An Unfinished Story

Pianist and composer Annie Booth is a homegrown jazz musician, born in Westminster, Colorado and educated at Colorado schools. She fell in love with jazz in high school and earned a bachelors of music degree in jazz piano performance from the Thompson Jazz Studies Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder in 2011.

A recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award and a 2015 Westword Music Award nominee in the jazz category,  Annie was also honored in KUVO’s recent “30 Under 30” tribute to up-and-coming jazz artists. Despite her youth, she has already performed all over the world as a versatile pianist on luxury cruise lines. An active performer in the Denver jazz scene, Annie is a bandleader and sideman with several projects.  

Her debut album, Wanderlust, was released in October 2014 and features original compositions in both trio and quartet settings. Musicians on the album include Matt Smiley (bass), Alejandro Castano (drums), and Josh Quinlan (saxophones).

In addition to performing and composing, Annie has taught through local nonprofits The Gift of Jazz and Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts. She also gives private piano lessons.

Local music critic Tim Breckon says of Booth’s style, ”There is a story hidden in the wordless tones of Booth’s compositions, with moments of triumph, loss, and sweet repose…Her choices are bold and innovative.”

There is little doubt the jazz world will be hearing more about the bold Booth in the years to come. In honor of National Women’s History Month and KUVO’s commitment to all of jazz, we celebrate in Booth a woman whose history has only started to be written. Pay attention to this one.

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March is National Women’s History Month! We’ll be sharing stories about some of the most accomplished women in jazz, both nationally and locally. We hope you enjoy this tribute to the women of jazz.