Ron Jolly (piano and keyboards) is a Denver native who received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Denver where he studied with Gene Rush and Steven Lee. Ron taught in the Jazz Department at DU’s Lamont School of Music from 1979-1987.

Ron was a Denver Public Schools teacher from 1987 to 2018, teaching Music, Digital Film and Audio Engineering at the Career Education Center. He led the Denver Citywide High School Jazz Combo for 31 years. He has recently retired from teaching.

Ron is one of the busiest pianists in the Denver area, performing with many local bands including Mollie O’Brien and the Blue Tips, What’s Cookin’, the Denver Jazz Orchestra, the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Diamond Orchestra and Next of Kin. He performed with Moment’s Notice at corporate events and private parties from 1981 until 2023. Ron was a proud member of the eTones, house band for the nationally broadcast eTown radio program, from 1993 to 2020. Ron has performed with many well-known musicians and groups including James Taylor, Michael McDonald, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bob Weir, Tim O’Brien, Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, Rosanne Cash, David Sanford and The Pittsburgh Collective, Hugh Ragin, Dakota Staton, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Gatemouth Brown, Pete Olstadt and Eddie Harris. He is known for his easygoing manner, creativity and dependability. Ron just passed the 59th anniversary of his first piano lesson.

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