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The Roaring 21’s

Dear ,

Thank you so much for sticking by us throughout the pandemic. As it winds down, we begin to revitalize Denver’s jazz scene and strengthen Colorado’s overall music scene.

While our weekly newsletters will share upcoming shows, this monthly newsletter, The Roaring 21’s, is where we really share our love of all things jazz (well, ok, it may stray a bit now and then).

Each month we look forward to bringing you different pieces of the new Roaring 21’s. That’s right; we are on the precipice of an artistic revolution and Dazzle can’t wait to bring you the best of it!

Featured Musician: Stafford Hunter

Arturo Gómez from Denver’s KUVO Music Director interviews renowned trombonist Stafford Hunter.

Stafford Hunter is a multi-Grammy nominated trombonist & sea shells player who has been performing at Dazzle since it was allowed to reopen in November 2020. Originally from Philadelphia, he moved to Denver, Colorado just months before the pandemic hit. Before that, he became a professional musician at the age of 16. And, was an award winner of the “Al Grey Award for Musical Excellence.” It acknowledged Stafford as “the Most Promising Jazz Trombone Talent.” Graduate of the New School Jazz & Contemporary Music Program (NYC). Of which, he as the first trombonist to actually graduate from the New School Jazz Program.

Before the pandemic, Stafford performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra but managed to tour the USA, South America, Europe, and Asia with his own groups, Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band, and many others. As you can see he rarely stays in one place long enough to play regular shows, so Dazzle was (and still is) lucky to have him during this time.

In this interview, Stafford and Arturo discuss:

How the pandemic hit Stafford as a musician and a person.

How Dazzle played a role in Stafford’s pandemic experience including how Dazzle was able to help musicians around Denver.

What is on the horizon as COVID restrictions are lifted.

You can still catch Stafford live, on stage at Dazzle at Baur’s for five more shows! For dates and times, visit our website and search ‘Stafford,’ under ‘All Events’.

You can also watch one of his livestream shows, ‘Dazzle Presents: Stafford Hunter & Continuum’ on our YouTube channel. (Skip ahead to 6:10 for the show.)

You can listen to Arturo’s show on KUVO, ‘Jazz with Arturo Gómez’ every weekday at Noon on 89.3 FM Denver, 89.7 FM Breckenridge, 88.5 FM Vail or online at KUVO.org.

Bread & Jam

Denver’s best kept musical secret is now open to the public! Come hear some of the most talented musicians in a weekly jam session… this isn’t your typical open mic night. Playlists are released a week in advance so musicians show up prepared to jam with the best.

During the pandemic, Dazzle looked for ways to help musicians who were hurting as all of their gigs disappeared overnight.

First, with the help of many grants and individual donors, a food pantry was opened. Musicians were, and still are, invited to fill their grocery bags to help with their finances. Additionally, as we were able to open with limited capacity, any musician who performs during Bread & Jam gets a free meal. The pantry and free meal make up the ‘Bread’ part of Bread & Jam.

Second, as any music lover knows, performing is deeply tied into the personal identity of musicians and singers. Having this taken away so abruptly and for such a long period was mentally and emotionally rough. After receiving it’s 5-star gold standard for meeting strict COVID health guidelines, Dazzle was able to invite musicians back to the stage. These Wednesday night Jam sessions were almost exclusively for musicians - due to capacity limits - and word got around Denver’s musical community that this is the place to be for a night of comradery, where all the cool cats are playing.

Now that we are open at full capacity, we have room for ALL music lovers to enjoy this high-end funk experience in a casual setting. Normally, Dazzle at Baur’s is a pretty serious listening room, but these Bread & Jam nights are much more relaxed without sacrificing the exceptional quality of music you expect to hear from Dazzle.

When you come, please bring a donation for the food pantry, if you are able to. If you are a musician, the food pantry is open to you whenever Dazzle is open.

In the video below, singer Cass Clayton and Drummer Eric Imbrosciano talk about the musical concepts behind Bread & Jam.

A Concerto is a Conversation (Source: The New York Times) The New York Times describes this video as, “a virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer tracks his family’s lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.”

Gil Scott-Heron Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame (Source: JazzTimes) Does this really need an explanation?

Family Tree Leads to Tulsa Race Massacre Memorial (Source: Denver Daily Gazette) The 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre just passed. Denver actor and vocalist Sheryl Renee wend down a rabbit hole and found a wildly expanded family tree that includes ancestors who fought on both sides of the Civil War.

The Roaring 21’s: That’s our take on the next decade. We think it’s the equivalent of the roaring 20’s that took place after the Influenza of 1918. People were desperate for opulence and cultural luxuries. Here are some interesting articles about it:

The 1918 Pandemic Led to the “Roaring ‘20s” And This Twitter Thread Explores the Possibility of History Repeating Itself (Source: BoredPanda.com) Just to give you an idea of why we think people are itching to dress up (let’s be honest, dressing up in Denver often means putting on your cleanest jeans) and go out for a fun night.

The 1919 Influenza Blues by Essie Jenkins (Source: YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises) Music from the 1918 pandemic, for your listening pleasure.

The 1918 Pandemic’s Impact on Music? Surprisingly Little (Source: The New York Times) We here at Dazzle tend to disagree, but in a civilized discussion, reasonable arguments should be explored.

Do your own Google search for, “the end of the Spanish flu pandemic and jazz” to see what interesting stories you find.

Dazzle @ Baur’s is celebrating four years at 1512 Curtis St and almost 25 years in business.

We’ve got a great set of shows this month, both live on stage and live streaming to your home.

You can buy tickets to any of our shows by simply visiting our website at https://dazzledenver.com

Thank You (Musical) Notes

Thank you to everyone who voted for us as ‘Denver’s Best Jazz Club’ on Westward’s Best Of 2021 list!

If you like this newsletter and want to show some support, you can:

Buy tickets to an upcoming show.

Donate to our Muscian’’s Food Pantry. Food donations are accepted when we are open (preferably not during an actual show), cash donations can be given at our website and we are always looking for grants.

Simply forward this newlsetter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe at the bottom of Dazzle’s homepage: www.DazzleDenver.com.