Events by this organizer

Joe Anderies is a longtime figure in the Denver and Colorado jazz scene as a flutist, saxophonist, and composer. Joe also has been a pioneer in the vibrant jazz education scene in Denver and currently serves on the Board of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA). Throughout the three Dazzle locations, Joe has organized numerous collaborations of local and international musicians that have consistently sold out. Joe recently connected with guitarist Gabriel Santiago where they have been sharing many compositional ideas especially around a mutual respect for the writing of Lyle Mays both in his solo recordings as well as collaborations with Pat Metheny. Joe released his first album of all original music just over a year ago. Resonance is receiving great reviews world wide where it is streaming on 190 digital platforms.

Gabriel Santiago, a native of Brazil, is an accomplished composer, arranger, and skilled guitarist proficient in both acoustic and electric styles. His notable career spans 14 albums, comprising CDs and DVDs, lauded for their captivating compositions as described by JazzTimes Magazine. Santiago’s musical prowess has earned him recognition as a gifted artist, having been mentored by esteemed figures in the jazz realm such as Pat Metheny, Adam Rogers, and Maria Schneider. His musical journey has been adorned with accolades, including the prestigious ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, solidifying his remarkable talent and impact on the music landscape. Santiago’s academic achievements are equally impressive, holding a Doctoral Degree in Music Composition from the esteemed University of Texas at Austin. Collaborating with a diverse range of artists, from established names like Chris Potter and Stefon Harris to talented musicians like John Clayton and Janek Gwizdala, Santiago’s versatility shines through.

Musical Style: Jazz/Funk

Electric Giz draws in audiences with accessible grooves and contemporary sonic elements. Our original music combines improvisation, sound design and catchy hooks in an immersive journey through genres. Seemingly simple compositions provide a foundation for the band to share their joy in spontaneous creation. Electric Giz is the brainchild of Greg Gisbert and Mickey Lenny, born out of their collaboration with Maria Schneider on her Grammy winning 2020 album Data Lords.

Trumpeter Greg Gisbert’s eclectic career is in its 5th decade. He has recorded and toured with Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Horace Silver, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Buddy Rich, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Dizzy Gillespie All Stars w/ John Lee, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Chie Imaizumi and many more. Gisbert has taught extensively at the University level including at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music and University of Miami. From 1989-2015 Greg was highly in demand on Broadway and in the NYC studio scene. He moved home to Denver in 2015 and performs regularly around the country. He is a core faculty member of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and teaches in the Trumpet Studio at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Mickey Lenny is a multi-instrumentalist, teacher, producer and composer based in Denver. He has a degree in Jazz & Commercial Music from the University of Miami, studying with Brian Lynch and John Daversa. He has performed with Benny Golson, Emmet Cohen, Michael Piolet, and arranged/performed with Clay Street Unit, Evanoff, Emma Mayes & The Hip, and Tenth Mountain Division. Michael was a long-time member of the Boulder-based band Amoramora, playing festivals around the country and selling out the Fox Theatre in Boulder. He has taught music at Justice High School, a public charter school for at-risk youth, for the past 7 years.

Greg Gisbert – Trumpet

Mickey Lenny – EWI

Sonya Walker – Keyboard

Connor Terrones – Guitar

Domi Edson – Bass

Jaik Hakkarinen – Drums

Musical Style: Classical, pop, avant garde…a variety

The students of Denver School for the Arts’ Chamber Music Program will be performing various pieces from a vast spectrum of repertoire, traditional as well as composed by the students!

Jayden Kintz – voice. Edward Tang – piano

Naava Donn – violin. Varvara Alieksieieva-cello

Simòn Zamosc-Pahde – piano. Mars Birbilar – viola

Anabelle Lovato – guitar. Rem Bradmon – cello

Finn Moore – piano, horn. Oran Bradley – bass clarinet, bassoon

Kyle Martin – violin. Simone Graczyk -flute

Cecil and Ari Alexander present a captivating selection of original compositions, timeless classics and bebop repertoire from their album Duos and the upcoming Duos 2. These works are uniquely arranged for voice, piano, and various configurations of guitars.

Ari Alexander, a Danish-American artist, holds a deep connection to both jazz and singer-songwriter traditions. Her passion for jazz was ignited by her vibrant musical heritage, which includes her grandmother and great-aunt, jazz vocalist Teddi King, while her connection to the northern Danish coastline and nature nurtured her sense of adventure and descriptive storytelling. Ari has performed at renowned venues such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and intimate jazz clubs worldwide. She has also had the honor of performing for members of the Danish royal family.

Cecil, an award-winning jazz guitarist, was a finalist in the prestigious Herbie Hancock Competition in 2019. Recently signed to Heartcore Records, a Berlin-based label founded by legendary guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, Cecil’s playing has garnered high praise. Rosenwinkel describes Cecil’s artistry as ““…Ideas and chops and sensitivity. Everything we want to hear and everything we want to play. I was an instant fan!” Most recently, Cecil has joined the touring band of Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) where he has had the privilege to tour three different continents and connect with musicians and traditions across a diverse array of cultures.

BOBBY WATSON sits among the pantheon of present-day jazz greats. Born in Lawrence, Kan., his career now spans more than four decades. A multi-GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator and producer, Watson trained formally at the University of Miami and then, from 1977-1981, earned his “doctorate” as musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. During his four-plus years with the legendary drummer, the saxophonist contributed to 14 Jazz Messengers recordings — more than anyone else in the group’s 35-year (1955-1990) storied history.

