Jazz in Denver (Greeley, Williamsburg: hotel, house, school)

[boston2denver]

Does anyone here have first hand experience attending jazz shows in the Denver area? We're currently in Boston and the jazz scene is good. Obviously things can always be better, but on any given night I can get out and here some good jazz. There are two main venues for regular better known jazz musicians, in addition to several other venues where lesser known jazz musicians play with the occasional better known ones playing there as well. Anyway, any first hand advice on venues that host regular jazz acts is appreciated. We're looking forward to living in and embracing all things Denver.

[woob]

Originally Posted by xartiswhy

THANKS! and yes haha, i know what you mean by a toddP show... many of my good friends have worked for him. the area he has his shows in isn't exactly what most people in Brooklyn would call Flatbush - they're in Bushwick and Williamsburg, and Ridgewood in Queens, mostly.

right. bushwick is what i meant. regarding jazz in denver, there's dazzle and el chapultepec which is a unique denver institution. boston only has two real jazz clubs that i know of. i think denver's scene is pretty much about the same size. I grew up in boston and the local music scene was great (club d'elf at lizard lounge and session americana at toad were better than anything I heard in NYC).

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by boston2denver

Does anyone here have first hand experience attending jazz shows in the Denver area?

One place you can check out is a nightclub on the 16th street mall called Jazz at Jacks which is excellent. Normally the house band plays there. They're called Dotsero and they play the smooth jazz style of music, which as you know is not traditional jazz, but they are a very good band regardless and put on an excellent show.

you can also check out the Dazzle restaurant and the Q. Now, all three of these are what I would call more upscale, "staged" venues. They're not hole in the walls where you go listen to locals, they're places where you go listen to polished, professional musicians.

[Mike from back east]

Some links that may help.

JazzFest Denver, in June

Jazz Clubs

CityParkJazz

[boston2denver]

Thank you all so much! This information is great.

Originally Posted by woob

boston only has two real jazz clubs that i know of. i think denver's scene is pretty much about the same size. I grew up in boston and the local music scene was great (club d'elf at lizard lounge and session americana at toad were better than anything I heard in NYC).

The two jazz clubs are Scullers and the Regattabar. The Lizard Lounge is still around and it's still great.

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Some links that may help.

JazzFest Denver, in June

Jazz Clubs

CityParkJazz

Thanks so much for these links. Added them to my favs and will start exploring!

[davidv]

The UNC Jazz Festival runs from April 22 - 24. You have to go to Greeley, but it is one of the best Jazz Festivals I have ever attended. It is mostly student bands/performances, but UNC's Jazz program is amazing, and there will be several well-known professionals performing with the groups. Check out UNC / Greeley Jazz Festival | University of Northern Colorado

[KottkeKU]

There is a cool little jazz club called Dazzle on 9th and Lincoln or somewhere around there.... they have live music pretty much every night, and they have all kinds of different events daily, i know vinyl mondays are one, and thursdays are usually pretty good too. they usually get some pretty gnarly jazz musicians in pretty regularly so look on their calender to see who is coming up...

Club D'Elf at Lizard Lounge would have been sweet

[geef]

Dazzle is booking some great talent on a consistent basis. El Chapultepec is a bit more hit and miss, but has some great sit-ins on random nights. The University of Denver has a great little Friday afternoon jazz program called "Flo's Underground". DU jazz students and faculty have interesting jam sessions from 4 to 6 (I believe) those evenings. Of course, we also have one of the best jazz radio stations in the business - KUVO....

[boston2denver]

Thank you all again for the information. I can't wait to check it out the jazz scene in Denver.

[whoisjongalt]

The other posts are right...the two best jazz club are El Chapultepec (for old school jam sessions and no cover) and Dazzle for great jazz most any night (cover depending on who's playing). If you like piano bars, the two best I've found are Charlie Brown's at the Colburn and the Ships Tavern at the Brown Palace Hotel.