Jazz finds a new champion in Niwot

Many Niwotians know Keith Waters as the co-owner of Inkberry Books, along with longtime partner Gene Hayworth. But underneath that mild mannered exterior lies the syncopated heart of a jazz connoisseur, who brings more than his fandom to the form. Now Waters is bringing the versatile genre back to town with the Niwot Jazz Festival, an all-day showcase of local, regional, and national talent, slated for Sept. 4.

"Gene and I have now been part of the community for about three years, and it just seemed like the time was right," he said of the origins of the first-time event, which is sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association. "I knew the town would be supportive, and I know a lot of the musicians here in town, and it seemed like an easy way to do it, and to support the locals, too. A lot of the local musicians have been hurt significantly, so it's a way to get them back in the mix again."

The music kicks off at noon, both on the Main Stage in Cottonwood Square, and at Wheel Works on 2nd Avenue. Including Waters, a total of ten performers will take various stages throughout the day, representing a wide range of styles, from traditional New Orleans jazz to Parisian jazz, to salsa and tango. Headlining the event is Sharón Clark, a critically acclaimed vocalist who recently finished a short European tour.

"I'm really looking forward to playing with Sharón," Waters said. "She's someone that I knew in D.C. when I worked there, and so she was gracious enough to agree to come out here."

The festival wraps up in Cottonwood Square with a salsa dance party, featuring local favorite Quemando, a frequent Rock & Rails crowd pleaser. All shows are free, and there should be something for even the most discerning aficionados.

"We wanted to cast as wide a net as possible, to draw people who have an interest in many different kinds of music, not just one that we think will appeal to a larger group of people," Waters said.

Though reminiscent of the dearly departed Jazz on 2nd Ave, Waters was quick to note that his jazz festival has no formal ties to the old event, which Howard Treppeda hosted for eight years between 2011-18. "The previous festival had a much larger budget than we have," he said. But he does hope to build on the popularity of the former event and Niwot's appreciation for live music in general.

Waters' passion for jazz blossomed during childhood, thanks to a household that "always had music around." He started piano lessons at age 10, and, by high school, was playing professionally in jazz combos and bands. He went on to study classical piano as an undergraduate in college, but his post-graduate and doctoral work went in another direction.

"My goal was always to be a jazz player, so classical was, in a way, just a means to an end," he said.

Waters kept up his performing career while getting his degrees, and even did a little talent booking on the side during his Washington D.C. stint in the 1990s. In 1995, he and Hayworth came to Colorado for his "first real job," at CU, and the partners have called Boulder County home ever since.

Waters is currently chair of the MusicTheory department at CU, and the author of the award-winning book "The Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet 1965-68," published in 2011. Much of his scholarly work has focused on jazz improvisation and analysis, and he has presented research at conferences around the world.

Through his academic career, Waters has also maintained a prolific performing career, and lists numerous jazz notables among his one-time co-musicians, as well as appearances at top venues around the world. In 2012, he wrote and recorded music for "Carolina Tracks," a full-length album to support jazz education in North Carolina.

"Most jazz musicians have models in terms of basing your playing on, and I would say a lot of the great jazz pianists that I like are people like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, who recently passed away, McCoy Tyner, and Bill Evans. And those are more post-bopper or post-1960s. And the nice thing about being in academia is that I can write about this stuff. I've done a couple of books, one on Miles Davis, and another one on the compositions of Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. So I get to spend a lot of time with the music that I've been listening to since I was a kid."

In 2018, Waters and Hayworth opened Inkberry Books in Cottonwood Square, an endeavor spearheaded by his partner, a longtime academic librarian.

"The bookstore is Gene's dream, so we opened up this place three and a half years ago," Waters said. "He is definitely the brains behind the operation, and I'm here to help facilitate in whatever way that I can."

During those three-plus years, the two have become very active in the Niwot business community, and strong supporters of local authors and artists. Last month, Waters applied for one of the open business representative positions on the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee, another way he hopes to give back to the town. If selected, he would serve a five-year term.

"We're incredibly grateful to the LID for helping us with funds for the jazz festival," he said. In May, the board approved a $10,000 funding request for the event. "It's a great community, and a thriving town with all sorts of things going on, so it would be a fun way to keep abreast of what the initiatives are."

For now, Waters is busy putting the finishing touches on the festival, which he hopes will become a recurring event. The effort is being supported by local business sponsors including Colorado Landmark Realtors, Porchfront Homes and Fly Away Home, as well as radio station KUVO and Pathways to Jazz, an non-profit organization.

"This is a trial balloon, I guess. We wanted to keep it in a framework that would be doable, that would support a lot of local acts, and that wouldn't break the bank. It seemed like the right way to do it."

For more information on the talent line-up, venues, and schedule, visit niwotjazz.org