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This is the first in a series of profiles of street performers.
Jentry McCombs has taken to the streets of Denver with a mission: to enlighten the people with real music and to stop the spread of “noise pollution” created by novice street performers.
McCombs, the self-proclaimed “best street performer in all of Denver,” has been playing his flute on the streets for over 25 years; he says he’s learned his craft from the best instructors across the country. About fifteen years ago, he moved to Colorado from Washington, D.C., to spread his love of music and to help show the world what a real, talented street performer can do. To reach a larger audience, McCombs plays all types of music — jazz, classical, even hip-hop.
A benefit of the street gigs? McCombs has had the opportunity to meet thousands of people. He’s played at weddings, in churches — even earned an all-expenses-paid trip to perform at Carnegie Mellon University just because a professor at the music school heard him playing on the streets in D.C.
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McCombs plays almost every day on the 16th Street Mall. His favorite locations are the Tremont food court and in front of the Dairy Queen on Champa.
He’s released a CD titled Jazz on 16th Street, which he dedicated especially to Denver.
