Bret Saunders

Freelance writer

Bret Saunders

Bret Saunders (bretsaunders@kbco.com) can be heard from 6 to 11 a.m. weekday mornings at KBCO 97.3 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @Bretontheradio.

Poet Nikki Giovanni with and Javon Jackson during a recording session at Final Track Studios in Roanoke, Va., on Sept. 23, 2021. (Provided by Shaban R. Athuman)

Denver native and sax innovator Javon Jackson bringing “The Gospel” back home

February 9, 2022 at 6:00 a.m.

Tenor saxophonist and educator Javon Jackson, who grew up in Denver, currently chairs the Hartt School鈥檚 Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz Studies at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. That...

Jason Moran and The Bandwagon appear in Denver in January. (Provided by jasonmoran.com)

Wolfgang Muthspiel, Brian Charette and more Denver jazz in January

January 3, 2022 at 6:00 a.m.

Things are relatively quiet on the live jazz front as we enter 2022. But there are some attention-worthy acts playing at Denver鈥檚 beloved clubs in late January.

Artifacts: Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed's "鈥nd then there鈥檚 this," a 2021 jazz album released by Astral Spirits and featuring the artwork of Arthur Wright. (Provided by Astral Spirits)

The 10 best jazz albums of 2021

December 6, 2021 at 11:39 a.m.

December means 鈥渂est of鈥� list time. And here鈥檚 the list I think about putting together all year long.

David Liebman, left, and Keith Oxman, standing, play at Dazzle Jazz in Novmeber 2017. (Provided by Dazzle Jazz)

New jazz releases from Colorado-based trumpeters and more

November 9, 2021 at 6:00 a.m.

A pair of new releases featuring Colorado-based trumpeters once again show the prominence and ingenuity of creative artists from our state.

Jazz: Julian Lage, Pat Metheny, new Ray Charles collection and more

October 4, 2021 at 6:00 a.m.

The Colorado jazz scene in October 2021 is shaping up to be similar to that of, well, October 2019.

This July 9, 2012 file photo shows US pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer, Herbie Hancock performing during the Nice Jazz Festival 2012, in Nice, France. Hancock is among four musicians, including Billy Joel and Carlos Santana and opera star Martina Arroyo, who will receive this year芒鈧劉s Kennedy Center Honors, along with actress Shirley MacLaine. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced the selections Thursday.

Jazz: Colorado native Aakash Mittal returns; Herbie Hancock at Ellie Caulkins and more

September 7, 2021 at 9:37 a.m.

I hadn鈥檛 spoken with Aakash Mittal, the composer, bandleader and alto saxophonist, in more than a decade. There had been reports of various gigs, though, and the occasional recording would...

Telluride Jazz Festival returns, Nelson Rangell at City Park and more live jazz in Colorado

July 30, 2021 at 10:52 a.m.

There are so many factors involved in presenting a successful jazz festival that it抖阴ap genuinely impressive when everything comes together. To see to it that planning goes smoothly in an...

Live at the Lighthouse by Lee Morgan (Blue Note)

More really is more with new Lee Morgan jazz release

July 5, 2021 at 10:37 a.m.

City Park Jazz returns, with free performances from Purnell Stenn and the Five Points Jazz Ambassadors on July 4, and the El Chapultepec All Stars featuring Tony Black July 25.

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 4: during City Park Jazz. Sunday marked the final day of the year for the annual event. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

City Park, Telluride jazz return alongside more summer shows

June 7, 2021 at 7:05 a.m.

The big news for Denver this month has to be the return of City Park Jazz.

Dusk at the Telluride Jazz Festival in 2017. (Provided by the Telluride Jazz Festival)

Mountain jazz festivals return alongside in-person gigs in Denver

May 4, 2021 at 7:06 a.m.

The return of Jazz Aspen Snowmass in 2021 is something of a signal to other jazz gatherings that it's OK to carefully reopen the doors.

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