Articles by Geoff Anderson

Live Review

Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience 2026

by Geoff Anderson
July 10, 2026

Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience 2026 Aspen, Colorado June 26-27, 2026 When nourishing the soul, it is important to consume a balanced diet. Failure to draw from a wide array of musical genres can lead to ennui, shallow breathing and excessive television watching. A properly tuned soul can be an ephemeral thing, but the appropriate application of music originating in different times, different places and different astral planes can keep the soul sated and fully charged. ...

Live Review

Santana at Red Rocks

by Geoff Anderson
June 7, 2026

Santana Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO May 27, 2026 Santana, the man, the band. The line between the two has always been blurry. Now, it seems, it has been completely erased. Carlos Santana brought his ten-piece band to Red Rocks in late May as part of the “Oneness Tour." Wednesday's show, the first of a two-night stand, displayed a band in fine form, a cohesive, seamless unit. Oneness. And it was delightful. Santana, the band, had ...

Live Review

Denver Jazz Fest 2026

by Geoff Anderson
April 22, 2026

Denver Jazz Fest 2026 Denver and Boulder, CO April 7-12, 2026 It's easy to get used to the lifestyle: a concert every night, and three on Saturday: eight concerts in six days. Shouldn't life be like this all the time? Well, it was for almost a week in early April around Denver because of the second annual Denver Jazz Fest. I thought I was a diligent concertgoer as the aforementioned schedule attests. And yet, I didn't ...

Live Review

Meshell Ndegeocello at the Newman Center

by Geoff Anderson
February 24, 2026

Meshell Ndegeocello Newman Center Denver, CO February 13, 2026 Protest music has a long history in the United States. It often ebbs and flows depending on the political temperature of the moment. The '60s were a fertile time for such music owing to the twin upheavals of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Activism through jazz is nothing new. For example, drummer Max Roach demanded social justice in his album, Max Roach: We Insist! Freedom Now ...

Live Review

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra at Dazzle

by Geoff Anderson
February 15, 2026

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra Dazzle Denver, CO February 1, 2026 It is good to be flexible. It provides more options, more variety, a better ability to adapt to different situations. The Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra is generally a big band, but it can slim down on a moment's notice and morph into a small ensemble. And, with all those players on hand, the personnel in the small ensemble can shift and change as the tune ...

Live Review

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble at the Newman Center

by Geoff Anderson
February 11, 2026

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Newman Center Denver, CO January 29, 2026 What to make of Don Was? He was co-leader of the band Was (Not Was), a band known for Frank Zappa-esque irreverent, off-beat humor that drew musical inspiration from rock, funk, soul, r&b, dance music, jazz, pop, world music, country, fusion, reggae and more. How does someone like that end up as president of Blue Note Records, one of the most storied ...

Year in Review

Geoff Anderson's Best Blues Albums of 2025

by Geoff Anderson
January 8, 2026

The blues just kept on coming in 2025. It's been a big year for new blues albums. 92-year-old Bobby Rush and 89-year-old Buddy Guy both released masterful albums this year. Newcomer D.K. Harrell burst onto the scene with a compelling album. Young blues masters Kingfish and Southern Avenue released albums that shouldn't be missed and several blues veterans joined the fun. Family Southern Avenue Alligator Records

Live Review

Robert Plant at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House

by Geoff Anderson
November 29, 2025

Robert Plant and Saving Grace Ellie Caulkins Opera House Denver, Colorado November 15, 2025 Robert Plant enjoys digging up obscure songs to present to his fans. Maybe it is a response to the hyper-popularity of songs from his Led Zeppelin legacy. Or perhaps it is simply an enjoyable musical hobby. In the jazz world, Cecile McLorin Salvant does the same, and she does not have the heavy legacy of her past hanging over her like ...

Live Review

Brandee Younger at Dazzle

by Geoff Anderson
November 5, 2025

Brandee Younger Dazzle Denver, CO October 28, 2025 The jazz harp is an unusual concept. The upside is that it makes the player instantly stand out because of the dearth of jazz harpists. A potential downside is that jazz fans may turn away, thinking a harp cannot possibly fit into jazz. Of course, those with a bit of knowledge of jazz history know that this ground has already been broken by Alice Coltrane and Dorothy ...

Live Review

Kristin Korb at The Muse Performance Space

by Geoff Anderson
October 24, 2025

Kristin Korb The Muse Performance Space Lafayette, CO October 15, 2025 In the first half of the 20th century, jazz borrowed heavily from pop music, turning many tunes of the day into jazz standards. When rock 'n' roll came on the scene, the pop appropriation almost went the way of Blockbuster stores. Sure, many jazz players covered The Beatles, but those efforts often sounded like they were produced at the orders of record companies. Jazz ...