Rocky Mountain News
October 23rd, 2004
“Role of swanky urban jazz venue suits Dazzle”
Before the Denver School of the Arts launched in 1991, East High was considered the city’s flagship school for performing arts.Graduates included Ron Miles, Don Cheadle, Pam Grier and Antoinette Perry (the namesake of the Tony Awards), to name a few. In my four years there, I saw a saxophonist awarded a full ride to Berklee Boston, a bassoonist with perfect pitch who went on to Julliard, and a trumpeter named Shane Endsley. Endsley’s dedication and the maturity in which he approached his instrument- two qualities that continue to buoy his climb into the upper ranks of new young lions in the jazz world- set him apart. Endsley’s recent accolades have included recording with Art Lande and Ravi Coltrane and touring with Ani Difranco. He’s focused on his own project now, a group called Kneebody, a genre-defying quintet steeped in the musical landscape of the past few decades. Blending equal parts jazz, hip-hop, and rock, and flavoring it all with hints of folk, Americana, and a few foreign influences, Kneebody is and all-original exercise in contemporary musical exploration. And it rocks. So when I heard they were in town and playing at Dazzle, I quickly phoned The German and told him to keep that Friday night open. An East graduate himself (notice a pattern here?), The German was only too excited for the opportunity to catch up with an old friend and see a good show. We were not disappointed. Ever since the powers that be at Dazzle learned that they could carve a niche as a swanky urban jazz venue, things have been on the up. Dazzle has managed to provide a destination where jazz traditionalists and experimentalists can alternately succeed, with neither group suffering in draw to the other. A rare juxtaposition, it suggests that Denver’s musical tastes may not be a complete loss after all. Certainly the jazz fans are an educated bunch (I’ll tip my hat to KUVO-FM (89.3) for that one). The interior of the club is beset with deep blues and rich reds, and the sultry lighting gives everything a touch more panache. The bar/lounge area provides an elegant mingling environment while the larger dining room off to the side showcases the stage. And it was on that stage that Kneebody captivated us for two hours. With the exception of one table of misfits, the entire room sat enraptured by the collective improvisations and dynamic shifts that Kneebody expertly weaved. There was plenty of room for open solos, but I would never have likened this group to a “jam band”. For one thing, any of the soloists, whether it be Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, keyboardist Adam Benjamin or even bassist Kaveh Rastegar, knew when to stop and how to utilize space. Secondly, all the solos seemed so well-honed that they appeared to be a natural extension of the song itself. Most importantly, it never got boring.
- Dave Flomberg
Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
October 23rd, 2004
“Role of swanky urban jazz venue suits Dazzle”
Before the Denver School of the Arts launched in 1991, East High was considered the city’s flagship school for performing arts.Graduates included Ron Miles, Don Cheadle, Pam Grier and Antoinette Perry (the namesake of the Tony Awards), to name a few. In my four years there, I saw a saxophonist awarded a full ride to Berklee Boston, a bassoonist with perfect pitch who went on to Julliard, and a trumpeter named Shane Endsley. Endsley’s dedication and the maturity in which he approached his instrument- two qualities that continue to buoy his climb into the upper ranks of new young lions in the jazz world- set him apart. Endsley’s recent accolades have included recording with Art Lande and Ravi Coltrane and touring with Ani Difranco. He’s focused on his own project now, a group called Kneebody, a genre-defying quintet steeped in the musical landscape of the past few decades. Blending equal parts jazz, hip-hop, and rock, and flavoring it all with hints of folk, Americana, and a few foreign influences, Kneebody is and all-original exercise in contemporary musical exploration. And it rocks. So when I heard they were in town and playing at Dazzle, I quickly phoned The German and told him to keep that Friday night open. An East graduate himself (notice a pattern here?), The German was only too excited for the opportunity to catch up with an old friend and see a good show. We were not disappointed. Ever since the powers that be at Dazzle learned that they could carve a niche as a swanky urban jazz venue, things have been on the up. Dazzle has managed to provide a destination where jazz traditionalists and experimentalists can alternately succeed, with neither group suffering in draw to the other. A rare juxtaposition, it suggests that Denver’s musical tastes may not be a complete loss after all. Certainly the jazz fans are an educated bunch (I’ll tip my hat to KUVO-FM (89.3) for that one). The interior of the club is beset with deep blues and rich reds, and the sultry lighting gives everything a touch more panache. The bar/lounge area provides an elegant mingling environment while the larger dining room off to the side showcases the stage. And it was on that stage that Kneebody captivated us for two hours. With the exception of one table of misfits, the entire room sat enraptured by the collective improvisations and dynamic shifts that Kneebody expertly weaved. There was plenty of room for open solos, but I would never have likened this group to a “jam band”. For one thing, any of the soloists, whether it be Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, keyboardist Adam Benjamin or even bassist Kaveh Rastegar, knew when to stop and how to utilize space. Secondly, all the solos seemed so well-honed that they appeared to be a natural extension of the song itself. Most importantly, it never got boring.
- Dave Flomberg