40 Years of KUVO Parties!
Where’s the party at? That’s the question KUVO has been answering for 40 years. Besides being a consistent source of live music listings for listeners (and since the mid-1990s, a great calendar of events at www.kuvo.org), KUVO loves to host a great party featuring stellar live music, food, drink and dancing!
Below is the rundown of KUVO’s anniversary parties since the very beginning, including 20 years of signature events at Balistreri Vineyards.
1986 1st Anniversary: John Muñoz and His Fabulous Vibrotones (now Chicano Music Hall of Fame members) at the parking lot of KUVO Studios, 4460 Morrison Road.
1987 2nd Anniversary: Dave Valentín at Mammoth Events Center (now The Fillmore).
1988 3rd Anniversary: Hilton Ruiz at Civic Center Park.
1989 4th Anniversary: Eliane Elias at The Wharf (now The Stampede on South Havana St.).
1990 5th Anniversary: Arturo Sandoval at MCI Atrium (now called the Atrium Campus, Denver Tech Center). In the dry Colorado heat, Sandoval cracked his lip during the concert and was forced to play piano for the rest of the night. 200-300 concertgoers leaving a show at Fiddlers Green began to gather on a hill overlooking the venue, attracted by the music.
1991 6th Anniversary: Johnny Adams (with an all-star band directed by Leslie Drayton) at Denver Design Center on South Broadway.
1992 7th Anniversary: Jimmy & Jeannie Cheatham and the Sweet Baby Blues Band at the Crystal Rose event space on East Hampden (now The Yak & Yeti Restaurant).
1995 10th Anniversary: concert featuring the three musical pillars of KUVO, with Gene Harris (jazz), Eddie Palmieri (Latin jazz), Ruben Ramos (Tejano), plus a “Casino Night” fundraiser, held at the “old” El Jebel Shrine on West 50th Avenue.
2003 18th Anniversary: an in-studio celebration performance Hilton Ruiz and Dave Valentin at the Phyllis A. Greer Performance Studio at KUVO, 2900 Welton St., Denver.
2005 20th Anniversary: René Marie, Joe Bonner, Lew Tabackin, Phil Urso and The Marian McPartland Trio (Colorado band directed by Hugh Ragin, with Darren Kramer and William Murray, Jeff Jenkins, Ken Walker, José Espino and Paul Romaine) at the Teikyo Loretta Heights campus. Artist Eric Matelski painted portraits on site for the auction.
2006 (1st Live at the Vineyards event at Balistreri Vineyards): Marc Sabatella and Wendy Fopeano. In 2006, KUVO also hosted a 21st anniversary broadcast performance on August 29 from the Phyllis A. Greer Performance Studio featuring the Winard Harper Sextet.
2007 LATV: The Hazel Miller Band.
2008 LATV: John Boutté was the first national artist to perform at KUVO’s Live at the Vineyard event. He was accompanied by New Orleans guitarist Todd Duke.
2009 LATV: The Sam Mayfield Blues Revue.
2010 LATV (KUVO’s 25th anniversary): The Ken Walker Sextet (Al Hood, Dave Corbus, Peter Sommer, Jeff Jenkins, Paul Romaine), featuring Rene Marie.
2011 LATV: Junior Mance Trio.
2012 LATV: “Mambo at the Vineyards” with Steve Turre and special guest José Madera (first event held at Balistreri Vineyards’ new event building).
2013 LATV: Poncho Sanchez & His Latin Jazz Band.
2014 LATV: New Orleans All-Star Rhythm Revue, featuring Donald Harrison with Leo Nocentelli and Detroit Brooks, and special guest Henry Butler.
2015 LATV (KUVO’s 30th anniversary): H2 Big Band featuring Kevin Mahogany, and the Dianne Reeves Quartet.
2016 LATV: Monty Alexander and The Harlem-Kingston Express.
2017 LATV: Bobby Watson and his All-Star Quartet & Kansas City Jump Band: Curtis Lundy-Bass, Lewis Nash-Drums, Stephen Scott-Piano, Dan Thomas-Tenor Saxophone, Chalis O’Neal-Trumpet, Lisa Henry-Vocalist.
2018 LATV: Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
2019 LATV: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers.
2020 “Live at the Vineyards – On the Radio!” With the outdoor, in-person gala at Balistreri Vineyards suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic, KUVO relied on its airwaves to check in with previous Live at the Vineyards artists, and playback a few LATV memories throughout September.
2021 LATV: The H2 Big Band with special guest Rich Chiaraluce, and the Sam Mayfield Blues Revue with special guest Erica Brown.
2022 LATV: Spanish Harlem Orchestra.
2023 LATV: The Count Basie Orchestra featuring Carmen Bradford. The Carlos Lando Educator Award was presented to Paul and Christine Romaine, Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts.
2024 LATV: Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. The Carlos Lando Educator Award was presented to Keith Oxman.
2025 LATV (KUVO’s 40th anniversary): The Spanish Harlem Orchestra featuring vocalist/sonero Herman Olivera and The Sam Mayfield Blues Revue. (Fun fact: The Spanish Harlem Orchestra and The Sam Mayfield Blues Revue are the only artists to play at three Live at the Vineyards events.)
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