I’ll be at The Mercury Cafe in Denver on January 22 with Blues Great Mr. David Booker.

More info here.

If anything like New Years, it’s going to be a blast……….

Playing with Denver Legend and Blues Great Mr. David Booker in his Swingtet for NYE at the Avalon Ballroom in Boulder. This is going to be a blast.

Join us Saturday, December 31st in ringing in the new year! We have an AMAZING night planned for you!

3 Rooms of Lessons, music and of course DANCING!

• SWING ROOM: Live music with the David Booker Swingtet and After Midnight Jazz Band!
• SALSA ROOM: Dj Nelson, Salsa Lesson by Joseph & Kasia!
• BACHATA/ZOUK ROOM: Dj Arias, Bachata Lesson by Subbu & Reid!

Free Hors D’oeuvre’s and a cash bar!

Doors open at 7:30pm

David Booker’s website is HERE.

Also Sunday, January 22 at The Mercury Cafe.

Then with Denver Jazz Orchestra at Dazzle the next day.

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We’ll be at Dazzle on December 18 for some Christmas (and other) music.

More here: http://www.ppjass.org/events.html

Pikes Peak Arts and Music Festival tomorrow with Marc Neihof, Wayne Wilkinson, Randy Bowen.

More here: http://www.peakradar.com/event/pikes-peak-art-music-festival-3/

Then to The Steam Plant in Salida for a Jazz in the Plaza date on July 17. Randy will be joining me along with Bassist Kim Stone and Guitarist Alan Joseph. Salida is just a great place to play and the audience truly does go out to hear and appreciate the music and we always look forward to playing.

More here: http://salidasteamplant.com/event/jazz-on-the-plaza-bud-gordon-quartet/

Our most diligent photographers have been able to catch some great moments with the Springs Contemporary Big Band’s guest artists over the years…..

SCJBB at Cottonwood Park with guest Pete Christlieb, Ryan Haines, and Bud Gordon. Mikel Nelson and Charla McGaugh accompany the front line (above).

A slight update to our program: Mr. Brad Eastin will be replaced by Mr. Tom Fowler on the Tenor Saxophone chair.

Hope to see everyone at the PPJASS Second Sunday affair on June 12 at 1:00PM.

There will be the usual fantastic jazz-loving crowd, the excellent food, and we’ll be playing some of the great music from a time when West Coast, Cool, and Hot could all co-exist in one band with great arrangements of classic tunes with top-notch ensembles and solos all the way through.

And we’ve still got the Super Secret Guest Vocalist on schedule……..don’t miss it!

The divide between East Coast Hot and West Coast Cool jazz has been more about competition than reality over the years, though I still believe there certainly was (not is) something to it.

The truth can be found in the reality of New York icons like Miles Davis leading the “Birth of the Cool”, along with Saxophonist Lee Konitz and Composer Gil Evans. At the same time, Dave Pell’s popular groups prefaced the Village Vanguard’s Legend and Mainstay big band, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, with a lineup that included Baritone Sax workhorse Pepper Adams and Mel Lewis  both drumming and leading from his throne.

Chris Wojtecki and I will be channeling some of that Hot/Cool energy and a few of our musical forebears this June at the Pikes Peak Jazz Second Sunday gig. Let’s sample some history……….

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis with a typical Pepper Adams solo/clinic:

Dave Pell’s Octet with Pepper and Mel a few years earlier. This astounding session also had Jack Sheldon, Tommy Tedesco, and a great chart by Bill Holman.

Which leads us to the gang that’ll be playing at PPPJASS’ Second Sunday Affair this June at The Olympian: Alan Joseph on guitar, Stefan Flores on drums, Marc Neihof on bass, and a horn section constisting of Scott Crump, me, Chris, and Brad Eastin.

Going to be at the Salida Steam Plant again this year. Great venue, great crowd in a great little town.

Alan Joseph (pictured) on Guitar, Randy Bowen on Drums, and Kim Stone on Bass will be there with me.

The gig is Sunday, July 17 from 5-7PM………..mark your calendars!