Tag: Dazzle Denver

2024 Touring Shows at Dazzle in the Denver Performing Arts Complex

Featured by Kelley Dawkins, posted in Music & Notes

Touring Shows List Updated Monthly

These are the touring shows that are coming to Denver. All of the other shows on our website are top local musicians.

Otis Taylor

Show Description

Otis Taylor grew up in Denver, but like the old blues song said, he was born in Chicago in 1948. According to Taylor his parents were both jazz fans. My dad worked for the railroad and knew a lot of jazz people. He was a socialist and real bebopper. His mother loved everything from Etta James to Pat Boone. The first instrument Taylor learned to play was the banjo, but he soon rejected the banjo for its association with the racist American South. Taylor would eventually return to the banjo upon discovering its African roots.

Like so many musicians in Denver, Taylor drew inspiration from time spent at the Denver Folklore Center founded by Harry Tuft, where he first heard Piedmont, Delta, country, and Chicago blues artists like Son House, Muddy Waters, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He learned to play guitar and harmonica and while still in his teens he formed a band called the Butterscotch Fire Department and later the Otis Taylor Blues Band.

Upcoming Touring shows and member presales

2025 Touring Shows

For More info about 2025 Touring Shows go to https://www.dazzledenver.com/2025-touring-shows-pre-sale-starts-8-29-24/

Learn more about becoming a Dazzle Member for pre-sale access and ticket packages.

https://www.dazzledenver.com/we-want-you-to-become-a-dazzle-member-today/

Updated: November 14, 2024

March: Celebrating Women in Jazz Month

by Deborah Stafford, posted in Music & Notes

Nearly 100 years after the birth of jazz, Dazzle features some of the most talented women in Jazz today.

Jocelyn Medina Brazilian Band

March 6th – 6:30PM 

The sounds of vocalist/composer Jocelyn Medina cross cultures, creeds and continents. A veteran of the New York jazz scene and producer of the 2023 JEXA (Jazz Excellence) Award-winning Sunday Vocal Jazz Jam series, she is fast becoming a strong, new element of the Denver/Boulder music community. Jocelyn developed her jazz, neo-soul and world music in NYC and toured abroad in Ghana, India, Spain and Brazil.

Tix at https://www.venuepilot.co/events/90410/orders/new

Linda Theus-Lee: ‘HerStory’ in Music

March 17th – 6:00PM 

Linda Theus-Lee, an enchanting songstress whose musical journey has spanned her entire life, has been immersed in the world of music since her early years. Throughout her career, Linda has collaborated with numerous talented local artists and has embarked on musical journeys around the globe.  Destiny paved her path to perform alongside Louis Burke’s Big Band (Trumpeter) in Los Angeles, California. She has also shared the stage with Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, Chester Whitmore’s Black Ballet Jazz, and the Platters.

Aside from her musical accomplishments, Linda holds a Master of Social Science degree and is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at the University of Colorado Denver.

Tix at https://www.venuepilot.co/events/90086/orders/new

Hazel Miller Trio

March 20th – 6:30PM  

Experience the captivating blend of jazz, blues, and soul as Hazel Miller’s powerful voice, Dana Marsh’s masterful keyboard skills, and Rich Lamb’s dynamic bass lines create a truly mesmerizing musical journey. Hazel Miller has been a fixture in the Denver music scene for over 30 years. Her voice is a “force of nature” and she has been inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

Tix at https://www.venuepilot.co/events/96584/orders/new

Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield 

March 22nd – 6:30PM 

In 2023, LadyMay was awarded the “Next Jazz Legacy” grant created by NEA Jazz Master, Terri Lyne Carrington in partnership with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and New Music USA with funding from the Mellon Foundation. Through this program, she has been mentored by pianist/vocalist/composer Patrice Rushen and jazz/soul harpist Brandee Younger.

Tix at https://www.venuepilot.co/events/91290/orders/new

Brionne Aigné & The KYN March 23rd – 6:30PM will be gracing the Dazzle stage. From BET to Red Rocks, Brionne’s smooth vocal arrangements and harmony heavy sensibilities captivate audiences on local and national platforms. Brionne’s ability to weave seamlessly between technical vocal runs and stylistic jazz standards earns her a love from audiences of both straight ahead jazz and contemporary R&B. Fans of H.E.R., Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott, Moonchild, Snarky Puppy and D’angelo will feel at home with her timeless vocal stylings.

