The finely tuned acoustics of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House will host the finely tuned acoustics of Swallow Hill Music Association on Saturday night.
Long known for its championing of Americana and folk forms, Denver- based Swallow Hill will celebrate nearly 30 years in existence with its first Denver Folk & Roots Festival, its biggest event to date.
“It’s completely different in terms of what we ordinarily do,” said Jim Williams, Swallow Hill’s executive director. “Normally we host shows in a 100-seat room, a 300-seat room or a coffeehouse, but we felt a need to really raise our profile here.”
Despite the fact that Swallow Hill has a mailing list some 30,000 strong, many Front Range residents have never heard of the unique association. The nonprofit puts on concerts, conducts the Julie Davis School of Music and augments public-school music programs as part of its community outreach.
“This is a very visible fundraising event, and a lot more fun than having a guest speaker and eating rubber chicken,” Williams said.
The festival kicks off with renowned flamenco guitarist René Heredia, songwriter duo Storyhill, bluegrass band Sons & Brothers and Irish fiddle/guitar act Liz Carroll and John Doyle. Following a short intermission, Colombian singer/songwriter Claudia Gomez will join Brazilian mandolin ensemble Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso, with the Grammy-winning Taj Mahal Trio closing out the night.
The program’s diversity reflects Swallow Hill’s commitment to a global knowledge of roots music, Williams said.
“We want to enhance people’s awareness in general of all this great music that falls between the cracks in terms of commercial radio,” he said. “Folk and roots and world music is growing in popularity and we hope to be very involved in that.”
Taj Mahal, who has presented roots music in a wider context for more than 40 years by working with Ry Cooder and other artists, said he is eager to expand the audience’s musical palate.
“We do music – jazz, blues, R&B, collaborations – but when you say ‘roots,’ people don’t really have a category for that,” he said. “It’s sort of like when you say ‘crude oil.’ You can put your hands in it and smear it on an axle, but it won’t make your car run unless you refine it.”
Like Swallow Hill, Taj Mahal has made it his mission to educate music lovers about the multiplicity and depth of folk forms.
“I’m flattered they have me as their headliner for this, because I’m also looking down the road and not trying to freeze it like an ethnomusicologist,” he said.
Swallow Hill enjoys a unique position in both the region and the country. As its website notes, it’s the only organization of its type besides the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, Calif., and the Old Town School in Chicago. As a venue it produces more than 300 concerts a year. It’s also a coffee house, a recording studio, a community center and a music school.
Over the years, Swallow Hill has taught thousands of people to play musical instruments. “With 80 music instructors here, it’s a major part of what we do,” Williams said.
Other than its local musician festival in September, Swallow Hill never has produced a marquee event like the Denver Folk & Roots Festival. It’s modeled after the venerable Ann Arbor (Mich.) Folk Festival, which takes place in Hill Auditorium, a fine symphony hall.
Williams said he hopes the event catches fire the same way the Telluride Bluegrass festival did in the mountains.
“Our goal and hope is to create the same kind of thing in an urban setting,” he said. “But it never crossed my mind we’d be up against the Final Four. We’re crossing our fingers and hoping people will tape (the basketball games).”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
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Denver Folk & Roots Music Festival
FOLK/ECLECTIC|Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 950 13th St.; 6 p.m., Saturday,
presented by Swallow Hill|$40-$75|303-777-1003 or swallowhillmusic.org
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