Behind the Mic: Adam Morgan of Saturday Night’s Groove Jazz Rendezvous

Adam Morgan: Another generation is coming in because all the old guys are retiring now. They don't tour anymore. And I think the youngsters understand the rhythm of smooth jazz. That's what attracts them. They've learned that they can do improvisation with it, too, and really make it work.

Steve Chavis: Adam Morgan, how long have you been on the radio in Denver?

Adam Morgan: Now you want everybody to know how old I am - Abi Clark is going to fall out of the chair! I think I'm the longest running broadcaster on air now. I think I've exceeded Pete Smythe. I've been on the air here in Denver for 54 years.

Steve Chavis: You can recognize his voice around the dial, but we are so happy to have him on Saturday nights at KUVO. And you've been here since way back.

Adam Morgan: We started, what, 2011? Someplace back there, down on Five Points, riding the train down. I think Carlos had me on from 9 to 11. And then I would have to switch it. And as soon as I hit that switch, I'd run downstairs out the door to jump on the last train downtown to get another train out to get the three bus at Alameda - If I missed that, I was done! Everybody knows me from this, but I also do television, as for Channel 6, I've done series.

Steve Chavis: He's a documentarian, a filmmaker.

Adam Morgan: Well, a documentary, but we also did a series for boomers on aging called Inside Age Friendly Colorado, and that ran for three years. But I'm really a producer-director for Starz Movie Networks. People think that BET Movies, which is now Black Stars, they think it started in Washington, D.C.) It started in Englewood!

Steve Chavis: Englewood, Colorado.

Adam Morgan: We licensed the brand from D.C., but that network was produced here, uplinked here. We did the whole thing. I was one of the ones; it was a hosted channel (from) 8 to 10, the way all Starz things are. So I had to go out to LA and shoot and direct all these people, Blair Underwood, Loretta Devine - Every other month. Put in a set, do it, Hill Harper, all that stuff. And then I did radio on the weekends.

Steve Chavis: And in his spare time, Groove Jazz Rendezvous, Saturday nights from 8 to 10.

Adam Morgan: It was Gordon Parks who told me that I did an interview with Gordon Parks at the old Hilton Hotel here. Because he came to town to direct the Englewood Chamber Orchestra. Everybody didn't know that Englewood even had a chamber. But Gordon came to town, and I found out about it. I did an interview with him.

When I got the interview done, we were just sitting there talking. And so I said, Gordon, you know, you've written all these books, you directed Shaft, you've done all the stuff.

Steve Chavis: The Learning Tree...

Adam Morgan: Yeah, I said, how do you do all this stuff? And he said, you know, I could tell you're a good journalist because you've asked me 5 questions nobody in my life has ever asked me. You did some research. I said thank you, Mr. Parks. He said, but no, you're creative. I said, yeah, creatives are media professionals. So, I let my creativity manifest itself where it wants to go. And that’s what I was doing.