Donald Rossa, president of Dazzle Denver, is helping move supply carts in and out of the new DCPA location. It鈥檚 hard work on a hot day, but Dazzle is covered in cool shade and Rossa has a glow of pride.
Dazzle Denver moved to its current location from its former one in Baur鈥檚 earlier this month. By moving to 1080 14th Street, the venue owners hoped to save some money, optimize logistics and gain more foot traffic.
Making its debut in 1997, Dazzle Denver has been a staple of the Colorado music scene for nearly three decades. While hosting renowned artists like Otis Taylor, Dianne Reeves and Samara Joy is something Dazzle is proud of, the real sense of purpose comes from a deeply-rooted sense of belonging the venue cultivates.
Walking into the venue, the fresh additions will be obvious: a high-tech stage light, intimate seating with nothing to block your view, and of course, a brand new, fully-stocked bar.
Take a closer look, and you鈥檒l find these fancy elements are simply accessories for the rich history of Denver that is woven into every detail.
A convenient inconvenience
Rossa鈥檚 passion for community has fostered a sense of resilience. The venue has faced many challenges, all of which they endured thanks to the trust of those tied to it.
Take lockdown, for example. When the pandemic put the entire local music scene at risk, Rossa and general manager Matthew Ruff went into action. They shifted to livestream shows, upheld their more-than-fair pay agreements with musicians, and offered the space for safe, socially-distanced events. Beyond the music, Rossa hosted a food bank for struggling artists.
Dazzle received help, too. Thanks to donations, grants and a pause on rent, the venue made it to the other side of the pandemic with stronger connections than ever.
When facing delays in the opening of the club鈥檚 new location, Rossa once again turned a challenge into an opportunity. The delay gave him time to curate meaningful art displays that showed, rather than told, the essence of Dazzle.
鈥淎rt is what makes people's souls hum,鈥� shared Dazzle鈥檚 director of marketing, Kelley Dawkins, before giving Rocky Mountain PBS a tour of the carefully curated pieces. 鈥淭he arts come in so many different forms, and they鈥檙e how we as humans connect to each other.鈥�
Connecting generations
Dawkins鈥� thorough understanding of Rossa鈥檚 curation goes much deeper than simply doing her job, as she has been part of the journey since the venue鈥檚 start.
鈥淢y parents were coming here since it opened, that was about when I went to college, and they would bring me here when I was home,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淒onald, the owner, has always supported me with some of my fundraising activities and adding discounts and free appetizers for people who would donate to things I did. When my dad passed away, we had his celebration of life here.鈥�
Dazzle鈥檚 programming makes the intention to connect various generations clear. They book artists of various ages and host children鈥檚 matinees and school concerts. But the intergenerational connections displayed in the art could go unnoticed without a tour.
In the men鈥檚 bathroom, you鈥檙e greeted by a large, colorful mural by artist Matt O鈥橬eil. The bright colors and seemingly random, yet surprisingly cohesive, shapes symbolize the jazz band O鈥橬eil played with in his youth.
Behind the bar is a digital collage created by O鈥橬eil鈥檚 son, Tom O鈥橬eil. He created the collage by 鈥渂lowing up鈥� an image of an instrument in order to showcase its intricacies.
鈥淗is philosophy is that half of the music that comes out of an instrument is the person playing it, and half of it is the mechanisms and the craftsmanship behind it. And you don't notice that it was made wrong until you're in the middle of it,鈥� explained Dawkins, 鈥淎nd he saw the bar as having the same function in the venue.鈥�
The art display in the women鈥檚 bathroom is accompanied by a plaque honoring a longtime patron of Dazzle, Beverly Clifton.
鈥淚n our old locations she would bring things in to make the ladies rooms nice and pleasant. And she has passed away,鈥� Dawkins shared. 鈥淗er daughter still comes in, and we wanted to honor her a little bit.鈥�
Even the soundproofing panels on the doors have a legacy to them, as they were hung by Dawkins鈥� children, ages 7 and 9.
Intercultural influences
A throughline between the various pieces of art at Dazzle is a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between jazz and culture, and its ability to unite people from different backgrounds.
鈥淛azz is important to society as a whole because its roots are in not only Black culture, but Black slavery and the songs that slaves used to sing,鈥� explained Dawkins. 鈥淎s we left slavery and moved into other times where there was still segregation, jazz was the music of the Black culture. People who weren't Black would sneak away from their homes and go to the clubs because it's such a lively and energetic music form.鈥�
Dawkins said that although jazz has changed over time, the origins are still noticeable in today鈥檚 music.
