Denver jazz great, the late Phil Urso, hamming it up with fellow members
of the Elliot Lawrence Band in this rare 1950 8mm home movie.

This happy, short clip features Howie Mann, Joe Techner and Phil Urso
in suspenders.

Phil Urso had a great tone, somewhere between Lester Young and Sonny
Rollins. He played with many jazz legends but is best known for his mid-’50s
sides with Chet Baker.

Here is a much longer clip of the Elliot Lawrence Band from 1949, touring
around Golden, Lookout Mountain, Mt. Evans (Urso showing up at the top of
the mountain around 5:50 & 6:15), then off to Utah where Phil Urso and Jimmy
Padget look parched (at 7:50). Phil shows up one more time at about 9:15!

One last clip, the first solo on this wonderful Elliot Lawrence recording
Elevation is Phil Urso on tenor. Dig that tone!!

(Ronnie Montrose: top, unknown: bottom left, Rick Palan: middle, Ron Akers: right)

Ronnie Montrose, circa 1966, in Denver band The Grim Reapers (or sometimes called
The Grim Reapers of the New World).

Ronnie wasn’t born in Denver, but moved here when he was two. He got his first guitar in 1964 and formed the Grim Reapers a year or so later. After the Reapers, Ronnie moved to San Francisco and formed the band Sawbuck, landed the guitar spot on Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, joined the Edgar Winter Band, then formed his most famous group Montrose with singer Sammy Hagar.

(photo borrowed from Grand Junction Free Press)

The soon-to-be-opened Mauki Tiki Bar on S. Broadway reminds me to post some photos
of the Safari Supper Club, an exotic ’60s-era night club in Ft. Collins, owned and run by
Bob Swerer, also the leader of the house band.

I just determined that building that housed this night club still survives, I will post a photo
when the weather cooperates.