Colorado Music Hall of Fame: Meet the Honorees at the Mile High Jazz Oasis Induction Concert & Event

Colorado Music Hall of Fame announced its second class of inductees for 2024 at Mile High Jazz Oasis Induction Concert & Event at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom on October 29 at 6 p.m. (VIP) and 7:15 p.m. (GA) TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Meet the members of this class who will be honored: El Chapultepec and Jerry Krantz, Greg Gisbert, Eric Gunnison, KUVO JAZZ and Carlos Lando, Ellyn Rucker, and Ken Walker.

Eric Gunnison is a jazz pianist and composer based in Denver since 1980. He has arranged and recorded piano for many artists and toured internationally, accompanying prominent artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nelson Rangell, Roberta Gambarini, Carmen McCrae, and the late Ron Miles, a fellow Colorado Music Hall of Famer. Throughout his distinguished career, he has established himself as one of the mainstays within the Denver jazz scene —as a musician, bandleader, composer, and educator. Since 1991, Gunnison has also been performing with his own quintet, Wake Up Call, and in Greg Gisbert’s Convergence.

Eric Gunnison chats with Steve Chavis and Abi Clark of KUVO’s Morning Set.

El Chapultepec (The Pec) operated as one of Denver’s most well-known jazz and blues club at the corner of 20th and Market Streets for 87 years before it closed permanently in 2020. Jerry Krantz, who started as a bartender at The Pec, inherited it in 1958 from his father-in-law, Tony Romano. Krantz operated the venue with no cover charges so that great music was accessible to everyone. In El Chapultepec’s heyday, the club welcomed legendary musicians of all genres, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger. After Krantz passed away in 2012, his daughters ran The Pec until its closure; they now operate the El Chapultepec Legacy Project to keep quality live music accessible in D

Anna Krantz-Diaz daughter of Jerry Krantz, stopped by The Morning Set on Thursday 10/17/24 to share memories about her dad and the historic El Chapultepec.

Ken Walker is a jazz bassist frequently known as the “first-call” bassist in the Front Range for when performers come to town and need a bassist to accompany them. He played many instruments growing up but started honing his craft during his time at Arkansas Tech. After moving to Denver in 1985, Walker began to perform at El Chapultepec. Since then, he has performed at the Telluride Jazz Festival, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass and has toured around the world. For 28 years now, Walker has taught at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Since 1999, he has performed with his band, The Ken Walker Sextet.

Steve Chavis and Abi Clark of The Morning Set sat down with Ken Walker to talk about his career as a first-call bassist. A portion of this interview aired on The Morning Set on 10/17/24.

Greg Gisbert is a jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who moved from Mobile, Alabama, to Denver in 1971. He performed, toured, and recorded in high school with the 1983-84 McDonald’s All-American High School Jazz Band. While attending the Berklee College of Music, he began recording albums; he has three recordings under his name on Criss Cross Jazz, a Dutch recording company. Gisbert, a highly respected jazz educator, has taught all over the United States, including as faculty at the University of Northern Colorado, the Colorado Conservatory for Jazz Artists, the University of Denver, and the Julliard School of Music. He is a founding member of and continues to perform with the cooperative band Convergence.

Greg Gisbert joined Carlos Lando and Abi Clark in-studio on The Morning Set and shared highlights from his music career.

Ellyn Rucker was a jazz musician and critically acclaimed vocalist who lived in Denver and passed away in 2022. She started performing full-time in 1979 and released several albums through Capri Records. A well-loved Denver musician, Rucker’s unique voice and keyboard skills led her to tour worldwide, including Holland, Ireland, Germany, and China. In Germany, she even had a fan club.

Ellyn Rucker’s daughter Kristin Rucker joined The Morning Set on Tuesday, 10/29/24, and shared memories and stories about her mother with the KUVO community.

KUVO & Carlos Lando — Known as “The Oasis in the City,” KUVO Jazz (89.3 FM) was founded in Denver in 1985 as a volunteer-led Hispanic-managed public radio station. With close to 8,000 members and 100,000 listeners today, KUVO also broadcasts in Breckenridge on 89.7 FM and in Vail on 88.5 FM. Carlos Lando, most recognized for his 37 years and counting at KUVO, started out at radio stations over 50 years ago in Puerto Rico and New York. At KUVO, Lando has worked as a radio host, program director, general manager, and president of the station. He helped establish KUVO as one of the world’s best and most respected jazz stations. Lando recently shifted his role from president/general manager to producing, managing, and hosting the morning show at the station.

“To be honored as an inductee to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame is a great honor that I was not expecting. To be recognized for putting music at the forefront of people’s lives means so much to me. For KUVO to be recognized and inducted into the hall, validates what many people have been saying for years. KUVO is an amazing radio station. We have an open palette presenting all kinds of music that expands beyond Jazz… It’s not just about where Jazz has been but where it’s at today. We have not only outlived some of the vast changes in radio and media, but we have also thrived due to the diversity and unwavering support of our dedicated community of listeners and members.” —Carlos Lando

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