鈥淚t's gone from being kind of the thing you had to sneak around to do to being a form that's recognized worldwide. It has influences on music around the world and really represents a lot of what made America what it is today," he said.
In the corner of Dazzle is the 鈥淓l Chapultepec Piano Lounge," in honor of the iconic jazz joint that closed during the pandemic. The contributions of Hispanic and Latino culture is honored with tributes created by local artist Shay Guerrero.
鈥淗er artwork is very much rooted in the Hispanic culture, and even these ones here, the gold foiling around them is reminiscent of the Catholic Virgin Marys and the gold halo you usually see around them,鈥� Dawkins said.
Included in these pieces are Jerry Krantz, the late owner of El Chapultepec; Freddy Rodriguez, one of the first artists to play at El Chapultepec who passed from COVID; and the co-owners of a local family-owned string company, Mi Vida Strings.
鈥淭he husband (Eric Trujillo) is a local Denver native who is Mexican-American and also comes from Mexican-Indian roots, and his wife (Michele Trujillo) is Native American,鈥� Dawkins said. 鈥淪o we're also bringing in the Native American Indian influences on jazz in the community.鈥�
Above the piano are detailed depictions of hosts and personalities from jazz station KUVO: Carlos Lando, Arturo Gomez, Tina Cartagena and Flo Hernandez-Ramos. (KUVO, like Rocky Mountain PBS, is part of Rocky Mountain Public Media.)
KUVO, Dawkins explained, has roots in El Chapultepec.
鈥淔lo, Carlos and Tina were the three people who sat in the booth in the corner booth at El Chapultepec and broadcasted from there,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat is why we have KUVO today, because they thought the music was so cool and that other people needed to hear it, and that that was the place where it was happening.鈥�
Preserving local legacies
The inspiring start of KUVO is just one of many local legacies displayed throughout Dazzle. Upon entering, you鈥檙e greeted by the head of a bighorn sheep made of wood.
Even the wood itself has a story.
鈥淏oth the Big Horn and the Charles Burrell piece over here are reclaimed wood from north Denver neighborhoods as those buildings are torn down,鈥� Dawkins shared proudly.
The Burrell piece Dawkins referred to can be found in the back, near the kitchen. Here, the names of donors and other contributors are burnt into wood slats as a 鈥渢hank you.鈥�
Near the Dawkins piece is the depiction of various women in jazz who have helped create the rich music scene Denver sees today, including Erica Brown and Tenia Renee Nelson. The wall behind them is lined with the music they have created.
Two colorful murals adorn the main stage space. One is a depiction of artist Rene Marie. The piece, entitled 鈥淥ur Colorado River Song,鈥� was created by artist Jazz Holmes, one of Redline Contemporary Art Center鈥檚 artists-in-residence.
Marie played in Denver for decades before moving to take care of ailing parents. Her parents have since passed, prompting her return for the opening of the new space.
鈥淲e were thrilled to welcome her back,鈥� said Dawkins. 鈥淪he likes to push boundaries with music. We love that. We like to push boundaries as well."
Across from Marie is a memorial to Ron Miles created by Denver artist Detour. Miles ran the jazz program at MSU Denver. He taught for around 30 years, influencing countless young musicians. Much like Dazzle, Miles was known for going above and beyond when it came to caring for others.
鈥淚t's really amazing watching some of the local musicians come in and especially when they didn't know this mural was up, there were a lot of people who were overcome for a moment or two because he means so much to them,鈥� said Dawkins. 鈥淎 lot of people who have really enjoyed performing on the stage with him looking over them.鈥�
Community contributions around every corner
At Dazzle, no good deed goes unseen, and the art curation makes it clear. Every detail of the space, from the room itself, to art sponsors, all the way down to the salt and pepper shakers were the result of community collaboration.
鈥淭hose are from Donald's personal collection at home,鈥� Dawkins said of the eclectic table ornaments.
鈥淲e have four owners and he is the primary owner, but he wanted to bring them in so that he has a touch of home in the space. And then he didn't have enough. So we've been asking other people who have pairs of salt and pepper shakers, unique ones in particular the animals to bring them in.鈥�
鈥淐ommunity is really important to Dazzle,鈥� Dawkins concluded, 鈥渁nd why we're still here today.鈥�
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Elle Naef is the multimedia producer at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at ellenaef@rmpbs.org.
Peter Vo is the journalism intern at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at petervo@rmpbs.org.
