Backbeat Magazine has rated Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge among the top 100 jazz clubs in the world. Westword has listed it as the best jazz lounge for five years running.
There's a reason for the accolades.
Even visiting on what might be considered an "off-night", Dazzle presented enough atmosphere to make me wish I'd brought my wife and made a date of it. The front bar area was light, pleasant, and filled with conversation--and thankfully separated from the music. When you pay the cover charge, a nice man ushers you behind a curtain into a dimly lit room where the jazz is being played. Eclectic art hangs on the wall, except for one wall decorated with photo montages of the players and graffiti where people have left their mark. Comfortable chairs around the tables, a respectable dinner menu, a choice of bar drinks, wine, beer or designer coffee drinks; a stage draped with black curtains, with a real (in-tune) baby grand piano--not a dinky keyboard. The room is dark, but this is no dive; it conveys an atmosphere reminiscent of the old nightclubs of the movies. All that's missing is the cigarette smoke, because of course, we don't really do that indoors in Colorado anymore.
Wednesday evening, the 7:00 act was a young jazz singer named Kim Dawson. Accompanied by a trio of top-notch musicians (piano, double bass and drums), Kim sang a set of mainly classic jazz, with a little Chaka Khan thrown in for good measure. There were a few nervous moments in between songs, but most of it was just plain good music. Food, wine, atmosphere, and good music that is played well; it doesn't get much better than that. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge is located at 930 Lincoln St. in Denver. For more information, including the schedule of shows, see their website.
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