Dazzle Jazz announced the opening dates for its new club at the Denver Performing Arts Complex on Friday after more than a year of renovations, fundraising and sponsorship.
“Now that we have the green light to move to 1080 14th Street, we are booking shows ASAP,” said director of marketing Kelley Dawson.
The club will open on Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5, with two shows each night at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM. René Marie and Dawn Clement will sing songs specially composed for the event. Dazzle’s website say. Tickets for the all ages concerts are $15-$45 through dazzledenver.com.
Joining Marie and Clement are John Gunther (saxophone/CU Boulder), Steve Kovalcheck (guitar/UNC Greeley), Seth Lewis (bass/CSU Fort Collins) and Drums Heller (drums/MSU Denver).
The new space, at 1512 Curtis St., about two blocks northwest of Dazzle’s former location in the historic Baur’s Building, will save the club thousands of dollars a day and help the 25-year-old company succeed in the next decade, co-owner Matt Ruff told JS last year.
“Downtown isn’t returning the way we hoped, and (Baur’s) just isn’t working anymore,” he said. “Many patrons and performers have also told us they miss the feel of the old, black-box Dazzle (in Capitol Hill), and having a bar right in the middle of the performance space has been a challenge for Baur.”
Originally slated to open in the winter of 2022, the club’s new location takes the place of the former Onyx nightclub with a more intimate atmosphere reminiscent of Dazzle’s former Capitol Hill club. Running with a round, understated logo by Denver-based ArtHouse Design, the new Dazzle will feature architecture by Perkins+Will and be built by Loomis Improvements Inc. The two-room layout has the display stage on the right (when entering from the street) and a 10-seat bar and lounge area on the left, according to architectural renderings.
Having the city as a landlord allows the jazz club owners to take advantage of Denver Arts & Venues’ marketing and promotional resources, eventually co-hosting shows at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and other prestigious spaces. The club remains privately owned.
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