Denver Jazz Fest 2025 — Garaj Mahal

Garaj Mahal is a strange and colorful bird that draws from elements of jazz, rock, funk, fusion, Indian music, and a whole lotta JAM. The band consists of co-founders Kai Eckhardt on electric bass and Fareed Haque on guitar, along with more recent additions Oz Ezzeldin on keyboards, and Hassan Hurd on drums. These are truly virtuosic musicians, as evidenced by some of their previous collaborations with John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Sting, Joe Henderson, Randy Brecker, Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, Zakir Hussain, Larry Graham, Roosevelt Collier, Fishbone and many others. Now in their third decade together as a group, Garaj Mahal’s interplay is first-rate, and there are plenty of imaginative touches throughout. They’ll perform exciting new music from the upcoming 2025 release, Rotifer.

Opening band: Yam Yam