Last week, The Shape of Jazz played live from the KGNU studios for The Morning Sound Alternative, and drummer Jeff Franca introduced a supergroup of Colorado musicians including Scott Messersmith, Sarah Banker, Nate Miller, Joey Porter, Matt Jalbert, and Hunter Roberts. The ensemble will make its debut at the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest on August 23rd, bringing together veterans and newer voices in the state’s vibrant jazz and improvisational scene. Franca reflected on the supportive, ever-growing Colorado music community, while the band treated listeners to performances of Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage and Zero 7’s Waiting Line.
Indra Raj: All right, you are listening to The Shape of Jazz live in the KGNU studios today. We have a bit of a supergroup in the house.
Jeff: I would say that I’m surrounded by a bunch of amazing musicians. Absolutely.
Indra Raj: Could you introduce everyone in the group, what they’re playing, and maybe other groups they’ve been associated with?
Jeff: We’ve got Scott Messersmith on percussion—a Colorado legend who has played with many, many bands here. He was in The Motet way back in the day and also has graced the California Honeydrops with his presence for many years. We have Sarah Banker, who will be singing a song with us.
Sarah is a singer-songwriter in her own right and has just started putting out a plethora of music that really stands out and speaks for itself. Next to her is Nate Miller on trumpet and tenor saxophone, who I’ve played with in many groups. Most recently, we got to play Red Rocks together with The Corporation, so that was a very special day.
To his left is Joey Porter on keys. If you don’t know Joey, he’s also a local Colorado legend—the keyboardist for The Motet and Juno What?! And did you do a record with Nigel Hall? Anyway, if you’re a Nigel Hall fan, Joey and Nigel are great friends and they did a record together.
Next to him is Matt Jalbert from TAUK, who is newer to our Colorado scene but definitely fits right in. Part of the purpose of this group is to display the growth in the scene here. Speaking of growth, next to him on bass we have Hunter Roberts, who is in the Butterfly Quintet and Break Science Live Band, and is a composer and bandleader in his own right.
Just an amazing all-around player. My name is Jeff Franca. I play drums with The Corporation, and my solo project is called Ethno. The room’s just full of a bunch of creative folks—it feels good.
Indra Raj: It feels great. It sounds really great. And so tell me about this upcoming performance at the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest. Is this your debut performance?
Jeff: Yes, it will be. I moved up to that region a few years back and have really enjoyed immersing myself into the community. Having the opportunity to bring a little bit of my flavor to the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest is just a huge honor. I’d love to thank Steph Andelman, who’s here in the studio with us, for giving us this opportunity.
We’ll be playing August 23rd from 3:00 to 5:00 PM, and we might have another little special guest or two. The show starts around 11:00, and we encourage everybody to come up, snag a seat, and enjoy all the vendors, the music, and the wonderful vibe that is Nederland.
Indra Raj: Did this group come together for this performance? Was it already in the works? How did it come together?
Jeff: Absolutely, it came together for this performance. I’ve been wanting to dive back into some of my roots in composition and improvisation.
I got the call from Stephanie to see if we wanted to do something for the festival. That really opened up my mind to what could be possible. On that first… I guess you could say song, but that first collection of sound, we really tried to be historians and conscious musicians within an environment that seems more and more void of honoring the real history of the land that jazz comes from.
We’re just really excited to exercise that and put it out into the world.
Indra Raj: Absolutely. Well, it was very much felt here on the airwaves. Because we only have 20 minutes left in the show, I want to make sure we get to some more music. The Shape of Jazz here live on KGNU, going to be performing at the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest next Saturday, August 23rd. Let’s hear a bit more music.
Jeff: We’re going to do an arrangement of Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. We’re gonna feature Hunter Roberts on bass on this one.
Indra Raj: The Shape of Jazz performing Maiden Voyage—a classic, legendary Herbie Hancock piece—here in the KGNU studios. They’re gonna be performing at the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest coming up on August 23rd. And Jeff, you mentioned the growing scene here in Colorado, which I think we’ve all noticed. Anyone who’s paying attention knows there’s just so much going on.
So I’m curious to hear what you’ve noticed—how it’s affected your artistry, and even getting a group like this together. How has that been for you?
Jeff: I would say that having moved here almost 10 years ago, I definitely was part of the migration to Colorado. Guys like Scott and Joey have really been holding it down here a long time and have probably seen a lot more of the changes and growth than I have.
But even in my time here, there’s just been an influx of incredible musicians. One thing that really sticks out to me about the community here is that everybody has their own voice. You just don’t find people stepping on toes—it’s a very supportive scene.
You could talk about drummers: myself, Isaac Teel (who plays with TAUK), Dave Watts (The Motet), Adam Deitch (Butterfly Quintet). You’re talking about some really amazing players, all with their own distinct sounds. Being able to pull from such a vibrant community and get a band like this together was a dream.
We’re really trying to focus on transcending and not overthinking. Obviously, there’s some preparation, but we’re trying to display the natural energy that music creates within us, through us, and to the people. Having a palette of amazing musicians around is just an incredible opportunity.
The openness of this scene is what stands out. Venues like Red Rocks, where Nate can get called to play with whoever’s coming to town, and the Mission Ballroom. The scene is just unreal here. I mean, there are sold-out shows every night somewhere in town. I think the group of us here are all really grateful to be a part of it.
Indra Raj: Yeah, well, we’re grateful to have you all be a part of it and so excited that this group is coming together next weekend.
And there are going to be some other great musicians at the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest—Robert Johnson and the Mark Diamond Trio, and Chantelle Dukart with a duo. We love Chantelle—she’s a really bright light on the scene these days. And yeah, I agree—there’s just so much going on and so much positivity, and we just want more of it.
So you can find out more about the Ned Jazz and Wine Fest at nedjazzwine.com, including how you can see this incredible group. Our show only has about seven minutes left, so I want to make sure we fit in some more music. Let’s get into one more song, and then we’ll have to say goodbye.
Jeff: We’re going to feature Sarah Banker on this version of Waiting Line by Zero 7.
The Shape of Jazz: Everyone’s saying different things to me… different things to me. Everyone’s saying different things to me… different things to me. And what you see doesn’t seem… everything they can, everything… everyone, everything they can.
Indra Raj: The Shape of Jazz live here in the KGNU studios. Thank you so much for being here in the studio with us today.
Jeff: Thank you, Indra. It was really good.
