The Coração Brazilian Quartet is Bill Kopper on guitar, Bill McCrossen on bass, and Raoul Rossiter on drums/percussion and Victor Mestas Perez on piano.

Each of the members have spent a lifetime performing and recording jazz, funk, pop, classical, and world music, but they are brought together through their strong passion for the music of Brazil. On this special night, Coração will explore an exciting collection of classic and modern compositions in all the styles of the music of Brazil including: Samba, Bossa Nova, Baio, partito alto, afoxe, and Chiro, etc. Many are transcriptions they have taken off of their favorite recordings of favorite Brazilian composers such as Joao Donato, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, Egberto Gismonti, and Pixinguinha to name a few.

ARTIST BIO's:

Bill Kopper is a Colorado based guitarist known for his expertise in American Jazz and Blues, and Brazilian Samba and Choro.  Adept on electric, classical, and 7-string classical guitar (commonly used in Samba and Choro), he is featured on a diverse selection of recordings, from his own CDs "Samba de Chueca" and "El Oeste", to Jazz vocalist and 2017 Grammy nominee Rene Marie's CD "Black Lace Freudian Slip" and the soundtrack to her one-woman show "Slut Energy Theory", the Samba/Pagode group Ginga's eponymous EP release, choro clarinetist Dexter Payne's discs "Pra Voce" and "Jazz For All", and vocalist Sonya Vallet's debut recording "Moments in Passing". He is currently an instructor of guitar at the University of Colorado/Denver where he has taught for the last six years, and divides his time musically among the Brazilian Samba/Pagode group Ginga, the Brazilian Choro/Forro group The Dexter Payne Quintet, the World Jazz group The Hip Richies, Brad Goode's Polytonal Funk Project, and Madrid-based vocalist Sonya Vallet's group Los Profugos Galacticos. 

Bill McCrossen over the past thirty years has been in demand in the New York tristate area, recording and performing in orchestras, Broadway musicals, commercials and television productions.  Bill has also been a professor of Jazz History studies at the Hartford Conservatory of Music and taught bass and jazz improvisation at Five Towns College in New York. Bill has had the pleasure of performing and/or recording with such world class musicians as Michael and Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Ray Anderson, Gene Bertoncini, Harold Mabern, Kenny Werner, Eliot Zigmund, Adam Nussbaum, Jerry Granelli, Marguerite Juenemann and Art Lande to name a few. Since 2014, Bill now calls Colorado his home and is active in the Denver metro area Jazz and Brazilian music scene. Bill is excited to be involved in this vibrant and talented community of like-minded musicians with many original music projects and free improv ensembles such as Boulder Improvisers Collective (BIC), Coração, the Nalanda Ensemble and “S”, where you might find Bill playing a variety of African instruments such as the Guembri, Mbira and Kora.

Raoul Rossiter moved to Boulder in 1979 and began playing the drums in 1985. Some highlights in his musical life include: meeting and performing Brazilian music, jazz, R&B, and funk with Mitchell Long (6 years); recording an album with Sonya Valet, and playing with Renée Marie in her band No Maintenance. Recently he has performed with Brazilian artists Casuarina, Moyseis Marques, Ronaldo Andrade, Paula Santoro, and Alessandro Penezzi and locally with Kenny Walker, Bill Kopper, Erik Deutsch, Marguerite Juenemann, Dexter Payne, Diane French, Tina Marx, Ligeia Mare, and many others. Currently he’s the regular drummer for Ginga, Hamster Theatre, Coração, and the Dexter Payne Quintet.

Victor Mestas Perez, born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela has played piano with renowned bands and singers around the world including Guaco, Trabuco Venezolano, Soledad Bravo, Cheo Feliciano, and Julio Iglesias. His resume includes more than 80 recording productions for national and international renowned artists, including a 2010 Latin Grammy Award with Ilan, a Venezuelan songwriter. He is endorsed by Yamaha and is a staple in the latin-jazz scene in Denver.

Important Notes and Reservation Information:

Wednesday Show Times:   Set One: 6:30-7:45pm   |   Set Two: 8:45-10:00pm

- Floor seats are only available for Dinner and a Show Reservations (Music is included with all "Dinner and a Show" reservations)

- For bar and walk-in guests, a music fee of $19 per guest applies to this show

- To accommodate high demand and help our staff maintain a properly sanitized premises, we respectfully request that guests limit their visit to one set only at this time.

