Great players playing the music of Al Hood-a compelling reason to come and celebrate Al and his work. To honor Al means placing the trumpet and trumpet playing front and center: you’ll hear the best tonight-Pete Olstad, Greg Gisbert, and Jonathan Powell. Add Wil Swindler on saxophones, Dave Hanson, piano, Ken Walker, bass, and Harold Summey, drums, and you’ve got the ingredients for a festive tribute to our friend Al Hood!

Dave Hanson is an arranger, composer, and pianist who has written for a diverse range of artists and ensembles, including the Boston Pops (the Paul Winter “Evening at Pops” PBS National Broadcast), Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, Denver Brass, Boulder Brass, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, USAF Falconaires, Al Hood, and Claude Sim. The “Jazz Violin Concerto” Dave composed for Claude Sim was recently performed by the Littleton, Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

He is the co-leader, with Al Hood, of the H2 Big Band whose 2011 release “You’re It” climbed to #10 on the Jazz Week national radio chart, and was #1 on Bob Parlocha’s syndicated jazz radio show playlist. That release was followed in 2015 by “It Could Happen” which was recorded in Los Angeles with an ‘A’ list studio ensemble and the vocalist Rene Marie. That release went to #13 on the Jazz Week radio chart. All of the arrangements on both CD’s are by Dave Hanson. The most recent H2 collaboration, Al Hood’s “Jazz Muses” climbed to #14 on the Jazz Week chart and landed the #48 position in the 2019 Jazz Week Year End “top 100” chart for radio airplay of all CD’s released in that year. The H2 Big Band has been featured in supportive and collaborative roles with Darius Rucker (“Hootie” of Hootie and the Blowfish fame), Veronica Swift, Rene Marie, Take 6, Jon Faddis, Kevin Mahogany, Curtis Stigers, Clint Holmes, and Allan Harris.

In Spring 2022 Dave retired from 36 years of teaching Jazz Arranging and Composition at the Lamont School of Music University of Denver, and in the Fall of 2023 was an Adjunct faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Thompson Jazz Studies Program, teaching Jazz Arranging. His music is published by Excelsia Music (formerly Kendor), Denver Brass Publications, and Boulder Brass Publications.

Pete Olstad, Greg Gisbert, Jonathan Powell, trumpets

Wil Swindler, Saxophones

Dave Hanson, piano and leader

Ken Walker, Bass

Harold Summey, Drums

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