Meet Your Neighbor: Keith Waters

Anyone who attended the Niwot Jazz Festival in Niwot last week might recall the music of Keith Waters, the co-organizer of the event for the Niwot Cultural Arts Association who played piano with The Keith Waters Trio to accompany renowned jazz vocalist Dominique Eade.

Waters, a Niwot resident and co-owner of Inkberry Books, has played jazz most of his life. Waters said, "I started playing jazz as a kid. I started doing it professionally pretty early on... Then I went to New England Conservatory and did a master's in jazz piano there. After that, I left and lived in Washington, DC, for many years, where I was playing professionally."

As a professor of Music Theory at the University of Colorado Boulder, Waters has brought his extensive improvisation and jazz experience to the world through various novels and texts. He can be found at jam sessions in Boulder, leading jams and introducing himself to up-and-coming players in the field, all while spreading an aura of positivity that tangibly fills the air.

Recently, he performed at the Muse Performance Space, a Lafayette music club highlighted by an intimate candlelit setting.

Waters, along with his positivity, is also an entrepreneur. "My partner Gene (Hayworth) and I opened our bookstore (Inkberry Books) in Niwot in 2018," Waters said. "Because I still teach full time at the College of Music at CU Boulder, Gene primarily runs the store."

Following the opening of the bookstore, Waters and Hayworth found themselves enjoying the Niwot community so much that they decided to move there in 2020. "I'm on the Local Improvement District Advisory Board (for Niwot), and Gene is the secretary for the Niwot Cultural Arts Association," said Waters. Hayworth also writes an arts column for the Courier.

As prominent arts-focused residents of Niwot, it's no wonder that for the past three years, Waters and Hayworth have put together the Niwot Jazz Festival.

Featuring jazz artists from various backgrounds, Waters and Hayworth have pulled famous names into the festival, giving it a special quality not found elsewhere. "Two years ago, we brought in vocalist Janis Siegel (of Manhattan Transfer)," mentioned Waters. This year, the jazz festival brought in Dominique Eade, a Boston-based vocalist who teaches at the New England Conservatory. Eade was present on the Muse stage with Waters, performing a mix of jazz standards and originals while he accompanied her.

"Keith and I have crisscrossed a little bit," Eade recalled. "He was a student at New England Conservatory... I was really thrilled when he reached out to ask me, did I want to come and do this gig here and the festival."

Waters, an accomplished jazz musician, reflected about his music, "It's a way of thinking about music and a way of thinking about...art and improvisation. I think...in many ways, it's kind of a form of play... you play the piano, you play music. So, there's a kind of sense of play."

Waters added, "The whole thing about music is just, it's magic...It's something that all people can relate to and all people have a close connection with."

A Waters jazz jam session attracts a variety of faces, including young, old, happy, and contemplative. But for certain, he brings together that sense of connection and a form of communication unlike any other.