Colorado Jazz Party Canceled

Dick Gibson, whose world-famous jazz parties in Colorado have been a national institution annually since 1963, will not be holding his party this year. He was released last week from a Denver hospital, where he had undergone open heart surgery.

Gibson’s parties were based on a then-unique premise: He hand-picked a group of world class musicians, presenting them in various combinations every Labor Day Weekend, for an audience that paid a substantial fee (last year it was $265 per person) to hear 32 hours of mainstream jamming.

Reached at his home, Gibson stated that his operation was “a complete success,” and that he hopes to resume the party next year. Originally staged in either Vail or Aspen, the events have been held for the past decade at a hotel in Denver, with as many as 60 musicians taking part.