About Denver Jazz
Denver enjoys a wealth of local jazz talent, and its unique urban setting is well situated geographically to host celebrated touring artists at various times of the year. These musicians appear in concert venues, local clubs and jazz education programs, as well as gaining indispensable exposure through KUVO — a formidable FM radio station broadcasting jazz in a nonprofit public radio format.
Denver-based jazz industry professionals David Froman and Don Lucoff have collectively spent over 70 years producing and marketing jazz, both locally and internationally. Through their myriad musical experiences, they have come to believe that Denver should be recognized for its time-honored jazz legacy. So, they have conceived Denver Jazz, a Colorado 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, and an annual Denver Jazz Fest.
The inaugural festival will be held Thursday, April 3 through Sunday, April 6, 2025, in venues throughout the Denver and Boulder metro areas. Emphasis will be on Denver’s downtown and the historic Five Points cultural district. April was chosen to coincide with Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), which celebrates America’s only indigenous art form — recognized by joint houses of Congress as a National Historic Treasure. Also occurring each April is International Jazz Day, which highlights the role of jazz in uniting people worldwide.
Don Lucoff &
David Froman
Don Lucoff has worked as a journalist, jazz marketer, broadcaster and festival producer since beginning his professional career in 1983 as publicist for the Playboy Jazz Festival. He later moved to New York, worked for MCA/Impulse! Records and in 1988 founded DL Media, consulting for major and independent labels, festivals and institutions including Blue Note Records, ECM Records, Sony Music, PDX Jazz (Portland Jazz Festival), the Detroit, Barcelona, and Panama Jazz Festivals, the IAJE, American Pianists Association and Jazz Aspen Snowmass. Lucoff is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Temple University’s Boyer School of Music.
David Froman currently serves as President of the Gift of Jazz, a Colorado 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995. Its mission is to enrich the Front Range community with jazz education and performance programming for all ages. For the past twelve years, Froman has also been a board member of the annual Five Points Jazz Festival, a Denver tradition celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Five Points neighborhood and the abundant talents of Colorado’s jazz community. Froman plays a key role in the curation of the festival, via the artist selection committee. David is also active as a musician on both trumpet and flugelhorn.