Tix at: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/95655/orders/new

Gift of Jazz Presents: A Centennial Tribute to Sarah Vaughan featuring Myra Warren

March 24th – 6:30PM

Warren has a stunningly beautiful voice that resonates with warmth and understanding of lyrics and melody. She has performed at the Five Points Jazz Festival, the Estes Park Jazz Festival and the City Park Jazz Festival. Myra is featured as the band singer in the Netflix movie “Our Souls At Night”, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017, singing “What A Difference A Day Made” in a scene filmed at Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel. Myra is currently the vocalist with Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors.

Tix at: https://giftofjazz.org/performances/#/events/93300

Chantil & The Dukes of Art: Tribute to Harry Connick Jr.

March 29 – 9:30PM 

Chantil Dukart returns to Dazzle with her trio, the Dukes of Art, for the late night set March 29th from 9:30-11:00 pm. The night will be a special tribute to the New Orleans pianist Harry Connick Jr., one of Chantil’s primary influences. Come get a taste of her New Orleans style piano playing with selections from the albums 20 and 30! The performance will feature the wonderfully talented Gary Sloan and Austin Hass rounding out the rhythm section with the trifecta of creativity and space that is offered by the simplicity of the piano trio.

Tix at: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/92558/orders/new

FJO Featuring Deborah Stafford: Krall & Cole – “Better Than Anything”

March 25th – 6:30PM  

Flatirons Jazz Orchestra Featuring Deborah Stafford. To celebrate Women’s History Month, FJO and Deborah, will explore the lives of two great women in jazz, Diana Krall and Natalie Cole, through their stories and music. Inspired by the “Stories of Standards” on KUVO, this popular series looks deeper into the artists and history behind the music as well as playing it!

Tix at: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/94865/orders/new

JoFoKe and Same Cloth with guest artist Maritri Garrett 

March 30th – 6 & 9PM  

Same Cloth is a genre-bending, Denver-based, Black woman-led band that uses their peculiarities to share meaningful art. They perform original music and creative cover arrangements that, along with JoFoKe’s charisma and vocal stylings, create an energetically eclectic and emotionally elevating live music experience. Maritri Garrett has been playing and singing as long as she can remember. She spent two years on the road with the likes of Bettty Carter, Dave Holland, Jack Dejohnette and Dwayne Dolphin. She is a singer, songwriter, pianist and now guitarist. Tickets on sale March 3rd.

Tix at: On sale March 3rd

Kids’ Matinee at Dazzle

Every Saturday at noon.

$5 tickets made possible through the ‘Music In Action’ grant from the Live Music Society

Kids’ Matinee March 9th, 12PM Youth on Record: ThrÏve Dominique Fuster is a singer, songwriter, and producer, originally from Los Angeles, CA. There she was the front woman in the metal band RISC, toured as her solo R&B act, Thrïve, and performed weekly with multiple blues jam bands, while also freestyling and recording with the hip-hop cyphers all over the state.As an artist of many disciplines, she is currently the lead singer of local Denver Latin jazz band, Jon Romero and The Taco Cats, frequents weekly open-mics, and showcases her acrylic resin, screen-printing, and weaving crafts at galleries across the city. She is working on her first studio album to be released in the summer of 2024 and continues to serenade Denver, excited to build and heal community using the power of music.

Tix at: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/86933/orders/new

Kids’ Matinee: The Playmakers Family Brunch presents: Pamela Clifton Storyteller. Pamela Clifton has acted and directed professionally for more than three decades, her work gracing just about every stage in the Denver area, including The Arvada Center, Boulder’s Dinner Theater, South Suburban Parks and Recreation and the University of Denver. Throughout the years, she has become a mainstay in children’s theater through her writing, acting, directing and teaching in various theaters and venues throughout the state; and through her own touring company, The Playmakers, which has taken performing arts in the forms of educational workshops and performances into schools since 1984. Tix at www.dazzledenver.com

Get Your Dazzle Membership Package Today

by Kelley Dawkins, posted in Dazzle Membership, Music & Notes

Join the club with a Dazzle Membership and start taking advantage of the perks awarded to our Members.

