Oh, the Venues!

There’s nothing like the energy of live music - where every musician shows up for us. Our local venues are the heartbeat of this experience. “Jazz Happens at Night!” Venues are where new artists find their voice, where the legends are showcased, and where the community comes together! It’s 40 years together! The stage is set!

Since 1985, KUVO has collaborated with clubs, venues, festivals and our talented community of musicians. We love creating a bridge for studio performances, interviews, recordings, CDs, and now, You Tube sessions. Music brings people together! It’s where connections happen!

 The 2025 “Venues” logo highlights this beautiful connection between KUVO, the audience, and the musicians. In creating this graphic, we settled on six iconic venues described below. Rocky Mountain Public Media graphic artist Del Rocha visited each of the venues in person to get the feel of the street-facing entrances. The result is a full-color immersion into the fun and creative excursion each venue represents.

Dazzle Denver

Dazzle opened its doors in 1997 at 930 Lincoln Street. In 2017, they moved to the Baur’s Building at 1512 Curtis Street. In August 2023 they moved to 1080 14^th Street to be a part fo the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Dazzle, noted as one of the best jazz clubs in the world by Downbeat Magazine, provides the stages upon which world-class artists share their craft and reflect the diversity that Colorado has to offer. The roots lie in jazz, but expands to other genres, demonstrated by local, national and international acts spicing up the venue! 

Spangalang Brewery

A jazz-inspired microbrewery in the heart of Five Points. Fashioned in the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance, Spangalang is a Black-owned brewery merging the craft beer world with modern urban culture!

Boulder Theater

The Boulder Theater is a historic entertainment venue in downtown Boulder, Colorado, known for its Art Deco architecture and diverse programming. It hosts a variety of events, including live music, comedy, film screenings, and more. The theater opened in 1906 as the Curran Opera House, showcasing opera, musical productions, and silent films. The Boulder Theater, as it stands today, had its opening on January 9, 1936, and is a Colorado Historic Landmark. An all-around entertainment venue!

Cervantes Masterpiece & the Other Side

Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom is located at 2637 Welton Street in the old Casino Cabaret, a venue whose history dates to the Cotton Club days of the 1930s. It’s where Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman took the stage when they toured through Denver. Over the years the Casino Cabaret has hosted such acts as James Brown, BB King, Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, and countless others. Cervantes’ has continued the musical legacy of the building (and neighborhood) ever since its grand opening in January 2003. Cervantes’ and The Other Side have played host to thousands of live shows including intimate performances with Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), Derek Trucks, Dr. John, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Nas, Big Boi, STS9, Sam Bush, Page McConnell of Phish, Branford Marsalis, and Warren Haynes to name a few. 

Nocturne Jazz & Supper Club

In 2014, Scott and Nicole Mattson signed the lease on a warehouse space in RiNo that included a forklift, a sketchy staircase and mezzanine, plus beautiful, tall, acoustically magic original wood ceilings. We poured literal blood, sweat, and tears into repurposing 1330 27th Street into Nocturne. The dream was to create a place that would make jazz more accessible to a broader audience with a unique hospitality experience. Opening the doors in March 2015, Nocturne has become a destination for great music and fine dining. 

El Chapultepec / The Pec Lounge

Jerry Kranz started helping at El Chapultepec in the late 50’s while simultaneously being a cabbie and owning a dog food company for racing greyhounds. When owner Tony Romano fell ill, Jerry took the helm and eventually ownership of the bar (although the Romano family never sold him ownership of the building). Through the ‘60s and ‘70s, Jerry kept most of El Chapultepec the same. It was a working man’s bar. A simple shot-and-a-beer kind of place with Mexican fare and mariachi performances. Jerry’s wife unfortunately passed away from health complications. Mariachis were getting harder to book and Jerry longed for that feeling of live jazz that he experienced in Chicago. While Denver had a lot of live jazz, it was for the rich. Dick Gibson had black tie affairs, the country clubs brought in acts, and the symphony orchestra was a formal event. In the late ‘70’s, Jerry approached some local jazz musicians who were gigging around town at the time. One of them was Freddy Rodriquez Sr., a prominent local jazz saxophonist. Jerry’s idea was to offer live jazz with no cover charge, a two-drink minimum per person per set, no reservations, first-come first-serve, no dress code. While the iconic venue at 20^th and Market Streets in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo) is closed, we are fortunate to have Dazzle Denver open the doors for late night sessions and continue the legacy in “The Pec Lounge.”

Check out this list of all the venues where live music has been features (and add any we missed in the Comment section!):

• 715 Club
• Arvada Center
• Aurora Fox Theater
• Aztlan Theater
• Bar 38
• Bar 404
• Bar Standard
• Baur’s Denver
• Bay Wolff
• BJ’s Port
• Blue Bird Theater
• Blue Moon
• Boettcher Concert Hall
• Boulder Theater
• Boulderado
• Brendan’s Pub
• Brooks Tower Salsa
• Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center
• Brown Palace
• Burnsley Suite Hotel
• Caffe Sole
• Casino Cabaret
• Cervantes Masterpiece Theater
• Chautauqua Auditorium
• Chili Pepper
• City Hall
• Club Vinyl
• Coffee at the Points
• D3 Arts Space
• Dairy Arts Center
• Dazzle Denver
• Dog House
• Dolly’s
• Ebbett’s Field
• El Chapultepec
• Enigma Bazaar
• Falling Rock Tap House
• Fiddler’s Green
• Fox Theater
• Full Cycle Café & Bar
• Gerard’s Pool Hall
• Globe Hall Live Music
• Goed Zuur
• Goosetown Tavern
• Gothic Theater
• Herbs
• Herman’s Hideaway
• Holiday Theater
• Hotel Boulderado
• Jazz Works
• Jazz@Jacks
• Karen Lee Dance
• Kasbah Nite Club
• La Bamba
• La Bonita
• Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret
• Larimer Lounge
• Le Cour Art Bar & Jazz Bistro
• Lechugas
• Levitt Pavilion Denver
• Lincoln Center Ft Collins
• Little Bear
• Live at Jacks
• Los Cabos
• Los Cabos II
• Los Panchos
• Mall Exchange
• Marquis Theater
• McNichols Arena
• Meade Street Station
• Meadowlark Bar
• Mercury Cafe
• Mile High
• Milk Bar
• Mission Ballroom
• Mr. A’s
• Mr. Keno’s
• Mt Vernon Country Club
• Newman Center for the Performing Arts
• Nocturne Jazz Club
• Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
• Oriental Theater
• Oskar Blues Grill & Brewery
• Paramount Theater
• Pasquini’s Blue Luna Room
• Pierre’s Supper Club
• Rachel’s
• Raices Brewing Company
• Rainbow Room
• Randall’s
• Red Rocks
• Rick’s Icehouse
• Roxy on Broadway
• Roxy on Welton
• Rumba
• Santana’s
• Savoy Denver
• Skylark Lounge
• Smokey’s
• Soiled Dove
• Spangalang Brewery
• St. Petersburg
• Su Teatro
• Tattered Cover
• TeaLee's Teahouse & Bookstore
• The Alpine Inn
• The Chariot
• The Church Night Club
• The GAO
• The King Center
• The Marigold
• The MGM
• The Muse Performance Space
• The Other Side
• The Vine
• Tony P’s
• Treppeda’ s Supper Club
• Turning Point
• Two Moons
• University Club
• Vartan Jazz
• Vine Street Pub & Brewery
• Voter’s Club
• Walnut Room
• Washington Park Grill
• Woods Boss Brewing Company
• Wynkoop Brewing Company
• York Street Café