Denver Jazz Fest - Studio Loft at Ellie Caulkins Opera House

This event will now take place in Studio Loft at Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

The inaugural @denjazzfest takes place April 3-6, 2025 in 10 different Denver and Boulder venues! Check out denverjazz.org for the full artist roster, where many more shows will be added.

Performances at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on April 5:

CCJA Jazz Messengers: 12:00- 1:00 PM 
Passionate about their vision of creating unique jazz program for teens, Paul and Christine Romaine founded CCJA in late 1999 as a partnership. Six students registered for the first small group session, where they met weekly during the school year and played and performed in a small jazz group under the guidance of a professional jazz musician mentor. The program continued to grow, and in March of 2003, CCJA became a Colorado non-profit, and in early 2004 was granted 501(c)(3) status. The original “Small Group Program” has expanded to several locations across the Front Range including Denver – where CCJA is headquartered –  Boulder County, and Fort Collins. Today, CCJA serves over 100 students in its programs throughout the academic year and in the summer and in the 20 years since its inception, CCJA has served several thousand teenagers, many of whom have gone on to forge successful careers as jazz artists or carry a deep appreciate for jazz with them into adulthood.

Rico Jones: 1:30-2:30 PM 
New York-based, Denver-bred saxophonist Rico Jones has an impressive resume, especially for someone so young. At just 16, Jones was named one of KUVO’s best “30 under 30” jazz musicians. With guidance from some of Denver’s jazz elite, he soon made the move to New York at 18. He attended the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, studying with Paquito D’Rivera, Miguel Zenón and Buster Williams. Rico has performed with jazz heavyweights including Terence Blanchard, Veronica Swift, Dave Kikoski, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Cyrus Chestnut, Sullivan Fortner, Bobby Watson, Eric Harland, Matt Penman, Jonathan Kreisberg, Ari Hoenig, Lage Lund and many others. Jones has garnered a long list of accolades including DownBeat awards for Best Jazz Soloist and Best Jazz Arrangement. He was selected to participate in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, as well as the Jazz Aspen Snowmass workshop with Christian McBride. Rico has also made history co-leading the nation’s first All-Indigenous Big Band, touring Alaska in 2023.

Erica Brown with the Delta Sonics: 3:00 - 4:00 PM 
The Delta Sonics music takes a Chicago Blues base and seasons it with Swing, Delta, N’awlins R&B and some early Rock n’ Roll and average over 220 shows a year. They were Westword’s best blues band in Denver six years in a row. The band has played most of the major festivals and blues events around Colorado. The Delta Sonics have been the Mile Hi‘go-to’ band for touring Blues national acts for 20 years. Their new CD release ” Concrete Hotel” is getting airplay and good reviews. Erica Brown has long been a main-stay in the Colorado Blues scene and has played with many heavy-hitting blues musicians. Look for her new EP’ Willie Mae sings Willie Mae” soon.