of Vocal Jazz" that runs from 7 until 9 p.m. Oct. 11, 18 and 25 and has a concluding concert by Dianne Reeves on Oct. 27 in DU's Newman Center. The cost of this program, taught by yours truly, is $175 (303-871-2291).

Normanprovizer@aol.com