Itap time once again to gas up the SUV (or charge up the EV) and head to Colorado’s mountain communities for this summer’s jazz festivals. There’s a lineup to stylistically satisfy just about anyone, and there’s nothing quite like listening to this joyous music as it reverberates off various peaks at altitude.
Aspen Snowmass
The Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Experience returns during the first full week of summer, June 25-28. It remains one of the premier jazz festivals in the United States, with performances scheduled in beloved venues like the Wheeler Opera House and Belly Up. Artists include Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Anat Cohen and a tribute to bassist Ray Brown featuring Christian McBride, Benny Green and Greg Hutchinson. Tickets and lodging can be found at .
Winter Park
For those who prefer your sounds a little smoother, the 43rd annual Winter Park Jazz Festival takes place July 18-19 at the Rendezvous Event Center. This year’s headliners include Patti LaBelle, Brian Culbertson and Najee, the singularly named saxophonist. All the information is at .
Evergreen
The admirable Evergreen Jazz Festival takes over that beautiful community July 24-26, and the focus is on more traditional, hard-swinging music. Favorites like The Carl Sonny Leland Trio, The Colorado Nighthawks and The Sweet & Hot Quartet are scheduled to appear. Get tickets at before they sell out.
Telluride
For me, the Telluride Jazz Festival (Aug. 7-8) remains the most enticing of all the mountain fests. There’s something about that view of the San Juans, the rustic yet affluent charm of the town and its commitment to staging the music so beautifully that makes for a fulfilling experience. This year, the headliners include Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Lettuce and Robert Randolph. You’ll want to secure camping space, lodging and passes, at .
Vail
The Vail Jazz Festival wraps up the season with a lineup of accomplished mainstream artists over the course of three days, from Sept. 4-6. Expect collaborations and brilliant solos from the likes of Niki Harris, Cyrus Chestnutt, Jeff Hamilton, Sean Jones, Terel Stafford, Lewis Nash and many others. The magic happens at the Manor Vail Lodge, and everything you need to know resides at .
Meanwhile, in Knoxville, Tenn.
This year’s Big Ears Festival took place in Knoxville, Tenn., like it does every March. The eclectic programming is one aspect of its appeal; a sound seeker can attend a presentation of drones inspired by Lou Reed, stop by a small club and experience the finest jazz musicians in the world, then check out the wisdom of performance artist Laurie Anderson, all within the space of a few hours. The multiple downtown venues involved are within a few blocks of each other, and as a fitness bonus, I found myself logging 20,000 plus steps each of the festival’s four days.
What I most admire about Big Ears is the concentration of artists I normally wouldn’t get the chance to take in live in Colorado. What a pleasure to encounter the saxophone master Roscoe Mitchell in his collaboration with drummer-composer Tyshawn Sorey; the electrifying power jazz-rock trio Harriet Tubman with vocalist Georgia Anne Muldrow (their new album “Electrical Field of Love” is as enjoyable as its title); up and coming saxophonist Isaiah Collier’s heartfelt tribute to John Coltrane; and Do Yeon Kim’s mesmerizing set on the gayageum, a Korean zither.
Any attendee will likely have a wildly different list. Also, I couldn’t walk down the street without encountering other music lovers from Colorado. There’s nothing like Big Ears, and if you live for innovation and the thrill of live, cutting-edge music, you’ll want to try to attend in 2027.
And other jazz …
Performances lined up at Denver’s Nocturne in May include “West Coast Hard Bop” from the Steven Denny Quintet every Friday this month, and vocalist Marion Powers on May 3, 10 and 17. … At Dazzle, the Dan Wilson Organ Trio appears on May 8; Something Else! featuring Vincent Herring on May 14-15; and a City Park Jazz Fundraiser Brunch with Camilla Vaitaitis and others on May 24.
Bret Saunders is a Boulder-based freelance writer and radio DJ.
