DENVER JAZZ QUARTET performs at a variety of venues from small to large; from live corporate entertainment to club dates to jazz festivals.
The group performs primarily as an instrumental jazz quartet or sometimes as a jazz trio. The Denver Jazz Quartet can also be augmented by adding another instrument or a vocalist. The DJQ has performed with some of the finest jazz singers both locally and nationally.
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Charlie Z has played professionally for over 40 years, playing classical music to jazz. As a clarinetist, he started studying privately with the woodwind professor in residence at Kansas State College of Pittsburg, Kansas at the age of 12. During high school, Charlie started playing gigs with local rhythm sections developing his ability to improvise on standards. After high school, Charlie received his degree in music from the Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, Missouri. During his college years, Charlie began to also include the Alto and Tenor Saxophones and began playing in some of the night clubs in K.C.
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Ron has been a professional musician for over 40 years, playing virtually all styles of music in every setting from concert hall to theater to the recording studio. At home performing on both the electric and double basses, Ron also has a particular fondness for teaching, which he does at the University of Colorado at Denver, Colorado Christian University, and Metropolitan State University of Denver. Being a big softie when it comes to kids, Ron has been part of Inside the Orchestra’s & "Tiny Tots" program for decades and plays “side by side” concerts with students and the Colorado Chamber Orchestra.
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A Colorado native, Don has performed professionally for over 30 years. Although he prefers jazz and blues today, he took a tour of the west coast in the early 70’s long enough to perform with The Doobie Brothers (’70-’71) and record with Six Penny Opera (’72-’73). Don has also successfully ventured into the field of musical composition - his score for the movie "Let There Be Rain" helped make it a Cannes Film Festival winner in 1971.
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Doug has over 40 years of experience as a professional freelance pianist, specializing in jazz. He studied with pianists Bobby Timmons and Herbie Hancock in high school, joined the Navy Show Band (’71-’75), and then majored in jazz studies at NorthTexas State. International tours followed with The Lettermen (’78-’81). Coming to Denver in the mid-80’s, he played the exclusive Moulin Rouge room at the Denver Fairmont Hotel backing such national acts as Kenny Rankin, The Mills Brothers, The Modernaires, Lanie Kazan, Johnny Otis, Carol Lawrence and Red Skelton. In the San Francisco Bay area (’88-’90), he performed with the Full Faith and Credit Big Band.