Press Release
For Immediate Release
The 22nd Evergreen Jazz Festival Set for Jul 25-27
Evergreen, CO, May 20, 2024 – Evergreen, CO, is about 1400 miles from New Orleans. But
July 25-27 the scenic mountain community will become “Bourbon Street with Altitude” as it hosts the 21th annual Evergreen Jazz Festival.
Nationally known for its combination of top bands, intimate venues and picturesque setting, the Evergreen Jazz Festival, EJF, will again offer over 80 hours of live traditional jazz ranging from Dixieland to ragtime to blues, boogie-woogie and swing.
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Returning favorites include the incomparable Carl Sonny Leyland Trio from California and Denver’s own After Midnight with their spot-on sound of the Benny Goodman Sextet. Also returning are the Holland-Coots Jazz Quintet from Nashville and Colorado greats the Queen City Jazz Band with vocal star Wende Harston, the Your Father's Mustache Band and Espresso!
In addition, piano sensations Brian Holland, Carl Sonny Leyland, Jeff Barnhart will present several Double 88 sets of dueling pianos, while the University of Colorado – Denver Claim Jumpers, New Mexico State Jazz Ensemble and Colorado Jazz Ambassadors provide previews of the next generation of jazz performers. Denver Jazz Club Youth All-Stars will be featured On Youth sets.
Several times between sets, Dance Showcase segments will provide authentic demonstrations of Jazz Age dances such as the Charleston, Lindy Hop and Jitter Bug. Complete with period costumes, the dancers add another dimension to the weekend celebration of America’s unique performing art.
Dancing is encouraged in all venues. Dance Night Friday @ the Evergreen Lake House fills the floor with dancers enjoying hot local and national bands. There's plenty of scenic views from the veranda and dock should the mood strike for sauntering or ambulating. It all starts at 6:00 pm, and the Festival has extended the Lake House closing time to 11 pm Friday.
New for 2024, due to the popularity of Friday Dance Night @ the Lake House, Dance Night is expanding to include Saturday Dance Night @ The Ballroom.
As is tradition with the Evergreen Festival, an educational clinic and performance opportunities are included for student musicians. Clinics will be held Thursday morning and afternoon, July 25, with instruction provided by many of the musicians appearing in the Festival.
Local and regional young and student bands perform all weekend between national professional bands.
Throughout the school year, EJF provides, free, programs to area schools to encourage students to explore music. From small group introductions to the instruments, to full school jazz band performances with dancing, EJF encourages and provides the experiences to grow the future of music and traditional jazz. More information is available on the website.
The Festival gets underway at noon Friday, July 25, with a two-hour Educational Presentation/Concert. Past presentations have been given by such notables as ragtime great Terry Waldo, New Orleans stars John Royen and Louis Ford, James Dapogny, Wende Harston and Hank Troy, Nicki Parrott and Danny Coots, Jeff Barnhart,and many others.
This kickoff event takes place in the Elks Lodge Ballroom and is free and open to the public.
The show will continue with a performance by the Clinic Student Band composed of the select musicians who participated in the annual Clinic prior to the Festival along with their instructors, the musicians performing at the Festival. It will be sure to include a jam session.
The opening sets of the Festival is scheduled for 2:30 Friday afternoon at the popular Elks Lodge Patio and Evergreen Christian Church, while the daily free dance lesson teaches East Coast Swing with local Instructors in the Elks Ballroom.
At 7:30 pm, the Festival Dance Night @ The Lake House, closing time to 11 pm Friday.
Venues include the acoustically marvelous Evergreen Christian Church, the beautiful Evergreen Lake House, the Evergreen Elks Club Patio and Ballroom, and Center Stage Evergreen. The small, distinctive venues have become trademark of the event, offering audiences varied listening environments, all with an up-close-and-personal appeal. Patrons and musicians both say they enjoy the special rapport that develops during each set.
Music continues throughout the weekend until 6 pm Sunday, with three or four venues active every hour. Patrons are welcome to move among the venues as they choose, and a free shuttle makes it easy to reach those not in walking distance. Food and beverages are available at all venues, and parking is free. The complete weekend schedule is available at the festival website www.EvergreenJazz.org.
Sustaining sponsors of the Evergreen Jazz Festival are Denver’s jazz89 KUVO radio, Jazz 93.5 FM in Colorado Springs, Colorado Community Media, Baseline Solutions, and 50-Plus Marketplace News.
Key financial support is also derived from grants from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, the Denver-area's unique organization for support of the arts, and from Colorado Creative Industries, dedicated to the vitality of performing, visual and literary arts.
Festival tickets can be purchased through the website or by calling 303.697.5467. Discount tickets are available through June 30.
Evergreen is located 17 miles west of Denver and is about a one-hour drive from Denver International Airport. Area maps can be found on the website.
The Evergreen Jazz Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by volunteers in and around the Evergreen, CO, community. Funding is through ticket sales, grants, sponsorships, individual contributions and fundraising events. The festival
website is www.EvergreenJazz.org.