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The Jeff Jenkins Organ Quartet performs at Sunrise Ranch on April 16, 2022. Photo by: Makena Rhines
The Jeff Jenkins Organ Quartet performed for a captivated audience this past Saturday at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland. The breezy day was accompanied by smooth, funky jazz music and excited concertgoers.
“After two years of Covid and not really having any live music it’s really good to be here.” said Barbara Balok, an audience member who discovered Off the Hook Arts events through her sister, Diane Balok who also attended the event.
This concert is part of Off the Hook Arts Garden Concert Series, a series of monthly musical events featuring various performers hosted at outdoor venues around Northern Colorado.
“I love that they change the types of music, it’s all kinds, and for the money you can’t help but go.” said Barbara Balok. “You get to see different places, this is the first time I’ve heard of Sunrise Ranch and so now I get an opportunity to do some research on what they do here.”
The Jeff Jenkins Organ Quartet features Jeff Jenkins on B3 organ, Jill Frederickson plays percussion, Gabriel Mervine plays the trumpet and Alex Heffron plays the jazz guitar.
The audience tapped their toes and bobbed their heads as the quartet played renditions of Prince and Stevie Wonder. A sparkling lake and rolling hills sat in the background. With blankets covering their laps and eyes glued to the front, the concertgoers listened to bluesy music flow through the breeze.
Audience members applaud the Jeff Jenkins Organ Quartet at Sunrise Ranch on April 16, 2022. Photo by: Makena Rhines
“As musicians, we spend a lot of time alone in practice rooms working on stuff but having things completed and sharing it with an audience, that’s how the music is supposed to be,” said Jeff Jenkins of his performance. “Sharing it with people and then feeling it come back to us is really special.”
Concertgoers enjoying the Jeff Jenkins Organ Quartet at Sunrise Ranch on April 16, 2022. Photo by: Makena Rhines
Covid had a large impact on performing musicians. It caused venues to shut down and audiences to be limited. Off the Hook Arts Executive Director Jephta Bernstein is excited about the opportunities the Garden Concert Series can provide.
“We started this series to feed the Colorado musicians that we love and value and to feature them and to give back to the community,” said Bernstein. “We want to give them an opportunity to experience live music in a communal way again and that’s what these concerts do.”
The next concert in the series will take place on May 7th at Gary Hixon Designs Studio. This tango concert will feature Trios Encuentros and begin at 1:30 pm, with doors open at 1 pm. To purchase tickets please visit https://offthehookarts.org/event/trio-encuentros/.