This fantastic series, curated by Colorado jazz drummer Brian Claxton first premiered at Nocturne in Fall of 2018 and was a crowd favorite. Eight years later, we are delighted to welcome this incredible band back to the stage as they explore the hard bop legacy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Personnel: Jared Cathey - Saxophone, Gabriel Mervine - Trumpet, Tom Amend - Piano, Seth Lewis - Bass, Brian Claxton - Drums 

Art Blakey was among the most influential and dynamic musicians in jazz history. A rhythmic mastermind, he also had an incredible knack for discovering, recruiting, and mentoring the finest young musicians in the country. As a bandleader, Blakey and the Jazz Messengers fused genres and harnessed the musical ideas of the youngest generation of players, changing the sonic landscape of American music and making mainstream modern jazz the indelible music it is today.

Dr. Brian Claxton has been listening to music and playing drums his entire life. His first love was the swinging beat of Earl Palmer on Bobby Day's 'Rockin' Robin.'  Thirty years later, Claxton has performed all over the world with musicians he grew up listening to, most notably Monty Alexander and his Harlem Kingston Express. Claxton's joyful, kind, and humble spirit manifests itself into his musical approach, particularly as an accompanist. He is a master of groove and feeling, which was what he fell in love with thirty years ago. 

A resident of Greeley Colorado, Claxton performs frequently throughout the Rocky Mountain Region and is also the bassist and contributor for the popular soul/funk band The Burroughs. Dr. Claxton is also a committed music educator and works as a teacher and clinician throughout Colorado and the United States.

Sunday Show Times:

Set One: 5:30 - 6:45pm | Set Two: 7:30 - 8:45pm

Reservation Information:

Main level and mezzanine tables are reserved for Dinner and a Show Reservations and include our seasonal three course menu and the cost of music

Reserved Bar Seats are $29 per guest and include music. Bar seat guests can order from our entire dinner menu as well as our wine & craft cocktail list.

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The 'Ellington Experience' is the ultimate night out at Nocturne, featuring a five course tasting menu with wine pairings, served at just two tables per set in our favorite nook of the main level under the curve of the grand art deco staircase.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Clay Jenkins is an accomplished jazz trumpeter who began performing early with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, then worked as a sought-after studio and touring musician in Los Angeles with big bands such as Buddy Rich's and Count Basie's before joining the Eastman faculty in Rochester, New York in 2000. He remains busy as a performer and educator, playing with the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, establishing the Snooky Young Endowed Scholarship at Eastman, and writing a biography of his friend and mentor Snooky Young. Jenkins has appeared on over one hundred recordings, including seven solo albums and many collaborations, and he holds degrees from North Texas State University and the University of Southern California.

Ben Markley is an accomplished pianist, band leader and composer/arranger, active throughout the Rocky Mountain front range and has performed with Brian Lynch, Greg Osby, Eddie Henderson, Terell Stafford, George Garzone, Bobby Shew and John Fedchock and many others. Markley is the leader of the Ben Markley Big Band, a daring ensemble known for their creative takes on beloved modern and contemporary jazz classics. Fresh off the heels of Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton, Markley tackles his most ambitious project yet: Ari’s Funhouse, a big band album featuring the music of drummer Ari Hoenig, with Hoenig himself in the drum chair. The album received great critical acclaim and was selected as one of the best 4 star rated albums of 2022 by DownBeat magazine. Markley has performed a number of Nocturne artist in residencies, and and one of his trio projects was featured on Nocturne's first ever record release.

Wednesday Show Times: 

Set 1 - 6:30-7:45pm   |   Set 2 - 8:30-9:45

Reservation Information:

Main level and mezzanine tables are reserved for Dinner and a Show Reservations and include our seasonal three course menu and the cost of music

Reserved Bar Seats are $29 per guest and include music. Bar seat guests can order from our entire dinner menu as well as our wine and craft cocktail list.

The 'Ellington Experience' is the ultimate night out at Nocturne, featuring a five course tasting menu with wine pairings, served at just two tables per set in our favorite nook of the main level under the curve of the grand art deco staircase.