From our Pick of the Pec basic membership level to the top Big Horn level, becoming a Member is the best way to make the most of your experience at Dazzle.

Please note: Gift cards may not be redeemed for Memberships

To purchase or inquire, contact Kelley at Kelley@DazzleDenver.com or 720.862.9170.

Dazzle Membership Packages

Pre-sales are for touring shows and big local shows, such as New Year’s Eve.
If you want the earliest pre-sale, five Sponsorships are left ($1,000 each) and you get your name engraved on the artwork, ‘The Bassist.’
Memberships are good for 12 months from the date of purchase. If you purchase the Big Horn level and already have tickets to touring shows within the next few months, call Kelley to discuss an appropriate start date for your Dazzle Membership.
Prices listed include tax and processing.
To purchase or ask questions, contact Kelley@DazzleDenver.com or 720.862.9170.

Upcoming Pre-sale Extravaganza

On Monday, Oct. 30 Dazzle begins its ‘Pre-sale Extravaganza’ with (almost) all Winter and Spring performances released every few days for two weeks (updated 10/25/23). Get your membership before it begins.

  • Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Tour feat. Gerald Clayton, Kendrick Scott, Joel Ross, Immanuel Wilkins, Matt Brewer
  • John Scofield
  • Donny McCaslin
  • Kenny Garrett

P.C. Daniel Trujillo

PICK OF THE PEC

$250

Pre-sale period for Members takes place 24-48 hours after the Sponsor’s pre-sale and before the general public.
To put the pre-sale in perspective, usually 4-8 tickets are sold during the Sponsor’s pre-sale.
TWO Member tickets per year for performances $50 and under. Member tickets ensure you get the best seats available for the performances you choose.
20% Discount on tickets for local performances. (Limit two discounted tickets per artist; Member tickets may not be used with discounted tickets.)
Dedicated Dazzle Concierge to handle ticketing requests.
Emailed updates and notices regarding music, food, and wine specials.

COLORADO RIVER

$500

All the benefits of Pick of the Pec.
TEN Member tickets per year for local performances (limit two Member tickets per artist).

CHARLIE’S SEAT

$1,500

All the benefits of Pick of the Pec.
Unlimited Member tickets per year for local performances (limit two member tickets per artist).

BIG HORN

$3,000

All the benefits of Pick of the Pec.
Unlimited Member tickets per year for ALL performances, including touring shows (limit two Member tickets per artist).
Additional tickets to touring shows may be purchased for a 20% discount (limit two per artist).
One artist meet-and-greet annually.

Current lineup can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use the code and reserve my tickets?

20% Discount

We are in the process of creating a code for the 20% discount on tickets. You will receive this code in an email and use it on two tickets per artists for local shows.

If you are a Big Horn Member, you will get an additional code to use for touring shows.

Booking Shows with Member Tickets

  1. You will receive the contact information for a Dazzle Concierge.
  2. Look at the website to see what seats are available for the show you want to see.
  3. Contact your Concierge with the name of the show and seat(s).
  4. The Concierge will confirm and put your name on the guest list at the front door.
What are Member Tickets?

Member tickets are the tickets included in your Membership.

Every Member level includes the Pick of the Pec’s two Member tickets per year for performances $50 and under. Each level beyond that has more Member tickets. See the descriptions above for details.

What is the difference between the Membership Packages and Sponsorship?

Sponsorships were offered for $1,000 to help pay for the buildout of the new venue. There are only TWO left.

Sponsors received invitations to Sneak Peeks to watch the venue develop from having white walls and no furnishings to the striking space it is today.

The two biggest Sponsor benefits that are still available are:

  1. Your name (or the name of your choice) is engraved on The Bassist, an artwork by Brett Matarazzo, that hangs on the West wall.
  2. Pre-sale access before Members.

Membership Packages all include pre-sale access before the general public, 20% discount tickets for local shows (limit two discount tickets per artist), and the other benefits listed under Pick of the Pec.

The levels beyond Pick of the Pec are various ticket packages, where you are pre-purchasing tickets to use at the shows of your choice. Different Membership Packages give you different shows to pick from.

GREG GISBERT ON THE TRUMPET: DAZZLE’S FIRST WEEK-LONG ARTIST RESIDENCY

by Kelley Dawkins, posted in Music & Notes

Press Release 9/1/23

Dazzle at the Arts Complex is thrilled to announce its first week-long Residency with internationally renowned jazz trumpet touring and recording artist Greg Gisbert. Greg’s influence on the Jazz community transcends generations as he enters the 5th decade of his electric career.  He prefers to work in the background, connecting people, giving advice, and introducing fellow musicians to new musical styles. He gives freely and is appreciated by musicians around the world.  This week is Greg’s opportunity to spotlight both the best that Denver’s musicians have to offer and include some international talent to spice things up.

Poster for Greg Gisbert's week-long residency at Dazzle in Denver
Photo Credit: Adam Cory

Each show in the Residency has a completely different musical style, intergenerational artistic pairings, and Greg’s neverending mentorship as he brings internationally renowned and new-to-Denver musicians to Dazzle’s stage.

There is an overarching theme of Mental Wellness, Community Support, and Awareness for each of the shows in the Residency. Dazzle is amplifying these messages by making the United Suicide Survivors the Nonprofit of the Month. Donations can be added to all tickets purchased throughout September.

(Click on each show for a complete description and bios of the artists.)

Electric Gizz

Saturday, September 23 – 7PM

Tickets: https://www.dazzledenver.com/live-music/#/events?event_id=80141

Electric Gizz was founded & created By Greg Gisbert & Mickey Lenny (AKA Michael Lenssen). Joining them tonight will be Sonya Walker (keyboards) Conner Terrones (Bass & Guitar) and introducing newcomer to Denver Jaik Hakkarinen (Drums/percussion). 

Greg Gisbert & Art Lande

Monday, September 25 – 7PM

Tickets: https://www.dazzledenver.com/live-music/#/events?event_id=80139

Grammy-nominated Art Lande is considered one of the premiere improvisational jazz pianists today. He began piano at age 4, studied at Williams College & moved to San Francisco in 1969. He has mostly carved out his own singular path throughout his career, taking the innovations of Bill Evans several steps further. In 1973 he recorded with Jan Garbarek and Ted Curson and in the mid-1970’s had started his own jazz school. In 1976 he formed the quartet Rubisa Patrol which recorded for ECM and lasted until 1983. After teaching for three years in Switzerland, Lande in 1987 moved to Boulder, Colorado. He appears in many of the “Who’s Who in Jazz” encyclopedias available today for his role in the development of “Chamber Jazz.”

Presented by The Gift of Jazz

Chie Imaizumi Little Big Band feat. Randy Brecker and Greg Gisbert

Wednesday & Thursday, September 27 & 28 – 6:30PM & 9PM

Tickets: https://www.dazzledenver.com/live-music/#/events 

Performers:

Chie Imaizumi, Randy Brecker, Greg Gisbert, Peter Olstad, David Bernot, John Gunther, Zach Rich,  Allison Young, Mike Abbott, Sonya Walker, Mark Simon, Paul Romaine, Leo Corona

The Gift of Jazz proudly presents a grand reunion show with Chie Imaizumi and Randy Brecker. Click the show title above for the official show description. The information below is not part of the official show description.

The themes of Mental Wellness, Community Support, and Awareness stem from these two days. The artists and Dazzle hope to encourage others to seek help without fear of stigma and increase the understanding that we all deal with mental wellness issues to various degrees. Sometimes these issues are easy for us to see but not easy for us to understand. Not all wounds are visible, but that doesn’t make them any less real or minimize their need for healing.

“These two days are a pure expression of healing, recovery, love, and support. Music is an oasis for both the musicians and the audience.” ~Greg Gisbert

The worst part about mental wellness issues is that many people consider asking for help to be a sign of weakness. It’s quite the opposite. It’s okay to not be okay. We just happen to be going through difficult times. 

Chie’s compositions are story and emotion based. She is even orchestrating special music for September’s shows. Chie’s music takes the listeners on a journey through the many emotional worlds we have all experienced including darkness, loneliness, struggle, fear, hopelessness, and anger then through the worlds of joy, happiness, love, forgiveness, trust, hope, triumphs, peace, and genuine human connection.  

“Since I know how these emotions feel, I’d like to inspire others to know they’re not alone, by expressing my real, raw, and vulnerable feelings through my artistic creations, music.” ~Chie Imaizumi

Greg Gisbert Bio

Jazz trumpeter Greg Gisbert’s eclectic career is in its 5th decade. His resume includes recordings, tours, multiple television performances / movie & TV soundtracks with such icons as Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Horace Silver, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Buddy Rich, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme Jazz @ Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Dizzy Gillespie all stars w/ John Lee, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Chie Imaizumi (producer) & more. 

Gisbert has held professorships & artist in residence as well as a highly respected featured guest artist for dozens of colleges & conservatories most notably Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, U of Miami, CU Boulder & is currently a faculty member of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts.

From 1989-2000 & 2010-2015, he was highly in demand on Broadway & in the studios of  NYC.

Greg Gisbert moved HOME to Denver in 2015 & brings his vast world-class experience, creativity & enthusiasm with him.

BRANDEE YOUNGER AT DAZZLE

by Kelley Dawkins, posted in Music & Notes

Brandee Younger

June 4, 2023

Dazzle, Denver

By Geoff Anderson

A version of this article was published on AllAboutJazz.com on June 12, 2023.

The harp is far from a common jazz instrument and the list of famous jazz harpists is a short one. In fact, the list of significant jazz harpists probably numbers about two: Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby. There have been a few others here and there, but none that had the impact of those two. But wait, there’s a new contender on the scene: Brandee Younger. Sunday night at Dazzle, Younger stated her case for expanding that short list of significant jazz harpists.

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The harp brings a different sound to jazz. Often associated, in popular culture, with angels floating among the clouds, it seems antithetical to jazz’s often boisterous, gritty, slice-of-life soundscape. But the scope and sounds of jazz are wide and if a player can make an unusual instrument work somewhere within the big jazz tent, he or she will be welcomed.

At age 39, Younger has been playing for several years in a variety of contexts ranging from classical to hip hop. She’s also worked as an educator at several institutions of higher education including New York University and the New School, among others. But it was her albums on Impulse! that started to catch the attention of many in the jazz world, Somewhere Different (Impulse! 2021) and Brand New Life (Impulse! 2023).

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Sunday night at Dazzle, Younger brought all her myriad influences with her along with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Allan Mednard. She filled her set with tunes from those aforementioned albums, alternating with songs by her harp heroes, Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby (who else?). She began her set with “Rama, Rama,” a composition by Alice Coltrane. This one had an ethereal, floating atmosphere tailor made for the heavenly sonics of her pedal harp. Her original, “Love and Struggle” from Somewhere Different followed. This one, as befitting the title, had a bit more of an edge to it. Another original, “Unrest” followed. She explained that she wrote that song during the pandemic and was inspired by events happening right outside her window.

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Another Alice Coltrane piece followed, “Turiya and Ramakrishna” and then her own “Moving Target” from Brand New Life. That one incorporated a busy rhythm section, especially the drum part. The hyperactive rhythmic activity contrasted nicely with the relaxed harp floating overhead. She then incorporated her other heroine, Dorothy Ashby, into the act with her composition “You’re a Girl for One Man Only,” which also appears on Brand New Life.

A solo piece followed, Stevie Wonder’s “If It’s Magic” also from Brand New Life. Younger explained that it was Ashby that played the harp part on Wonder’s original recording which appeared on Songs in the Key of Life (Tamla, 1976). “Spirit U Will” was from Somewhere Different and had one of the sharper edges of the evening, again creating tension with the rhythm section while the harp drifted above the fray in a gauzy reverie.

Perhaps Younger’s biggest challenge of the evening was the Denver Nuggets. Making their way to the NBA finals for the first time in team history, Game 2 of the series began only a few blocks from Dazzle shortly before Younger’s first set. She thanked the audience more than once for choosing her band over the game. Indeed, the first set sold out, even in the face of championship hoops. But the Nuggets have played dozens of games in Denver this season. What Denver hasn’t seen is jazz harp played like this. It was a one-of-a-kind evening.

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Set List

Rama, Rama (Alice Coltrane)

Love and Struggle (Original)

Unrest (Pandemic piece, original)

Turiya and Ramakrishna (Alice Coltrane)

Moving Target (Original)

You’re a Girl for One Man Only (Dorothy Ashby)

If it’s Magic (Stevie Wonder)

Spirit U Will (Original)

Tickled Pink (Original)

The Band

Brandee Younger, pedal harp

Allan Mednard drums

Rashaan Carter bass