Induction Concert & Event

El Chapultepec

(The Pec) operated as one of Denver’s most well-known jazz and blues club at the corner of 20th and Market Streets for 87 years before it closed permanently in 2020. Jerry Krantz, who started as a bartender at The Pec, inherited it in 1958 from his father-in-law, Tony Romano. Krantz operated the venue with no cover charges so that great music was accessible to everyone. In El Chapultepec’s heyday, the club welcomed legendary musicians of all genres, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. After Krantz passed away in 2012, his daughters ran The Pec until its closure; they now operate the El Chapultepec Legacy Project to keep quality live music accessible in Denver.

Greg Gisbert

is a jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who moved from Mobile, Alabama, to Denver in 1971. He performed, toured, and recorded in high school with the 1983-84 McDonald’s All-American High School Jazz Band. While attending the Berklee College of Music, he began to record albums; he has three recordings under his own name on Criss Cross Jazz, a Dutch recording company. A highly respected jazz educator, Gisbert has taught all over the United States, including as faculty at University of Northern Colorado, the Colorado Conservatory for Jazz Artists, University of Denver and Julliard School of Music. He is a founding member of and continues to perform with the cooperative band Convergence.

Eric Gunnison

is a jazz pianist and composer based in Denver since 1980. He has arranged and recorded piano for many artists and toured internationally, accompanying prominent artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nelson Rangell, Roberta Gambarini, Carmen McCrae and the late Ron Miles , a fellow Colorado Music Hall of Famer. Throughout his distinguished career, he has established himself as one of the mainstays within the Denver jazz scene —as a musician, bandleader, composer and educator. Since 1991, Gunnison has also been performing with his own quintet, Wake Up Call, and in Greg Gisbert’s Convergence.

KUVO & Carlos Lando

Known as “The Oasis in the City,” KUVO Jazz (89.3 FM) was founded in Denver in 1985 as a volunteer-led Hispanic-managed public radio station. With close to 8,000 members and 100,000 listeners today, KUVO also broadcasts in Breckenridge on 89.7 FM and in Vail on 88.5 FM. Carlos Lando, most recognized for his 37 years and counting at KUVO, started out at radio stations over 50 years ago in Puerto Rico and New York. At KUVO, Lando has worked as radio host, program director, general manager and president of the station. He helped establish KUVO as one of the world’s best and most respected jazz stations. Lando recently shifted his role from president/general manager to producing, managing and hosting the morning show at the station.

Ellyn Rucker

was a jazz musician and critically-acclaimed vocalist who lived in the Denver area and passed away in 2022. She started performing full-time in 1979 and released several albums through Capri Records. A well-loved Denver musician, Rucker’s unique voice and keyboard skills led her to tour worldwide, including locations such as Holland, Ireland, Germany and China. In Germany, she even had her own fan club.

Ken Walker

is a jazz bassist frequently known as the “first-call” bassist in the Front Range for when performers come to town and need a bassist to accompany them. He played many instruments growing up but started honing his craft during his time at Arkansas Tech. After moving to Denver in 1985, Walker began to perform at El Chapultepec. Since then, he has performed at Telluride Jazz Festival, Jazz Aspen Snowmass and toured around the world. For 28 years now, Walker has taught at University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Since 1999, he has performed with his band, The Ken Walker Sextet.