Newly purchased space gives young musicians a place to call home

The Kalamath Building will continue to strengthen the local jazz scene through longstanding partnerships and music education.

Amanda Loudin

February 14, 2024

Newly purchased space gives young musicians a place to call home — Jonathan Zimny, CCJA program assistant, right, supports students at “Big Band Fridays,” a multi-school jazz-ensemble workshop at the MSU Denver Department of Music's Kalamath Building. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Paloma Ress is experiencing something of a full-circle moment these days. A second-year Music major at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Ress was turned on to the world of jazz in middle school thanks to the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts. Today, Ress is returning the favor as a mentor to high school and middle-school students who remind her of her younger self.

Ress represents one of the unique partnerships that exist between MSU Denver’s Music Department and local nonprofits. Groups such as the CCJA work with the University in the Kalamath Building, which was purchased by the MSU Denver Foundation last month. The University had been leasing the space since 2017.

The partnership with the CCJA, which started in 2019, came from the longstanding connection between the late Ron Miles, founder of MSU Denver’s Jazz and American Improvised Music program, and CCJA founders Paul and Chris Romaine, said Shane Endsley, lecturer in MSU Denver’s Music Department and building coordinator.

“When the building freed up a couple of years ago,” Endsley said, “the University saw its resources, equipment and unique space and Peter Schimpf, former chair of the Music Department, worked with Miles to form new partnerships and develop the Kalamath Building as a community arts space.”

CU Boulder student, Pedro Lopez, exits the MSU Denver School of Music Kalamath Building — CU Boulder student Pedro Lopez exits the MSU Denver Department of Music’s Kalamath Building after “Big Band Fridays,” a multi-school jazz-ensemble workshop for students. Photo by Alyson McClaran

The CCJA was a natural fit, and the organization began calling the Kalamath Building home a couple of years ago, recognizing an opportunity to better help the region’s young jazz musicians. “Initially, we worked out of the founders’ basement,” said Jonathan Zimny, CCJA program assistant. “But MSU Denver gave us a place to call home.”

Often, the schools from which the CCJA draws students don’t have jazz bands or the students would like more exposure than their schools offer. The CCJA serves that purpose and more. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, 40 to 50 of those students file into the Kalamath Building, learning from mentors such as Ress, along with professional musicians working through the CCJA. Then on Fridays throughout February, known as “Big Band Fridays,” MSU Denver holds multi-school jazz-ensemble workshops for students.

A typical “Big Band Friday” in the Kalamath Building might involve a mix of students from MSU Denver, the University of Colorado and/or Colorado State University participating with the middle- and high school students. Over the course of the month, between 200 and 250 students will come through the space.

“They play for each other, then mix it up and play side by side,” Endsley said. “It’s a community-building exercise as much as it teaches jazz to the younger students.”

CU Boulder student Will Foster, right, performs at “Big Band Fridays,” a multi-school jazz-ensemble workshop for students at the MSU Denver School of Music Kalamath Building. — CU Boulder student Will Foster, right, performs at “Big Band Fridays,” a multi-school jazz-ensemble workshop for students at the MSU Denver Department of Music’s Kalamath Building. Photo by Alyson McClaran

The typical format involves dividing among three rooms, one being an improv clinic, something new to the younger students. Later, they jam with the older students, “tossing” music back and forth among them. “They get the experience of feeling and hearing how it should be played from the college students,” said Zimny. “It’s different than simply explaining it to them. They get to be part of it and learn faster from hearing and imitating.”

Ress has witnessed these results firsthand. “The best part is watching their confidence grow from the beginning to the end,” she said. “They start out shy and introverted, but then they develop friendships and start taking risks with what they’re playing, which is a big part of jazz.”

Zimny says the Denver-area jazz community is stronger for the MSU Denver-CCJA partnership. “The kids get into the building and see the facility, then create a sense of community,” he said. “This is the only place like this in the state, and it motivates everyone to do better.”

Mountain Vista High School student, Sydney Bellora, and CU Boulder student, DJ Saycich II, practice after “Big Band Fridays,” a multi-school jazz-ensemble workshop for students at the MSU Denver School of Music Kalamath Building — Mountain Vista High School student Sydney Bellora and CU Boulder student DJ Saycich II practice after “Big Band Fridays.” Photo by Alyson McClaran

Like Ress, many of the students go on to become MSU Denver Music students themselves and eventually become permanent fixtures in the Denver jazz scene.

When Ress was in the younger students’ seats, she was the only girl participating in the CCJA program. “I was nervous, but it inspired me to attend MSU Denver,” she said. “The MSU Denver teachers would drop in on CCJA, and they became familiar faces to me.”

When Ress had the chance to work with younger students, she jumped at it. “I got to work with some of the best jazz musicians in Colorado when I was a kid,” she said. “Now, I get to return the favor.”