- Nocturne has been certified by the City of Denver as a "Fully Vaccinated Facility".  As of December 1st, all guests and employees are required to be fully vaccinated (with documentation) to enter.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Camilla Vaitatis Quartet   (Taylor Clay - Tenor Sax, Patrick McDevitt - Bass, Kevin Matthews - Drums) 

This newly formed band will perform all original compositions by Vaitaitis. As an experienced composer in genres ranging from big band to small groups and even indie rock, Vaitaits draws from her wide scope of influences (indie music, psychedelic rock traditional jazz and others) to create dynamic, unique works that move audiences. The quartet will perform brand new, never before-heard compositions as well as pieces from Vaitaitis' 2020 series "Quarantunes." 

Camilla Vaitaitis is an award winning pianist, vocalist, arranger and composer based in Denver, CO. She graduated from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies & Commercial Music and recently received a Master's degree in Jazz Composition also from Lamont in 2020. In addition to her work as a jazz musician, Camilla leads an indie rock band Specific Ocean. Camilla works as a program assistant with the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and is the host of the weekly interview and masterclass series "CCJA Sundays" through which she has had the privilege of interviewing musicians including Maria Schneider, Bill Frisell, and Melissa Aldana.

Important Notes and Reservation Information:

- Floor seats are only available for Dinner and a Show Reservations (Music is included with all "Dinner and a Show" reservations)

- For bar and walk-in guests, a music fee of $19 per guest applies to this show

To accommodate high demand and help our staff maintain a properly sanitized premises, we respectfully request that guests limit their visit to one set only at this time.

Thursday Show Times:   Set One: 6:30-7:45pm   |   Set Two: 8:45-10:00pm

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Friday nights throughout January, saxophonist Jeremy Wendelin and his talented quintet dig deeply into the art form of hard bop as they study the compositions and stylings of Dexter Gordon and Bud Powell, the famous American jazz expatriates living in Paris in the 1950's and 1960's. In addition to compositions by Powell and Gordon, a special focus will be paid to the contributions of prominent sidemen from this time and place, people like Kenny Clarke, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson, Kenny Drew, and Pierre Michelot.
The core personnel for these shows will be: Al Hood on trumpet, Dave Hanson on piano, Patrick McDevitt on bass and Mike Marlier on drums.
These nights will be filled with swinging, driving hard bop, with a few select ballads (always a staple for Dexter), to provide counterpoint.

Important Notes and Reservation Information:

Friday Show Times:   Set One: 6:30-7:45pm   |   Set Two: 9:00-10:30pm

- Floor seats are only available for Dinner and a Show Reservations (Music is included with all "Dinner and a Show" reservations)

- For bar and walk-in guests, a music fee of $29 per guest applies to this show

-To accommodate high demand and help our staff maintain a properly sanitized premises, we respectfully request that guests limit their visit to one set only at this time.

- Nocturne is certified by the City of Denver as a Fully Vaccinated Facility. All employees, guests and musicians are required to have proof of full vaccination before entering the property.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This unique series (featuring bass piano and two drummers) focuses on the pocket, and the deep layers of groove that happen when two drummers share a stage. Curated by Denver pianist, organist and composer Tom Amend, this is the second time Nocturne has hosted this special concept and will feature the original works of Tom. The series features a stellar collection of Denver jazz musicians including Steve Kovalcheck on guitar Patrick McDevitt on bass and Alejandro Castaño on drums and special guest drummers (Brian Claxton on 1/8 1/22 and 1/29. BK Kahn on 1/1 and 1/15) these unique, hard-swinging shows are not to be missed!

Important Notes and Reservation Information:

Saturday Show Times:   Set One: 6:30-7:45pm   |   Set Two: 9:00-10:30pm

- Floor seats are only available for Dinner and a Show Reservations (Music is included with all "Dinner and a Show" reservations)

- For bar and walk-in guests, a music fee of $29 per guest applies to this show

-To accommodate high demand and help our staff maintain a properly sanitized premises, we respectfully request that guests limit their visit to one set only at this time.

- Nocturne is certified by the City of Denver as a Fully Vaccinated Facility. All employees, guests and musicians are required to have proof of full vaccination before entering the property.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS