It’s A Wrap…The 2024 Rocky Mountain Guitar Festival

Jazz Guitar Today contributor Joe Barth pays a visit to the Rocky Mountain Guitar Festival 2024.

All photos by Mike Oria

Guys whose fingers are usually flying all over the neck of a guitar, flew to Denver, Colorado, September 12-15, 2024 for the Rocky Mountain Guitar Festival sponsored by Henriksen Amplifiers.  Held at the Hilton Garden Inn in the old town section of Arvada, there were four days of music and seminars, all centered around the archtop guitar. All in all, there were forty-six performers (Bruce Forman, Jimmy Bruno, Rodney Jones, Frank Vignola, Howard Alden, and so many more space doesn’t allow to name), twenty-four luthiers, and over three hundred total in attendance.

On the Main Stage, Thursday evening began with two performances, Taylor Roberts first, then Jimmy Bruno and Larry Tamani in a duet.  Simultaneously across the way at the Silver Vines café, five other guitarists were performing 30-minute segments with a rhythm section of bass and drums.

Friday morning started with a visual Presentation of the New Generation of the Blue Guitars.  In the 1990s, guitar collector Scott Chinery, commissioned many of the leading luthiers of the day to build an 18-inch archtop in the same shade of blue as the Blue Centura Deluxe guitar that luthier Jimmy D’Aquisto built.  Thus, the initial Blue Guitar collection. This Friday morning the new additional Blue Guitars were visually unveiled to be performed at a special performance Saturday afternoon. For the rest of the day various luthiers had different guitarists demonstrate their archtop guitars in half-hour increments.  Friday’s luthiers were Benoit Lavoie, Smocke, Eastman, Phoenix, LHT, and Benedetto guitar companies with additional presentations by Linda Manzer and Mario Beauregard. In addition to the luthier presentations, there were fifteen one-hour seminars by leading guitarists in various conference rooms in the hotel.  

Friday noon, a special presentation was made to guitarist Dale Bruning for his long and fruitful career as both a guitarist and educator. As a performer, Bruning shared the stage with the “who’s who” of jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Erroll Garner, Red Norvo, Jim Hall, Johnny Smith, and others.  As an educator, Bruning taught guitarists Bill Frisell, Bob Gillis and many others.

On the Main Stage Friday evening there were six guitarists playing half-hour sets with organist Tom Amend and drummer Todd Reid. While this was going on, other guitarists were performing at three different cafes in the neighborhood.

Saturday, independent luthiers Martin Tremblay, Tim Frick, Tad Brown, D’Arcy Blake, as well as Mirabella, Sonntag, and Rancourt guitars, continued to demonstrate their instruments in half-hour presentations. Mid-day, there was a special four-guitar concert of female guitarists Beth Marlis, Joclyn Gould, Lisa Liu, and Alicyn Yaffee. While all this was happening, fourteen guitarists were giving one-hour seminars in various hotel conference rooms.  

Mid-afternoon Saturday, the next generation of Blue Guitars was presented in a special musical performance where a number of the guitarists, either solo or in duet, performed the songs from the classic Miles Davis recording Kind of Blue on the Blue Guitars. Then, at 4:30, luthier Linda Manzer gave a presentation on her 50 years of guitar building including the special baritone guitar that she just built Pat Metheny that was used in his new recording MoonDial.

Saturday evening, the conferees could enjoy a three-hour concert of various Benedetto players with a rhythm section or visit the neighborhood cafes where various other conference guitarists were performing.

Sunday luthiers Murray Kuun, Theo Scharpach, Bill Fremediti, and Harvest Guitars presented their instruments as well as four guitarists giving hour-long seminars in various conference rooms completed the conference.

On Sunday late afternoon and evening, those performing guitarists and luthiers who stuck around could enjoy pizza, beer, blue ice cream (in honor of the Blue Guitars), and some wonderful guitar jammin’ and conversation at the Pickin’ Parlor, a vintage guitar shop a block or so away from the hotel.

All of this became a reality because of the hard work of Peter Henriksen of Henriksen Amplifiers, his wife, and staff.  The next Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival will be in two years.  So, mark September of 2026 in your calendars to take in some fantastic guitar playing and beautiful archtop guitars.

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