Popular jazz club Dazzle reopens at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Denver got itself a big piece of American culture Friday night with the reopening of a popular jazz venue on the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' property.
Dazzle Denver moved this week from its home in the former Baur's restaurant on Curtis Street to a spot near the corner of 14th and Arapahoe Streets.
"It takes us away from being a jazz supper club and turns us into a live music venue," said Dazzle music director Kelley Dawkins.
Grammy-nominated René Marie opened Friday night as supporters who donated money for the creation of the new venue were welcomed into the three tiers of seating around the stage.
"This is the culmination of so much hard work, faith, togetherness and a whole bunch of other things that I can't put into words right now," said jazz singer and fan Erica Brown as she hugged owner Donald Rossa.
Rossa had advocated the move to the Performing Arts Center for years. In a deal with the city, the club will now anchor the west side of the DCPA with music.
"To be seen that way is a validation of jazz and its place in not only Colorado's history but American history," said Dawkins.
Jazz and blues both grew out of Black culture in America. Maintaining it as an art form with live performance preserves it and brings it to new audiences.
"I think it will attract a lot of people who may not on their own have thought about going to a jazz club," said Marie. "This club is really setting a tone that I like a lot. And it's all coming from Donald, he says it's his dream, his life's dream. That's beautiful."
One side will have ticketed performances in the evening. The other will feature the El Chapultepec Piano Lounge, a tribute to the former El Chapultepec Jazz and Blues Club, where the former El Chapultepec owners have cut a deal to book in local acts. There will be no cover charge for those acts to keep the music as accessible to all as possible.
"And it gives it character. It brings personality in and just a different version of the jazz experience," said Dawkins.
Putting the club at the DCPA is getting kudos from jazz fans.
"It was absolutely a fantastic idea," said KUVO music director Arturo Gomez. "The only city in the United States that has a jazz near its performance center."
Many of the players are also educators, sharing music with a new generation. Now Denver has a place where it's part of the fabric of the DCPA, to add culture and performance along with it.
"I think the city can live up to it," said Marie. "No problem."
