SAVE THE DATE
Join us for a live music festival September 12th-14th 2025!
A full weekend of nationally-renowned artists, swing dancing, and performances!
See below for full description of what is included in each night!
Ticket Descriptions:
A Full Weekend Pass includes:
- 3 nights of live music and social dancing at the Denver Jazz Festival.
- Intro to Swing Dance class Friday night before the band.
- Interactive musicality lesson with Eyal Vilner himself Saturday night before the band.
- Performances by local and national swing dancers every night, including a show on Saturday night!
Friday Night:
Ellie Caulkins Studio Loft (Bar Available)
8-9p Intro to Swing Dance Lesson
9p-Midnight Social Dance to Live Music with The Eyal Vilner Swing Band
Contests & Performances during band breaks!
Saturday Night:
Ellie Caulkins Studio Loft (Bar Available)
8-9p Interactive Musicality Lesson with Eyal Vilner
9p-Midnight Social Dance to Live Music with the Eyal Vilner Swing Band
Contests & Performances during band breaks!
Sunday Night:
8-9pm Musician Talk with Gabriel Mervine
9p-Midnight Main Social dance @ the Studio Loft with The Gabriel Mervine All Star Jazz Band featuring Sweet B
Contests & Performances during band breaks!
The Denver Jazz Festival is three nights of world-class live music held in the Mile High City, Denver, Colorado, and hosted by CMDance and the Denver Arts Venues.
Our one-of-a-kind vintage music festival focuses primarily on vintage jazz and blues of the 1920’s, 1930’s & 1940’s. Social dancing, performances, theme nights, contests, and more!
This year’s bands are: The Eyal Vilner Swing Band for TWO nights in a row and The Gabriel Mervine All Star Jazz Band featuring Sweet B
The venue features a spacious dance floor, full cash bar w/snacks, and there are workshops and lectures available from internationally renowned instructors during the daytime hours through our sister events Lindy on the Rocks & Hot Night Fusion Weekend. (NOTE: To attend the daytime dance classes, you must purchase an All Access Pass via the Lindy on the Rocks ticketing!)
RSVP to our Facebook event for updates!
Like our Facebook page for all event details: CLICK HERE
2025 Featured Bands and All-Star Artists:
The Eyal Vilner Swing Band
Eyal Vilner has become one of the leading new voices in the New York swing and big band scene. Born in Tel Aviv, saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, composer and bandleader Eyal Vilner moved to New York in 2007 and started his big band the following year.
The Eyal Vilner Big Band has been performing widely at some of New York’s landmarks such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Midsummer Night Swing, Birdland, Dizzy's Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, The Django, Battle of the Big Bands on the Intrepid, Swing ReMix, Swing 46 and Central Park SummerStage.
Internationally, Eyal has performed on Israel's most prestigious stages such as the Red Sea Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv Museum, Jerusalem Theater, The Tel Aviv Jazz Festival as well as the historical La Bellevilloise, Caveau des Oubliettes and Caveau de la Huchette in Paris.
The big band performs Eyal’s new arrangements of jazz and swing tunes as well as his original compositions. Their music, which derives from the tradition of jazz, swing and the blues, strives to bring a unique voice to this beautiful art form. The big band’s first four albums: Introducing the Eyal Vilner Big Band, Almost Sunrise, Hanukkah and Swing Out! received rave reviews and made it to the Top Jazz Radio Charts of the US and Canada.
The Eyal Vilner Big Band has collaborated with some of the top jazz legends of our time including NEA Jazz Masters Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath and Jimmy Owens, and pianist Junior Mance.
Gabriel Mervine All Stars Featuring Sweet B, Ian Hutchison, Sam Chess, and Jonathan Ng
The Gabriel Mervine quartet brings pep to every step. Featuring joyous arrangements of tunes new and old. This year’s Lindy on the Rocks ensemble will feature many special guests, including Sweet B, Ian Hutchison, Jonathan Ng, and Sam Chess. Please come sing and swing along!
Sweet B
Sweet B (and Her Moonshine Gang) is a new band that features some of Denver's finest Jazz musicians. Taking inspiration from swing greats, we love to play for dancers and keep you on the dance floor. As a veteran Lindy Hopper, bandleader and vocalist Brittney knows what dancers are looking for. Having such a fine collaboration of talented musicians, Sweet B and Her Moonshine Gang knows how to entertain the non-dance audience. Enjoy being transported back into the swing era and don't be shy if the rhythm makes you want to move your feet.
Jonathan Ng
Jazz violinist, vocalist, and bandleader Jonathan Ng has spent the majority of his life making music that moves people. He specializes in music of the swing era, combining musical virtuosity with emotional expression. Jonathan also possesses a unique knowledge of bandleading for dancers founded on his expertise as a lindy hop, balboa, and blues dancer. Whether playing for a seated audience or a packed dance floor, Jonathan seeks to share the spark which first drew him to the recordings of Django Reinhardt and Count Basie.
Intro to swing dance lesson
Jazz music was meant to be danced to! The Denver Jazz Festival is a part of CMDance’s Lindy on the Rocks weekend, and people will be coming to participate in the event ready to D.A.N.C.E! If you want to be a part of the action, come for our introduction to swing dance lesson Friday night from 8-9pm; this is included in your event ticket!
Interactive Musicality Workshop w/Eyal Vilner
In this 1 hour interactive workshop, Eyal will teach a method of communication and share exercises between dancers and musicians. This workshop will explore the two languages of dance and music, helping you to better express sound with movement and movement with sound.
Music meets Dance Musician Talk with Gabriel Mervine
This year’s talk will feature Lark and Gabriel Mervine. This discussion and Q&A will dive deep into what it’s like being a soloist on the stage while performing for such incredible and learned dancers. As an improviser in all genres, Gabriel feels a difference when on the stage at a swing gig, and looks out onto the dance floor seeing people move to the sounds of the trumpet. It is a catalyst for different types of creativity. Lark Mervine will be there to provide real time feedback on what it’s like to be on the dance floor and listening/responding to the music and we will all be there to share and learn from each other. How the dance elevates the music, and how the music elevates the dance!
Studio Loft at Ellie Caulkins Opera House
1400 CURTIS STREET, DENVER, CO 80202
The Studio Loft is an 8,000 sq ft performance, rehearsal and event space with a cathedral ceiling, exposed brick, warm-colored walls, a 3,000sf wood dance floor. The Studio Loft is located in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Venue has ample dance space, limited seating, and a bar for you to enjoy the music each evening.
PARKING: There is metered street parking surrounding the building, and the DCPA has their own parking garage. CLICK HERE for info. The Curtis Hotel is across the street.
The Curtis Hotel
1405 CURTIS STREET DENVER, COLORADO 80202 USA
Sunday Twilight Dance Venue!
3rd Floor: Four Square Ballroom
**Across the street from the Loft venue!
Attending the whole weekend and want to stay downtown?
Click HERE for the discounted hotel room rate through CMDance at the Curtis Hotel right across the street!
The Denver Jazz Festival is brought to you by Community-Minded Dance, aka CMDance.
We rely on our loyal sponsors, partners and our incredible dancers from all over the world to keep our organization intact. With your support we are able to fulfill our mission of building healthy, thriving communities through world-class arts education programs that bring the global culture of both solo and partnered vernacular dancing to Colorado youth and adults.
We encourage your support of CMDance through The Denver Jazz Festival. We sincerely hope you will make a commitment to partner with us in sponsorship of this event which not only strengthens our relationship but will surely add the success of your organization.
Thank you to our loyal sponsors for over 15 years!
Denver Arts & Venues
National Endowment for the Arts
Bonfils Stanton Foundation
Hawley Family Foundation
Ann Ehli
Lynn Herrington
Colorado Creative Industries
Colorado Gives Day Donors
Sticker Mule
Full Schedule for all three festivals that run in conjunction with each other.
(Schedule Subject to Change)