After Midnight
Denver
www.aftermidnightjazzband.com
Now well into their third decade, this incredible group continues to deliver its spot-on sound of the Benny Goodman Sextet along with equally authentic renditions of Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and other greats of the Swing Era. They’ve been thrilling Evergreen audiences ever since their initial appearance in 2006, and it is always a pleasure to welcome them back.
Sweet&Hot Quartet USA!
Mystic, Conneticut
The Sweet&Hot Quartet lives up to its name with scintillating selections from the Ragtime through Swing eras, brilliantly rendered by Jeff Barnhart (piano/vocals); Anne Barnhart (flute/vocals); T.J. Müller (banjo/guitar/trumpet/trombone/vocals) and Josh Duffee (vintage drum kit/xylophone). Individually, the musicians are masters of their craft, having logged thousands of hours of performance time across six of the seven continents. As the Quartet, their music and mirth are unparalleled. Whether they’re playing raucous ragtime, nifty novelties, joyous jazz, stomping swing or beautiful ballads, their show will leave you breathless and shouting for more!
Carl Sonny Leyland Trio
Southern California
www.carlsonnyleyland.com
One of the most popular groups ever to perform in the Festival, this trio always has audiences cheering with its range of boogie-woogie, blues and barrelhouse. Their repertoire goes from familiar to original to total improvisation (“Let’s just do something in G”) and frequently includes very entertaining lyrics. But how can just three musicians generate so much energy?
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Hal Smith’s El Dorado Jazz Band
Searcy, AR
www.halsmithmusic.com
The original El Dorado Jazz Band performed in southern California in the 1960s, delivering a distinctive sound that set the band apart from other traditional jazz groups of the era. The current EDJB, led by jazz historian Hal Smith on washboard (true El Dorado) and featuring Festival favorite Jeff Barnhart on piano and vocals, is sure to replicate that original sound right down to the last note.
Holland-Coots Quintet
Nashville
http://shanesmohawk.com/hollandcootsjazzquintet/html
What happens when some of the nicest guys you've ever met get together to play traditional jazz? Brian Holland and Danny Coots tapped into their enormous hometown talent pool. They'll steal your heart by delighting your ears as their collective genius, good manners, and gracious attitudes put some of the most authentic jazz songs into the air. You're going to want a cigarette afterwards! They’re back for 2025.
Ivory & Gold
Mystic, Conneticut
Long time Festival patons will remember the favorite Ivory & Gold from past years. Unlike Felix and Oscar, the inter music banter of this virtuoso wife and husband duo, Anne Barnhart on flute and vocals with Jeff Barnhart on piano and vocals, is filled with decades of mutual love and respect.
Praised by The L.A. Jazz Scene as a musical duo that can “draw out the beauty in the rich melodies and play the music...with taste, sensitivity, and a real affection for the idiom,” Ivory & Gold® celebrates the greatest examples of American jazz, blues, ragtime, Broadway and hits from the Great American Songbook. Internationally renowned American musical performer and historian Max Morath calls Ivory & Gold® “musically flawless.”
We welcome them back for another Festival.
The Poudre River Irregulars
Fort Collins, Colorado
https://www.prijb.com/
The Rable Rousing Rascals are back! Fresh from engagements martial and merry the motley assemblage of the men who heard the call will gather to recall the notes of "True Trad Jazz". Festival patrons will recall the fun of many past visits with the group that leaves it all on the stage. Kellogg, Lagerberg, Smith, Burnside, Leake, Thomas, DeZoto, Sparks, Bollinger, and Dale will gang up to deliver another year of expert testimony to the vitality of traditional jazz in our time. If you can't wait, check their tunes at Avogado's Number 605 S. Mason, Ft. Collins the first Friday of every month.
The Queen City Jazz Band with Wende Harston
Denver
www.queencityjazzband.com
This local treasure has been thrilling audiences on both sides of the Atlantic for well over 60 years. Their big New Orleans sound was born in a smoky Lakewood roadhouse in 1958, and the band has grown to become one of the premier groups anywhere. Likewise, Wende Harston is regarded as one of today’s standout jazz vocalists, reminding many of a modern-day Bessie Smith. Their Sunday gospel service is not to be missed. For those that can't wait, check them out at The second Sunday of the month at The Mercury Cafe, 2199 California St, Denver, CO.
Double 88's
Brian Holland, Carl Sonny Leyland, Jeff Barnhart
In addition to the great bands appearing this year, the Festival will present several sets of dueling pianos featuring the three mega-talents listed above. Each will play at least once with each of the other two in what will likely be some of the most memorable sets of the entire weekend. Three superb musicians and two grand pianos in the acoustically marvelous Center Stage. This is going to be special!
