Colorado Music Hall of Fame

Induction Concert honoring “JAZZ MASTERS AND BEYOND”

On Sale Friday, October 13, 2017 at 10am MT

DENVER – 10/9/17 -The Colorado Music Hall of Fame, will host its next induction concert “Jazz Masters and Beyond” Tuesday, November 28, at Paramount Theatre honoring world-class musicians who have tremendous ties to the state.

Tickets go on sale starting on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 10 am MT.

The evening features performances from some members of the induction class—jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, guitarist Bill Frisell, trumpeter Ron Miles, Philip Bailey and Larry Dunn of Earth, Wind, & Fire with Friends.

A closer look at all the inductees, who will be the seventh group for enshrinement in the Hall since its inception in 2011:

Philip Bailey, Andrew Woolfolk, and Larry Dunn longtime Denver natives left in 1972-1973 to join Earth, Wind, & Fire. The band has won 6 Grammy Awards, 4 American Music Awards, have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The band has sold over 100 million records making them one of the world’s best selling bands of all time.
Dianne Reeves grew up in Denver knowing that music was her path. After studying at the University of Colorado, she moved to Los Angeles and recorded and toured with various artists. Reeves was the first vocalist signed to the revived Blue Note label in 1987, and she rose to the top echelon of jazz singers, performing on some of the most prestigious stages of the world and recalling the era of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan while imparting her own versatile and original style. She received four Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. The long-time Park Hill resident moved back to Denver in 1992 after years away from home.
Reeves learned about jazz from her uncle Charles Burrell, a bass player revered by generations of both jazz and classical music devotees. In 1949, Burrell joined the Denver Symphony as the first person of color under contract with a major orchestra. In his 60-plus years as a professional musician, Burrell played for conductors Arthur Fiedler and Pierre Monteux; he was an acclaimed jazz bassist appearing onstage with the likes of Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Lionel Hampton.
Bill Frisell became interested in guitar as a teenager in Denver, playing in rock and R&B bands. Dale Bruning, a Denver-based guitarist, and educator, advanced Frisell’s preoccupation with jazz; Frisell studied with Johnny Smith at the University of Northern Colorado. He developed a niche through his unique explorations of variations in timbre, using an array of effects. He held the No. 1 spot for guitar in the annual DownBeat Critics Poll in nine out of 10 years. In a career that spans more than 100 recordings, he continues to garner notoriety as one of the world’s most well-known and sought-after jazz musicians.
Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Ron Miles, a staple of the Denver jazz scene, is solicited all over the world for his unique sound. He studied music at the University of Denver and the Manhattan School of Music and gained national exposure recording on his own and performing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Ginger Baker and the Bill Frisell Quartet. For recent recordings, he has incorporated a trio of himself, Frisell and drummer Brian Blades. Miles has balanced his musical output with his career as an educator at Denver’s Metropolitan State College, where he heads up the jazz studies program.
East High School will be getting a special non-performer award for their long history of musical alumni. Artist who attended East High School include; Philip Bailey, Andrew Woolfolk, and Larry Dunn, three long-time members of Earth, Wind, & Fire, Bill Frisell, Dianne Reeves, Ron Miles, Jamie Laurie from the Flobots, Reese Roper of Five Iron Frenzy, as well as bandleader Paul Whiteman and singer-songwriter Judy Collins, both previously inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that educates the public on everything that makes our state’s music great and is currently located at the Trading Post at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Inductees include John Denver and Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Harry Tuft of the Denver Folklore Center and promoter Barry Fey; the Astronauts, Sugarloaf, Flash Cadillac and KIMN radio; Judy Collins, the Serendipity Singers, Bob Lind and Chris Daniels; Stephen Stills/Manassas, Firefall, Poco and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and “20th Century Pioneers” Glenn Miller, Paul Whiteman, Max Morath, Billy Murray and Elizabeth Spencer and Lannie Garrett; Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm and Caribou Ranch.

Produced by AEG Presents reserved seats are available at AltitudeTickets.com starting 10 am MT Friday, October 13.

Additional information can be obtained on the Hall’s website, www.cmhof.org.

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NATIONAL PUBLICITY: Phil Lobel, Lobeline Communications phil@lobeline.com310-271-1551 ext. 13