Q&A — Denver Jazz Fest Founders Don Lucoff and Dave Froman Talk Bringing Jazz to the People of Denver – 303 Magazine

On Thursday, April 3rd, the inaugural Denver Jazz Festival kicks off. Jazz has long held space in Denver, the city’s history tied to that of the genre. Now, Denver Jazz Festival seeks to celebrate that history with a weekend-long festival featuring some of the most important jazz musicians working today, including Bill Frissell, Ghost-Note, Isaiah Collier, Ganaya, and many more. The festival is also something of a celebration of Denver music as a whole, as it will be spread out across 12 of the Front Range’s most beloved venues, including Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Dazzle, Nocturne, and the Boulder and Fox Theatres. The festival hopes to highlight the genre in all its glory, from the traditional to the very non-traditional, so whether you’re a jazz scholar or are first getting into the genre, this weekend is a perfect time to immerse yourself in jazz in all of its many variations.

303 Magazine spoke with Denver Jazz Festival founders Don Lucoff and Dave Froman about the festival’s inception, their love of jazz, Denver’s ties to jazz music, what fans new and old can expect and much more.

READ: Venue Voices — Nocturne Jazz & Supper Club Highlights the History of Jazz in Five Points

303 Magazine: Hello! I usually like to start these off by having you introduce yourself and tell me what it is you do in your own words.

Don Lucoff (DL): I moved to Denver full time about seven years ago but traveled here annually in the early 90s for several years during the formative years of Jazz Aspen Snowmass, supporting the efforts of my longtime friend Jim Horowitz. Although my core career as a jazz professional is in marketing and began nearly 40 years ago, I still love getting behind the mic, as I spent my college and post-college
time as a jazz DJ and curated jazz shows at my alma mater, San Diego State. Even before that, I presented Larry Fine of the Three Stooges fame at my high school. I knew from that point I was destined for show business. Along the way, I have promoted jazz from Istanbul to Panama, Detroit to the Caribbean, and ran the Portland Jazz Festival for a decade, and briefly served as President of Vail Jazz just prior to COVID.

Dave Froman (DF): I wear a number of hats. In the course of a day, you might find me at an interactive event introducing jazz to 100 third-graders, performing on stage at Dazzle with an 18-piece big band, on site at a commercial property that requires attention, or, more often than not, in front of my computer in my home office for the past 30 years at 8,500 feet in the foothills west of Denver.

303: Tell me about your experience with jazz music. When did you first notice the music, and how has it affected you throughout your life and career?

DF: My love of jazz dates back to the first time I was introduced to this amazing art form in junior high school. I played trumpet in the jazz band and have never stopped. Currently, I perform with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra — an 18-piece big band — in addition to Blue Sky Jazz Collective, a post-bop modern jazz quintet. As a college senior, I produced the First Annual UC Santa Barbara Invitation Jazz Festival and decided that this would be my path in life. Sixteen years ago, I took the helm of Gift of Jazz, a Denver-based nonprofit. For the past 30 years, it’s been our mission to enrich the Front Range community with jazz education and performance programming for all ages. Denver Jazz Fest is in many ways the culmination of my life’s work to date.

303: Denver Jazz Fest seems poised to become a new Denver tradition. Can you tell me about the festival’s inception? Do you have an ultimate goal for the festival?

DL: David and I met at Dazzle when he presented a tribute to Alan Hood on behalf of Gift of Jazz. It was clear to both of us that Denver was one of the rare exceptions of an American major city without a national jazz festival that also supported the local artists and jazz education. The reasoning was clear: Denver boasts an award-winning 24-hour jazz radio station, a year-round jazz club with clever and creative programming, and an abundance of private and public jazz education programs in and around the Front Range region.

303: In addition to celebrating jazz, the festival seems to be a celebration of Denver itself. The festival is spread out over 12 very different but equally important venues in terms of Denver’s thriving
musical ecosystem. Can you tell me a little about why you chose the venues you did?

DF: From the outset, it’s been our intention to create an event that is inclusive of the vibrant jazz
community here. To that end, we spent the first year of our planning process meeting and creating partnerships with all the stakeholders that are involved in presenting and supporting jazz in the Front
Range on a year-round basis. We wanted everyone to feel a part of this – certainly the clubs, but also the
artists, radio stations, nonprofits and halls of jazz education. The selection of 12 venues was also in keeping with the goal of appealing to the broadest possible demographic of listeners.

303: From dueling pianos at Charlie Brown’s to upscale nights at Dazzle or Nocturne to sweatier, more raw experiences at Meadowlark jazz nights, the genre has long made its mark on this city. Can you
talk a little bit about the history of jazz in Denver?

DF: While I’m no expert on the subject, we all know Five Points was the Harlem of the West. As bands traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles, they found in Denver a community that welcomed them —
providing hospitality and great venues like the Rossonian Hotel and Casino Ballroom (now Cervantes’
Masterpiece Ballroom) which hosted the likes of  Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, B.B.
King and Ray Charles. The Roxy was a black-owned movie theater going back to the 30’s. Louis
Armstrong and Billie Holiday both performed there. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to
bassist Charles Burrell, who broke color barriers as the first black artist to perform in a major symphony
orchestra. Charles, a mainstay of the jazz scene here for decades, recently celebrated his 104th birthday
and he’s still going strong!

303: As far as the artists go, they range from the traditional to the very non-traditional. This seems to me to appeal to a wide-ranging audience of jazz fans while also seeking to draw new appreciators into the genre. Can you talk about finding the balance between the new and the old, the traditional and the non-traditional? And how does that thinking apply when planning such a festival?

DL: In order for live jazz to continue its cultural relevancy, the music needs to grow and continually re-invent itself. Denver presenters, both non-profit and for-profit, do a commendable job of offering incubator venues to PACs, standing only ballrooms, piano lounges, galleries, and other creative environments that draw distinctively supporting audiences. We feel it’s our job to collaborate and curate within this ecosystem.

303: Do you have any artists in particular you’re personally excited for?

Lucoff – Jazz Festivals for the jazz fan and casual listeners are about the joy of discovery. We are offering highly skilled players of many jazz facets for wide musical tastes. I speak with people coming in from out of town and they are looking to hear what is best represented here by the local players. Well, they won’t be disappointed. We have jazz royalty here: Art Lande, Ken Walker, Eric Gunnison, among others, performing and a special player, Rico Jones, who is making his mark now as a New York City resident. Our two most cherished nationally recognized artists with deep Denver ties are Dianne Reeves (her first Denver show since 2018) and the indefatigable Bill Frisell. Our timing is also perfect to have a new voice on saxophone: Isaiah Collier will be making his Denver debut. You will hear a lot about him, and in a decade will say to your friends, “I saw him at Dazzle in 2025. You missed something special.”

303: Finally, what else would you like the people to know about Denver Jazz Fest? What can attendees expect?

DF: It’s often been said that “the house of jazz has many rooms”. Denver Jazz Fest is offering an
opportunity to peek into many of them with an unmatched variety of music over four days. From
straight-ahead jazz played at the highest level, to explorations that push the boundaries, from great
vocalists to exciting instrumentalists, a mambo orchestra to dance to and some amazing jam bands. I’m
personally having a hard time figuring out how to take it all in!

Get tickets to Denver Jazz Fest here!