Chris K's Colorado Playlist

Tickets go on sale at 10 am MDT today, Friday, August 30 for Colorado Music Hall of Fame’s Mile High Jazz Oasis induction concert and event scheduled for Tuesday, October 29 at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver’s Five Points Historic District.

Celebrating El Chapultepec & Jerry Krantz, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, KUVO & Carlos Lando, Ellyn Rucker, and Ken Walker, the induction ceremony will include short presentations and a jazz concert by the Ken Walker Sextet and special guests.

“It is such an honor to be nominated and to have KUVO nominated for induction into Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Denver’s jazz scene has always been exceptional; this induction class truly reflects our city’s talent, both past and present,” states Carlos Lando, nominee and current host of the Morning Set on KUVO Jazz.

In addition to honoring these jazz greats, the chosen venue, Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom at 2635 Welton Street in Denver, has its own Mile High jazz roots. It was once the Casino Cabaret, which opened in the Cotton Club days of the 1930s and served as one of main stops on the tours of jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Benny Goodman—as well as Colorado Music Hall of Famers Charles Burrell and George Morrison, Sr. 

On October 29, General Admission doors will open at 7:15 pm; GA tickets are $40 and offer limited balcony seating and standing room-only.

VIP doors open at 6:00 pm; VIP tickets are $150 and include a pre-party with a buffet dinner sponsored by Pasta Jay’s and cabaret-style seating for the event. Table sponsorships start at $1,000 and include premium, reserved tables and many other perks.

For more information and to purchase tickets: https://cmhof.org/events/jazz-induction-2024.

About the Nominees (photographs available upon request):

El Chapultepec (The Pec) operated as one of Denver’s most well-known jazz and blues club at the corner of 20^th and Market Streets for 87 years before it closed permanently in 2020. Jerry Krantz, who started as a bartender at The Pec, inherited it in 1958 from his father-in-law, Tony Romano. Krantz operated the venue with no cover charges so that great music was accessible to everyone. In El Chapultepec’s heyday, the club welcomed legendary musicians of all genres, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. After Krantz passed away in 2012, his daughters ran The Pec until its closure; they now operate the El Chapultepec Legacy Project to keep quality live music accessible in Denver. The Legacy Project announced a new partnership with Colorado Music Hall of Fame in a June 7 release (attached).

Greg Gisbert is a jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who moved from Mobile, Alabama, to Denver in 1971. He performed, toured, and recorded in high school with the 1983-84 McDonald’s All-American High School Jazz Band. While attending the Berklee College of Music, he began to record albums; he has three recordings under his own name on Criss Cross Jazz, a Dutch recording company. A highly respected jazz educator, Gisbert has taught all over the United States, including as faculty at University of Northern Colorado, the Colorado Conservatory for Jazz Artists, University of Denver and Julliard School of Music. He is a founding member of and continues to perform with the cooperative band Convergence.

Eric Gunnison is a jazz pianist and composer based in Denver since 1980. He has arranged and recorded piano for many artists and toured internationally, accompanying prominent artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nelson Rangell, Roberta Gambarini, Carmen McCrae and the late Ron Miles,  a fellow Colorado Music Hall of Famer. Throughout his distinguished career, he has established himself as one of the mainstays within the Denver jazz scene —as a musician, bandleader, composer and educator.  Since 1991, Gunnison has also been performing with his own quintet, Wake Up Call, and in Greg Gisbert’s Convergence.

Known as “The Oasis in the City,” KUVO Jazz (89.3 FM) was founded in Denver in 1985 as a volunteer-led Hispanic-managed public radio station. With close to 8,000 members and 100,000 listeners today, KUVO also broadcasts in Breckenridge on 89.7 FM and in Vail on 88.5 FM. Carlos Lando, most recognized for his 37 years and counting at KUVO, started out at radio stations over 50 years ago in Puerto Rico and New York. At KUVO, Lando has worked as radio host, program director, general manager and president of the station. He helped establish KUVO as one of the world’s best and most respected jazz stations. Lando recently shifted his role from president/general manager to producing, managing and hosting the morning show at the station.

Ellyn Rucker was a jazz musician and critically-acclaimed vocalist who lived in the Denver area  and passed away in 2022. She started performing full-time in 1979 and released several albums through Capri Records. A well-loved Denver musician, Rucker’s unique voice and keyboard skills led her to tour worldwide, including locations such as Holland, Ireland, Germany and China. In Germany, she even had her own fan club.

Ken Walker is a jazz bassist frequently known as the “first-call” bassist in the Front Range for when performers come to town and need a bassist to accompany them. He played many instruments growing up but started honing his craft during his time at Arkansas Tech. After moving to Denver in 1985, Walker began to perform at El Chapultepec. Since then, he has performed at Telluride Jazz Festival, Jazz Aspen Snowmass and toured around the world. For 28 years now, Walker has taught at University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Since 1999, he has performed with his band, The Ken Walker Sextet. 

Net proceeds from the induction event benefit the programs of Colorado Music Hall of Fame, including the newly launched Keep The Beat program (press release attached), providing mini-grants to Colorado musicians and music industry professionals to access free mental health and addiction counseling.

About Colorado Music Hall of Fame (“The Hall”), www.cmhof.org: Founded in 2011, The Hall is a nonprofit with a mission to celebrate, promote and support Colorado’s music community:

• Celebrating Colorado music by inducting our state’s music heroes (over 50 to date), hosting music events, sharing music history and, coming this year, unveiling new Hall of Fame exhibits at a central location in downtown Denver;
• Promoting Colorado as a music destination; and
• Supporting local musicians and industry professionals with financial assistance and resources for mental health and addiction through its Keep The Beat program.

Colorado Music Hall of Famers:

2011: Inaugural Class: John Denver, Red Rocks Amphitheatre

2012: Setting the Stage: Barry Fey, Harry Tuft

2012: Rockin’ the ‘60s: The Astronauts, Flash Cadillac, KIMN Radio, Sugarloaf

2013: Colorado’s Folk Revival: Judy Collins, Chris Daniels, Bob Lind, Serendipity Singers

2014: Country Rock in the Rockies: Firefall, Manassas w/Stephen Stills, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco

2016: 20th Century Pioneers: Lannie Garrett, Glenn Miller, Max Morath, Billy Murray, Elizabeth Spencer, Paul Whiteman

2017: Rocky Mountain Way: Caribou Ranch, Dan Fogelberg, Bill Szymczyk, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm

2017: Jazz Masters & Beyond: Philip Bailey, Charles Burrell, Larry Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ron Miles, Dianne Reeves, Andrew Woolfolk

2018: Live & On the Air: John Hickenlooper, KBCO, Chuck Morris

2019: Old Folk, New Folk: Walt Conley, Mother Folkers, Swallow Hill Music, Dick Weissman

2019: Going Back to Colorado: Tommy Bolin, Freddi & Henchi, Wendy Kale, Tony Spicola, Otis Taylor, Zephyr

2021: A Virtual Induction: eTown

2021: The Flatirons Sessions: The Fox Theatre, Hot Rize, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band

2023: Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller, George Morrison, Sr.

2024: Opera in the High Country: Central City Opera, Cynthia Lawrence, Keith Miller, John Moriarty

2024: Mile High Jazz Oasis: El Chapultepec & Jerry Krantz, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, KUVO & Carlos Lando, Ellyn Rucker, Ken Walker