Important Notes:

- On Wednesdays and Thursdays we set aside four to six walk-in bar seats per set. Walk-in guests will have a music charge of $29 per person applied to their check.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Nocturne is closed on this evening for a private event.

Please note: Our Parisian inspired Champagne and Cocktail Bar La Vie En Rose next door will be open to the public on this evening.

La Vie En Rose Reservations

Private event and venue buy-out information available HERE.

Jeremy Wendelin and his quintet return to Nocturne the first three Fridays in November to share a compelling collection of original works and reworked mainstream jazz standards. Jeremy will be joined by an exceptional collection of Colorado jazz notables including Derek Banach (trumpet), Dave Hanson (piano), Mark Simon (bass), Todd Reid (drums). 

Jeremy Wendelin is an acclaimed Denver-area saxophonist and educator who works in a number of musical spheres. He began playing at age 10 and would go on to study with Robert Musser at the University of Puget Sound, where he won the Concerto/Aria Contest and shared the stage with jazz greats like Ray Brown and Art Farmer. After returning to Colorado in 2000, Jeremy has built a career spanning jazz, classical, rock, and musical theater, playing lead alto with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra and the Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra and founding the Confluence Saxophone Quartet. He is also an in demand Afro-Caribbean jazz musician, performing with with Salsa con Jazz and leading his own ensemble Moderno. As a sideman Jeremy performs often as a gypsy jazz as clarinetist for Swing Je T'aime, and woodwind specialist for Denver's iconic annual Last Waltz Revisited.

Friday Show Times:

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

Reservation Information:

Main level and mezzanine tables are reserved for Dinner and a Show Reservations and include our seasonal three course menu and the cost of music

Reserved Bar Seats are $38 per guest and include music. Bar seat guests can order from our entire dinner menu as well as our wine & craft cocktail list.

.

The 'Ellington Experience' is the ultimate night out at Nocturne, featuring a five course tasting menu with wine pairings, served at just two tables per set in our favorite nook of the main level under the curve of the grand art deco staircase.

Important Notes:

- We set aside four to six walk-in bar seats per set. Walk-in guests will have a music charge of $38 per person applied to their check on Fridays and Saturdays

- Due to high demand, we encourage guests to book well in advance on Friday and Saturday evenings

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Trumpet virtuoso Jonathan Powell brings his quintet to Nocturne Saturday nights in November to celebrate the timeless music and evocative sounds of the legendary Chet Baker.

Powell's exquisite quintet (Wayne Wilkinson - Guitar, Dave Hanson - Piano, Matt Smiley - Bass, Paul Romaine - Drums) will explore Baker’s celebrated repertoire, from intimate ballads and lyrical standards to the sophisticated, understated swing that helped define the West Coast cool-jazz tradition. The performances offer a fresh perspective on Baker’s repertoire through the voice of a trumpeter whose own career bridges straight-ahead jazz, Latin jazz, salsa, funk, and contemporary music.

A veteran of New York’s jazz and Latin music scenes, Powell spent a decade performing with Eddie Palmieri, and has performed with Sam Rivers, Reggie Workman, Miguel Zenón, Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue, Oscar Hernández & Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Ricky Martin, and many others. He has appeared on more than a dozen Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning recordings and was named Best Latin Jazz Trumpeter by the Latin Jazz Corner.

Join Powell and his quintet for four Saturdays of beautiful melodies, swinging rhythms, and a heartfelt celebration of Chet Baker’s enduring musical legacy.

Saturday Show Times:

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

Reservation Information:

Main level and mezzanine tables are reserved for Dinner and a Show Reservations and include our seasonal three course menu and the cost of music

Reserved Bar Seats are $38 per guest and include music. Bar seat guests can order from our entire dinner menu as well as our wine & craft cocktail list.

.

The 'Ellington Experience' is the ultimate night out at Nocturne, featuring a five course tasting menu with wine pairings, served at just two tables per set in our favorite nook of the main level under the curve of the grand art deco staircase.

Important Notes:

- We set aside four to six walk-in bar seats per set. Walk-in guests will have a music charge of $38 per person applied to their check on Fridays and Saturdays

- Due to high demand, we encourage guests to book well in advance on Friday and Saturday evenings

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS