Queen City Jazz Band Celebrates 60 Years

This is a special year for Denver’s Queen City Jazz Band. It’s their diamond anniversary, which means they have been entertaining jazz fans for the past 60 years. What’s the secret of their longevity? According to retired educator Bill Clark, who’s been the tubist for 43 years and leader for 32, “In the past 10 years, we have added only two new players, but our band has evolved musically in two important ways. First, we are playing to young adults who pack the dance floors jitterbugging and swing dancing to the music of Louis Jordan, Nellie Lutcher, and other pop stars of the ’40s and ’50s. “Second, the QCJB has embraced old and new second-line styles from the streets of New Orleans. The music of New Orleans artists like Trombone Shorty and Dr. John and bands like the Rebirth Brass Band and the Treme Brass Band have inspired us to discover new rhythms and melodies that are thrilling our concert and party audiences. The old Dixieland styles of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith will never be out of date, and we are well known for playing early jazz with energy and respect. We also know that our future and the future of our music depends on attracting new audiences and younger audiences.” The band’s genesis harks back to the mid-1950s and the popular Jazz Classics radio show that was hosted by a Coors chemist and volunteer disc jockey named Harney Peterson. He wo