Early on, in addition to Blakey, the saxophonist also worked with notable jazz icons and elder statesmen such as Max Roach, Louis Hayes, George Coleman and Sam Rivers, as well as sharing music experiences with innumerable noteworthy peers and colleagues as well as legendary vocalists such as Joe Williams, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves and Carmen Lundy.

An association with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis led Watson to launch the first iteration of Horizon, the highly acclaimed acoustic quintet, modeled in many ways after the Jazz Messengers, but produced with its own distinct and more modern twist. Horizon, now considered one of the preeminent small groups of the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, released several now-classic titles for the Blue Note and Columbia record labels.

Virtually simultaneously, Watson also issued several other titles such as Love Remains (Red), the saxophonist’s now-classic 1986 release. The recording, recognized by the Penguin Guide to Jazz (Penguin; 7 th Ed.), received the publication’s highest rating, cited in the edition as a part of its “core collection” joining other entries as a title any jazz aficionado should own. Year of the Rabbit, a musical tribute to Johnny Hodges, followed in 1989; Tailor Made, the Watson-led GRAMMY®-nominated all-star big band in 1993; he also released multiple titles by the four-horn 29th Street Saxophone Quartet and composed music for the Robert De Niro-directed film, A Bronx Tale (1993).

From 2005-2008, Watson issued a trio of recordings on the Palmetto label: Live & Learn (2005), Horizon Reassembled (2006), which brought him back together with Lewis, Terell Stafford, Edward Simon and Essiet Okon Essiet, and From the Heart (2008), on which he unveiled yet another project, again sharing the spotlight with bassist Lundy.

After spending 25 years in New York where Watson was omnipresent on the jazz scene, the saxophonist and his wife, vocalist-composer Pamela Baskin-Watson, returned to Kansas City, invited to do so at the behest of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he was named the first William D. and Mary Grant/Missouri, Distinguished Professor in Jazz Studies at the school’s Conservatory of Music & Dance. In May 2020, after 20 years, the saxophonist retired from the post, transitioning into emeritus status while serving as an unofficial ambassador for the university’s Jazz Studies Department. During Watson’s tenure, the UMKC program developed and evolved substantially to the point where it is now considered one of the country’s finer jazz programs.

In 2010, the saxophonist self-produced The Gates BBQ Suite, what he calls “a labor of love.” The recording celebrates his hometown’s most famous food product with the music and track titles referencing the one-time family business. At the time of its release Gates became the perfect vehicle for his University of Missouri-Kansas City jazz students. Noted the All About Jazz review: “Bobby Watson serves up some ‘down to the bone’ goodness in The Gates BBQ Suite. The seven-part suite for large ensemble features the UMKC Conservatory of Music & Dance Concert Jazz Orchestra, and is a heartfelt tribute to Watson’s hometown…, which includes the area’s landmark Gates Barbecue restaurant.”

Watson took the orchestra to Europe and Japan, where it performed at a number of summer festivals. Watson’s self-produced Check Cashing Day followed; released in 2013 it centers on and honor the 50 th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.

In 2017 Watson began a relationship with Smoke Sessions records, an outgrowth of the Upper West Side venue where he mostly plays when returning to New York City. His initial release for the label, Made in America, another well-conceived project, reflects upon a singular theme; on this occasion Watson turned his attention toward identifying lesser known, but important African Americans; each composition pays homage to a different person.

In November 2019, he participated as one-third of Bird At 100’s front line, sharing the spotlight with fellow altoists Vincent Herring and Gary Bartz. In many ways the recording brought Watson full circle on a number of fronts. Most obviously: August 29, 2020, is the centennial of Charlie Parker’s birth; that Watson hails from the Kansas City metro area, and made his way to New York, serves as a clear reminder of Bird’s path. And, of course, Parker and Watson both play the alto saxophone.

Watson’s latest Smoke Sessions project is the just-released (June 26, 2020) Keepin’ It Real.” The recording’s personnel represent a blend of long-standing and relatively recent musical associations. Joining Watson, who dubbed the group “New Horizon,” is his long-time musical ally, bassist Lundy; also on the session: veteran drummer Victor Jones along with a trio of younger players – trumpeters Josh Evans and Giveton Gelin, who share their duties and pianist Victor Gould. All told, the saxophonist has issued well over 40 recordings under his own name, while appearing on well over 100 other titles. His next, but yet untitled release for the label, is scheduled for Fall 2022 release.

Not surprisingly, Watson has received a number of well-deserved awards that in various ways recognize his musical contributions throughout his career. In 2011 the saxophonist was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of fame. In 2013 he received the prestigious Benny Golson Jazz Masters Award from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Simultaneously, the Black National Caucus officially recognized his work in the Congressional Record. On August 23, 2014 – serendipitously Watson’s 61 st birthday – he was selected as one of the first inductees into the then-newly established 18th and Vine “Jazz Walk of Fame.” Joining him was Pat Metheny as the only other living selection; four of the city’s jazz cornerstones also received recognition: Count Basie, Jay McShann, Parker and Mary Lou Williams.

The sun may have set on Watson’s formal position as Director of Jazz Studies at UMKC and as a most-respected jazz educator, but for Professor Emeritus Watson, the work continues. As energetic as ever, Watson says he’s looking forward to the post-COVID-19 world, so he can continue his now-life-long journey of performing throughout the United States and internationally.