The Cortez Journal
Tony DeSare led his trio through 1½ hours of exciting and popular music and jazz at the Montezuma-Cortez High School auditorium on Nov. 20, 2014, as part of the SouthWest Colorado Concerts series.
About 300 people attended the evening concert.
Crooner DeSare covered old and new songs from performers including Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and the Doobie Brothers, as well as the songs of Rodgers and Hart, and Duke Ellington.
The Tony DeSare Trio performed a separate concert on Friday, Nov. 21 for about 175 students from schools in Mancos, Kiva Charter, Cortez and Battlerock.
Students described the concert as “totally rad” and “amazing.” Another wrote to DeSare, “You are awesome and your performance. P.S. Good job and happy birthday.” (It was DeSare’s 39th birthday, and he played “Happy Birthday” while the kids sang to him.)
SouthWest Colorado Concerts also announced that it will host Celebrate!, an evening of local jazz musicians, on Feb. 21. The concert will feature trumpeter Bob Newnam and a host of his friends at the M-CHS auditorium.
The DeSare concert was made possible by a grant from The Ballantine Family Fund.