LIFEST Y LES AN ADVERTISING SECTION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA | VOL. 15 ISSUE 6 • JUNE 2023
Louis Ford & His New Orleans Flairs were a big hit at the 2022 Evergreen Jazz Festival.
The 20th Evergreen Jazz Festival Promises
To Jazz-Up Your July
By Jo Ann M. Colton Special to Lifestles
On a musical note; it is time to remind everyone that the annual Evergreen Jazz Festival (EJF) weekend in Evergreen, Colorado is scheduled for Friday/July 28 (12noon-11:00pm), Saturday/July 29 (10:00am-10:00pm), and Sunday/July 30 (11:00am-6:00pm). If you love live music, musical entertainment, and “all that jazz and razzmatazz,” mark your calendars and plan to attend. Jazz originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Whether you are a longtime lover of jazz or someone who just wants to explore this music sound, the Evergreen Jazz Festival is a noteworthy music experience. Comprising 80 hours of jazz over a three-day period, the 2023 Evergreen Jazz Festival promises to be another “jazzy”
FEATURE
OF THE MONTH event, living up to the enthusiastic description once opined by a national columnist as “the best jazz festival anywhere!” Located just about 35 minutes southwest of Denver, the scenic mountain community of Evergreen provides a beautiful idyllic setting for the three-day event. The Evergreen Jazz Festival boasts NO big crowds, NO big stages, and NO big sound systems. Further, it delivers on BIG talent, great seating, and small intimate venues located at Evergreen Elks Lodge #2363 and its Patio, 27972 Iris Drive; Evergreen Christian Church, 27772 Iris Drive; Evergreen Lake House, 29612 Upper Bear Creek Road; and Troutdale Tavern, 30790 Stagecoach
Boulevard. Patrons will also find opportunities to dance during every music set, interact and talk with the performers, and/or simply find genuine pleasure in this big jazz extravaganza that will be vividly remembered long after the music is over. “The COVID pandemic necessitated two postponements over a two-year period, but the Evergreen Jazz Festival returned to the music scene in 2022,” said Wendy Potthoff, 2023 Evergreen Jazz Festival President. “This is our 20th Festival and we are looking forward to another outstanding event.” This year’s Festival features a special guest appearance by James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band and a show bill of other top quality musicians that includes: After Midnight (Denver), Capt. John Royen’s New Orleans Rhythm (New Orleans), Carl Sonny Leyland Trio (So. Please see JAZZ, Page 2