Click on the graphic to see their season wrap video.
The second annual Denver Jazz Fest presented six electrifying days of music that proved the festival has firmly established itself as a premier jazz destination. Presenting over 40 shows across 15 venues, the event drew jazz lovers from across the region and beyond.
Spellbinding national acts brought out the biggest audiences at the Boulder Theater, the Newman Center, and the JCC, with artists such as the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Pat Metheny with Side Eye III+, José James, Fred Hersch, and Bob James — who made his first Denver appearance in forty years. A highlight was the newly-formed Unlimited Miles sextet, directed by multi-Grammy Award-winning pianist John Beasley and featuring a superstar lineup that reinterpreted the music of Miles Davis on the centennial of Miles’ birth.
Local heroes shone equally bright. Vocalist Hazel Miller, saxophonist Keith Oxman, pianist Jeff Jenkins, and Denver native Rico Jones all delivered standout sets — and Dominic Lalli’s centennial tribute to John Coltrane was absolutely astounding. All to remind us here at home that Colorado’s jazz tradition runs deep.
The list goes on: Click below to enjoy our season wrap video to get an overview. The artistry was uniformly superb at every show. And the stats on our growth are impressive: 25% more concerts and 20% growth in ticket sales over our 2025 inaugural season give us every indication that the Denver Jazz Festival will continue to grow.
Mark your calendar now and plan to join us again next April 8 – 11, 2027!