Tom Amend: Ditching the Band Scene for an Improvised Life

April 3, 2021

Tom Amend has been in a band since he was 6 years old, playing piano for his dad’s yacht rock cover band (when his hands were just big enough to reach a few chords) up until 2019 when he stepped down as the Burroughs’ keyboardist of many years. Now at 26, he’s making his mark in the Denver jazz scene as one of Colorado’s best pianists, playing one-off shows every other night with a constantly rotating collection of musicians.

“It’s the freedom of everything – the spaces, the sound, the tunes… [jazz] is a free form of music. It’s cliche, but it’s truly why I love it,” Amend tells BandWagon.

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Album Review: Amaya Arevalo – Love Wears Many Faces

February 12, 2020

Amaya Arevalo is starting to make her mark in the Northern Colorado and Denver jazz scene. She frequents the stages at Dazzle and Nocturne, supporting various bandleaders and groups with her expressive saxophone playing or on accompanying piano. But jazz isn’t her only language. Her debut solo album Love Wears Many Faces shows her audience everything she can do as she looks for her voice as a solo artist.

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Album Review: Brian Claxton – When I Get Home

January 14, 2020

Brian Claxton is one of the Colorado music scene’s most treasured side-men. The bassist for Greeley’s sweaty-soul band The Burroughs and drummer / shenanigan-conductor of the quirky power-trio known as Trash Cat, he wears many musical hats.

Claxon’s debut solo album When I Get Home sheds his outer layers and makes this very clear: He is first and foremost a jazz drummer. Quarter notes have never swung so hard.

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