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Jazz For A Winter's Night

Lone Tree Arts Center Benefits From Pandemic Year by Scoring Castle Rock Resident and Renowned Saxophonist Gerald Albright

Grammy-nominated saxophonist Gerald Albright travels the world each year performing in renowned venues to thousands of jazz lovers. This year, the Castle Rock resident is homebound due to the pandemic, giving an extra-special Christmas present to Denver Metro residents.

The Lone Tree Arts Center is playing host to Gerald Albright for two performances on Dec. 20 — a rare opportunity this holiday season to experience a live, world-class jazz performance with a house-performance feeling. 

Former Lone Tree city council member and devoted patron Harold Anderson facilitated a conversation between Gerald and Lisa Rigsby Peterson, executive director of the Lone Tree Arts Center. 

The Lone Tree Arts Center performances are a part of Gerald’s explicit goal to increase access to live jazz music in the South Metro area. As such, these performances will feature local musicians.

And part of what makes jazz so special? Improvisation.

“I can’t tell you what I am going to play on any given night, there are so many different variables,” Gerald says. “It is a function of the mood the band is in, the type of crowd, what kind of mood I’m in. Live jazz is a conversation between me, the band members and the audience.

Lisa says she hopes this is an opportunity to think beyond the restrictions of the pandemic and break artistic ground that welcomes a different audience and expand the genre.

“When you actually see how live jazz music is made and the performers on stage, that turns people into jazz fans.” Lisa says, “It is more than just listening to music, it is watching a performance. You can see the pleasure they take in the work. The audience is watching something new being created.”

Covid-19 social distancing requirements will make this performance extraordinary as the theater will be limited to 125 people.

“For the 124 ticket holders, this will be an experience that they will never forget, it will feel almost like a house concert,” Lisa says. “This time of isolation has been painful for performing artists who thrive on the interaction between themselves and the audience.” 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Gerald spent the early years of his career recording with prominent artists such as Whitney Houston, Anita Baker and Ray Parker Jr and released his first album in 1987. After years of touring, he and wife Glynnis started to look for a retreat from all the travel.

“I’d sort of OD’d on Los Angeles. It is a great city, but I needed something a little different,” Gerald says. In 2004, they came to Denver to participate in a fundraiser and while visiting looked at homes for sale in the area.

 “I looked at my wife and said, ‘You know, this is feeling kind of good here,’ ” Then 45 days later, they were Colorado residents. A suburban home surrounded by trees and wildlife was the respite they’d been looking for. 

“This is the perfect speed, slower pace, cleaner air, family friendly and plenty of golf,” he says. They are laid back, typical members of this community. Jazz fans in the area that recognize him tend to be respectful and friendly, but mostly leave him be.

“Most of the time, people just tell me how my music makes them feel, which is the greatest compliment I can get.”

Find samples of Gerald’s music at geraldalbright.com, including samples from his 2019 Christmas album, Not So Silent Night. Particularly uplifting are his interpretations of "O’Holy Night" and "What Child is This."

Live performances Dec. 20, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., live streaming tickets also available. Visit lonetreeartscenter.org for ticket information.

Learning New Things

While Gerald’s music defies rigid classification, it is relaxed and colorful, approachable and accessible to a broad swath of music lovers, commonly associated with West Coast jazz. Gerald’s personality, despite being a precision musician, is also quite accessible and approachable. In fact, many aspiring musicians call on Gerald to seek his advice on the technical aspects of his work. Just like these young musicians, and many Douglas County residents, he has had to invent new ways to keep himself productive and engaged during the isolation of the pandemic. Gerald is a man comfortable with taking leaps of faith. One was moving to the Denver area. He has recently embarked on another. The time gained from limited travel has allowed him to test his strengths and get more comfortable with his weaknesses. It also offered the opportunity for him to take some risks. Here is what Gerald has done to keep things fresh and the flow going since March.

1.      Mixed his newest three EP, G-Stream, in his own studio, to promote positivity and a collective exhale.

2.      Interned with his mix-master to learn to mix records, a first for Gerald in his 30-plus year career.

3.      Founded Musicians Assistance Fund, live-streamed performances, providing income to out-of-work musicians.

Learn more at GeraldAlbright.com.

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