Saturday August 7th marked the sixth of seven summertime fund raising concerts sponsored by the Supporters of Performing Arts (SOPA). For those of you who have been following the series, you know the high quality of performance which SOPA continually brings to the Estes Park public. Saturdays guest artists were absolutely stellar!

Featured was the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra (MJO), a 19 piece band of northern Colorados top jazz musicians, which is based out of the Dazzle Jazz Club in Denver. Under the baton of veteran director Jim Mick, the ensemble displayed their expertise in a variety of styles ranging from scat to ballad, bop to blues. The talented individual band members were each featured throughout the evening in spectacular solos too numerous to list here; except, I find that I simply have to mention the groups outstanding piano man, our own Estes Park resident Gary Dempsey.

Opening the program in Performance Park before an audience of over 200, was a finger blistering fast number by Eric Richards called You Dont Know What Love Is. Next we heard Disneys Beauty and the Beast played in the style of Count Basie, followed by the traditional jazz piece Call Me Irresponsible, originally made famous by Bobby Darin.

Artfully moving from the silly to the sublime, in the next set of pieces, we heard Gordon Goodwins tribute to the Warner Brothers Looney Toons called Hunting Wabbits, followed by two heart felt ballads A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and Paul McCartneys Eleanor Rigby. Returning to the big band golden era with Glenn Millers In the Mood, we also heard Smile and Heres That Rainy Day. The slower change of pace number Souvenir left a tremendous impression when all five members of the trumpet section switched instruments to enthrall us with the rich, mellow sound of five flugelhorns!


To close out the show in a flourish, we heard the lightening fast Cottontail by Duke Ellington, then Frank Sinatras The Best is Yet to Come and as a grand finale, the high flying Airmail Special. Taking final bows in their black and red uniforms, (which matched in color with the band stand fronts) the ensemble looked every bit as crisp and energetic as when they first opened the show.

The MJO is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization which engages in extensive charitable and educational work with public school jazz music programs. For more complete information about the MJO, go to their website at metropolitanjazzorchestra.org.


Many thanks to MJO production manager Scott Handler, the Town of Estes Park and the SOPA board of directors for making this delight filled evening possible.