Articles by Geoff Anderson
Downtown Tacoma Blues And Jazz Festival 2025
by Geoff Anderson
Downtown Tacoma Blues and Jazz Festival Tacoma, Washington August 24, 2025 .Tacoma, Washington held its first annual Downtown Tacoma Blues and Jazz Festival on August 24, 2025, with a first-class lineup of new blues players, veterans and some in between. And it was free. For each band, the leader's name doubled as the band's name. Not surprisingly, then, it was a day of big voices, belting the blues from many different angles. The city ...
Continue ReadingBob Schlesinger at Dazzle
by Geoff Anderson
Bob Schlesinger Dazzle Denver, COAugust 14, 2025 For decades, renowned recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder captured one classic jazz album after another in his Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio. Perhaps because he did so many, he was extremely efficient. He was able to get an album on tape in a single day, sometimes in as little as three hours. Other recording artists have been known to take a bit longer. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the ...
Continue ReadingBlues From the Top Festival 2025
by Geoff Anderson
Blues From the Top Festival Winter Park, COJune 27-29, 2025 The Town of Winter Park and Grand County have been hosting this summer blues festival for 23 years now. During that time, the festival has grown from a small start-up operation in a field to a three-day festival with national acts and big-name headliners, all presented in an outdoor amphitheater with a grassy bowl pointed toward a state-of-the-art outdoor stage. Each year the festivities ...
Continue ReadingNitecap at Cervantes' Other Side
by Geoff Anderson
Nitecap Cervantes' Other Side Denver, Colorado May 9, 2025 Nitecap has often been described as a 'supergroup'--and rightly so. Each member brings a rich musical pedigree, collectively representing involvement in at least a dozen other bands, likely more, where they have each made a name for themselves. Tracking the comings and goings of these musicians--and the resulting band permutations--is a bit like watching professional sports teams shuffle players and rework their lineups. Fortunately, ...
Continue ReadingDenver Jazz Fest 2025
by Geoff Anderson
Denver Jazz Fest Denver and Boulder, CO April 3-6, 2025 The inaugural Denver Jazz Fest unfurled over four days from April 3 to 6, 2025. The sprawling festival presented 32 concerts at 12 different venues throughout the Denver and Boulder area. The timing was meant to coincide with Jazz Appreciation Month as well as tap into the ongoing events and celebrations associated with the 40th anniversary of KUVO, Denver's storied jazz radio station. The lineup included ...
Continue ReadingCymande at the Bluebird Theater
by Geoff Anderson
Cymande Bluebird Theater Denver, CO February 21, 2025 Zombies, vampires, the Phoenix bird--few bands use these as role models in formulating a career path. Actually, Cymande did not consciously decide to follow in their footsteps, but that is what happened. Cymande formed in the early 1970s in England and comprised a group of musicians whose families had immigrated from the West Indies. The original nine members, hailing from Jamacia, Guyana and St. Vincent, ...
Continue ReadingBilly Childs Quartet at the Newman Center
by Geoff Anderson
Billy Childs Quartet Newman Center Denver, CO February 1, 2025 Billy Childs is equally at home in both the jazz and classical worlds. He has worked with prestigious ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and served as president of Chamber Music America, among other prominent classical music affiliations. Bridging his passions for both classical and jazz, he recorded two albums of jazz/chamber music--Lyric, Vol. 1 (Lunacy Music, ...
Continue ReadingAnna Webber's Simple Trio at the King Center
by Geoff Anderson
Anna Webber's Simple Trio King Center Denver, CO January 24, 2025 The state of Nebraska had an unusual slogan for its tourism campaign: “Nebraska, honestly, it's not for everyone." Indeed, with no obvious crowd-pleasers like sunny beaches or majestic mountains, Nebraska must rely on more subtle attractions. Having spent two summers in the state detasseling corn, I can attest to Nebraska's understated charms. Unfortunately, I can't go into the details of what detasseling ...
Continue ReadingJazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience 2024
by Geoff Anderson
Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience 2024 Aspen, Colorado June 20-22, 2024 The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience returned this year with 20 acts performing over the course of three nights in various venues around downtown Aspen. JAS has been sponsoring two festivals (or “Experiences") each of the last several years. The June festival has been more jazz and jazz-adjacent and the Labor Day Festival (although still promoted under the “Jazz Aspen Snowmass" moniker) tends more toward ...
Continue ReadingCedric Burnside at Globe Hall
by Geoff Anderson
Cedric Burnside Globe Hall Denver, Colorado May 31, 2024 It's raw. And it's real. Cedric Burnside is no poseur. He is the Hill Country Blues. He's lived it. He grew up in it. Cedric Burnside's version of the blues is as authentic as it gets. Grandson of Hill Country Blues trailblazer R.L. Burnside, Cedric lived with R.L., his Big Daddy, toured with him and learned the ways of a traveling bluesman. Big Daddy's ...
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