This Week at Ace’s – December 26-31, 2018 + New Year’s Eve Soiree!
Ace Gillett’s Musical Happenings – Week of 12.26.18
Greetings, Jazz Fans! Ace Gillett’s Music Director John Olson here to let you know what we have cued up for the last week of 2018:
Jenna McLean & Spencer Zweifel
Wednesday, 12/26 – 7:30 to 11:00
Ace Gillett’s is happy to welcome back Jenna McLean on vocals, accompanied by Spencer Zweifel on piano. Jenna and Spencer are both regular performers at Ace Gillett’s and the more they play together on Wednesdays, the better their musical chemistry gets. We’re very excited for Jenna’s debut album, “Brighter Day,” which will be released in early 2019.
Gabriel Mervine
Thursday, 12/27 – 8:00 to Midnight
The Subterraneans welcome Gabriel Mervine on trumpet and flugelhorn, accompanied by Tom Amend on piano, Seth Lewis on bass and myself on drums.Gabriel is a mainstay on the Denver Jazz Scene, and toured the country for many years as a member of the Motet. Thursday nights with this group are somewhat of a “well-kept secret,” and if you have an opportunity to come out, you’ll see why we try to have Gabriel as often as his busy schedule allows. Don’t miss this last opportunity of 2018 to hear this incredibly talented performer!
Andrew Vogt & Steve Kovalcheck
Friday, 12/28– 8:00 to Midnight
The Subterraneans welcome back two of our favorite regular soloists, Andrew Vogt and Steve Kovalcheck, accompanied by Seth Lewis and myself. This piano-less quartet is the same instrumentation as the great Sonny Rollins group from his classic album “The Bridge,” featuring Jim Hall on guitar and Bob Cranshaw on bass. Our house-bassist Seth Lewis is a Bob Cranshaw disciple, and was close friends with Bob for many years before his passing on November 2nd, 2016. It’s not often that we feature a tenor sax and guitar quartet, so I’ll make sure that we play some Sonny Rollins classics on Friday!
Jeff Jenkins
Saturday, 12/29 – 8:00 to Midnight
The Subterraneans welcome back Jeff Jenkins on piano, accompanied by Seth and myself for the last Trio set of the year. I’ve known Jeff for close to 40 years, when he was a member of the Fort Collins fusion band “Kinesis,” founded by my stepbrothers Ed and Dave Goodman in the early 1980’s. Jeff shines in every musical environment, but it’s especially fun to hear him in a Trio setting and he and Seth have already formed a deep musical connection.
Mark Sloniker
Sunday, 12/30 – 7:00 to 11:00
Following Jeff on Saturday, we have local favorite Mark Sloniker, just as he did many years ago when he moved to Fort Collins to take Jeff’s place on keyboards in the aforementioned band “Kinesis,” as Jeff moved on to other projects. Mark has always been one of my favorite musicians, and he was one of the first to give me opportunities to play jazz at a younger age when I didn’t fully understand the depth of this incredible art form. Sundays are always a fun mix of Mark playing solo piano for the first set, while being joined throughout the evening by friends and family on vocals and other solo instruments.
New Year’s Eve Soiree
Monday, 12/31 – 9:00 to 1:00 am
Please join us for our annual Ace Gillett’s New Year’s Eve Soiree! This year’s dancing entertainment will be provided by The High Five Band, featuring Cristine Barbosa and Devan Blake Jones on co-lead vocals. Longtime Ace regulars will remember the very talented Cristine from her solo slots on Sunday nights at Ace Gillett’s. Cristine is very active on the Denver music scene with a variety of groups, including Conjunto Colores. Devan was a contestant on American Idol in 2017. Their sets will include a high-energy dance mix of Motown classics and contemporary pop music, so be sure to wear your dancing shoes! Tickets are available online at the Ace Gillett’s website.
As always, Thank You for supporting live jazz at Ace Gillett’s – I hope to see you there soon!
John Olson
Music Director
Ace Gillett’s Lounge
