#Dazzle denver jazz professional#

“And it’s friendly to musicians.”ĭazzle, at 930 Lincoln St., was founded in 1998 by Karen Storck. “I like the sense of community,” he said.

#Dazzle denver jazz professional#

The orchestra’s leader is Greg Tanner Harris, who is also a professional vibrophone player. “Oh, and Chet Atkins, of course,” she said, nodding down to her guitar, an orange Gretsch hollowbody electric named after the Nashville guitarist and producer. Speelman is a fan of Django Reinhardt and Tommy Emmanuel. “I’ve transcribed a few of his songs,” Walters said of the latter, a jazz guitar titan of the 1950s and ’60s. Walters rattled off a few of his guitar heroes, including Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. They were on a small stage that had been converted, on this night, into a repository of coats and instrument cases. Just before they went on, guitarists Bella Speelman and Weston Walters were turning up in the rear of the front room. But there were also serious jazz fans who were being smitten by teenage players. The audience went beyond proud parents, although there were certainly a number of smartphone photos being taken. On this night, the Denver School of the Arts’ 20-piece Jazz Workshop Orchestra was playing. It was showcasing something of a youth movement in jazz. On a recent evening, when snow had smacked the city like Max Roach’s drumsticks hitting a snare, DazzleJazz Restaurant & Lounge was packed. “These guys are putting it out on the line, living and breathing every note,” he said. Gazing at the stage, where Killian and company wailed, Scott gave an appreciative nod.

He was a drummer once, but he felt he didn’t have enough music in him to make a career of it. Scott is an energetic man with close-cropped hair and beard, and stylish hip-kid glasses. “We liked this location because we knew the RiNo arts district would be a great place for us, and we wanted to do food and music,” Nicole said. They created a four-year plan to make it happen, and stuck to it. “And then we had a choice: to take our hospitality careers up a notch or do our crazy dream of opening a jazz club,” Scott said. The menu is as ambitious as the champagne-heavy beverage list: rabbit ragu, sumac spiced rack of lamb, black lentil falafel.įrom 2004 to 2010, the couple worked in Vail. There is a long bar, walls covered with flocked wallpaper, curving banquettes on the floor, and a broad sweeping staircase leading to a mezzanine where diners and music fans canwatch the stage from tables set along an ornate railing. It is a handsome space, housed within the vaulted brick walls of a former seed company. They fairly burst with pride in their creation, which opened in March. He has a background in wine, including a stint at Mondo Vino in North Denver she is a veteran of the hospitality industry. Nocturne is run by Scott and Nicole Mattson. Others - including Nocturne, Syntax Physic Opera, The Crown Social Jazz Lounge and Dinner Club, and Baur’s Restaurant and Listening Lounge - are newcomers. Some, such as Dazzle, El Chapultepec and Jazz at Jack’s have grown venerable in their own right. It’s the neighborhood where Neal Cassady introduced Jack Kerouac to jazz before the two gone cats became Beat legends. Stars such as Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderly and Miles Davis stayed in and jammed at the Rossonian Hotel, which still stands. Their revival is altogether fitting.ĭuring the mid-20th century, Denver was the biggest stopover for jazz musicians between Kansas City and the West Coast.įive Points was red hot. Jazz dinner clubs, many of them burnished with sophistication, are enjoying renewed interest in Denver. He has made a name at noted Big Apple clubs such as Iridium and the Blue Note and was showcasing his new album, “Evoke.” Now and again, he left the stage to let his sidemen vamp. Killian is a Texan living in New York City, specifically, Brooklyn’s Bushwick section. As a bystander noted, “He has an old sound for a young guy.” Up on the compact stage, Stan Killian played long, languid lines on the tenor sax. Once inside, however, where co-owner Nicole Mattson helmed the host stand, the place was jumping, the floor packed.ĭiners - a mix of sharply turned-out club kids and older couples - took in the music while enjoying a sophisticated menu and a master sommelier’s wine list. It was not quite a “Knock twice and ask for Al” vibe, but the look was borderline speakeasy. Walking up to the door of Nocturne Jazz & Supper Club on a chilly December evening, newcomers could not be blamed for wondering if they had the right address.īefore them was a lone door, subtly signed, off a dark and rather unsung stretch of Larimer Street. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu