"The most memorable thing is all the people that I have had the opportunity to meet," Rossa shares, reflecting on the myriad artists and patrons who graced Dazzle's stages. "Whether it was a musician or audience members, my favorite thing to do was sit in a corner and watch what was going on and see how it related to whatever was going on in the world that day."
Before Karen Storck and Miles Snyder opened Dazzle on Lincoln Street in 1997, the space was home to Japanese restaurant Fuji En. Although jazz and community were present from the beginning, Dazzle was primarily a restaurant and bar in its early years, with Snyder creating a relaxed soundtrack using his collection of jazz CDs. Rossa joined the company as a managing partner in 2001, and in the aftermath of September 11, he advocated for live jazz.
"When I first bought Dazzle, it was over on Ninth and Lincoln," recalls Rossa. "It's where all the reporters would hang out, and it was fun to watch them all chatting and working on their stories. And then 9/11 happened, everyone assembled, and it is something that I will never forget — that room full of reporters trying to figure out what just happened, what to write and what to make of it. It was an all-inspiring moment. I had purchased Dazzle not too long before that, and I remember saying, ‘This is just what it's all about. It's just people coming together and creating community.'
Donald Rossa has resigned as president of Dazzle Denver for health reasons but will stay on as an owner in an advisory role.
Courtesy of David Rossa
"Dazzle gives people a platform to express themselves," he continues. "I wanted to celebrate the original American art form: jazz. Those are the beginnings of Dazzle, and I'll never forget those days and our early supporters. [Westword editor] Patricia [Calhoun] was one of those people, as were Penny Parker, other folks from the Denver Post and people from the Rocky Mountain News when they were still in business. It was just great to see the community always come together, and I just wanted to amplify that over the years. I thank the artistic community for inspiring me."
Rossa, who'd previously worked for the Fourth Story, Piatti and Sfuzzi restaurants, wanted to give artists a stage to express themselves. In 2003, he took over as the sole proprietor. Shortly after, he hired general manager Matt Ruff, who has remained in that role as a co-owner. Under Rossa's watchful eye, Dazzle has hosted the likes of Robert Glasper and Benny Golson, and he's guided the venue through multiple relocations, the first of which was in 2017 to the Baur's Building at 1512 Curtis Street.
"We had to leave Ninth and Lincoln because we weren't able to be insured anymore," he says. "It was just a very antiquated building, and it would have needed millions of dollars in renovation, which [for] a jazz club just doesn't make. One of the people that always came was David Spira, who was the owner of the Baur's Building. I had started to think, ‘Do I want to keep going?’ But David made it possible to relocate there. There were big ambitions because Denver was going through a cool period — there was great excitement right before we got hit with that pandemic."
Community members helped Dazzle weather COVID-19 in a variety of ways, including raising funds for its employees through a GoFundMe page and receiving a grant from the Live Music Society. When it came time to renew the lease at Baur's, it seemed like a natural time to transition to a new space. In August 2022, Dazzle announced that it would soon move from the Baur's Building to 1080 14th Street, where it would become a tenant of the Denver Performing Arts Complex under a ten-year lease with Denver Arts & Venues.
One year later, Dazzle officially opened in August 2023.
While the opening was a joyous occasion for the entire team, Rossa was forced to reconsider his relationship with Dazzle after receiving some personal news in October. A physical examination revealed that his heart was getting bigger due to a reduction in oxygen capacity from lung disease and asthma. Around the same time, Rossa was involved in a vehicle accident, which caused additional pain to his shoulders, neck and spinal cord.
"I am rehabbing through these injuries," Rossa wrote on December 28 to Dazzle shareholders in a letter announcing his resignation. "I am understanding (or exploring) my options to increase my oxygen levels. Being in Denver requires the constant use of a concentrator, while living at sea level does not. It is difficult/impossible for me to breathe the Mile High air and be healthy."
This transition isn't a swan song, however, but a new arrangement. Rossa remains an owner and will stay on in an advisory role, ensuring the jazz beat goes on.
Enter Chad Schneider, a trombonist and the new president of Dazzle. Schneider served as a sergeant with the Army Band in Wyoming, New Mexico and Washington, D.C., for twenty years. He recognizes that bringing Dazzle to the Arts Complex gives the venue a proper home as a representation of the city's jazz scene. Now, he says, he's eager to be “taking this and adding the next level of beauty.”
"Chad is a wonderful human being," Rossa says. "As for advice, I would just tell Chad what I have learned while running Dazzle. The first piece of advice, which my staff helped me understand, was to listen more. Chad and I had a meeting the other day, and I told him, 'The most important thing you can do is just go out and listen to people who come into the club, because they will tell you exactly how to run your business.' They will tell you whether it's good or bad, and we have an obligation to listen. The next piece of advice we came up with was to love people as much as you possibly can. Finally, give more of yourself. We can be takers, but I believe it is better to be givers."
Schneider will be aided by Rossa, along with Matt Ruff, owner and chief of operations; executive chef Mario Acevedo; music director Nicholas Moulds; marketing director Kelley Dawkins; and production director Colten Mendelson.
"A heartfelt thank you to Austin Andres and Jan Cleveland, who are leaving the ownership team as well," Rossa adds. "These two people helped lead DazzleJazz, Inc. from the beginnings of Dazzle at Baur’s to the opening of Dazzle at the Performing Arts Complex. As a group, we accomplished a vision of delivering jazz, the community's music and sound, to a cultural institution in Denver, Colorado. We have been blessed with your belief and contribution to DazzleJazz, Inc. I seek your continued support for the new leadership of DazzleJazz, Inc. Remembering that every stone on the tables at Dazzle represents you as the building blocks of Dazzle at the Performing Arts Complex."
As Rossa prepares to take his final bow at Dazzle, his hashtags (#LISTENMORE, #LOVEMORE, #LIVEMORE and #GIVEMORE) echo as a testament to his ethos. In the end, Rossa's legacy at Dazzle isn't just about the music; it's about the community, the connections, and the indelible mark he's left on Denver's cultural landscape.
"I've gotten to work with the best people in the world over the past 24 years," he says. "They have such creative minds, and I have enjoyed pushing all of these people forward. Dazzle has been creating a community for people to come together, celebrate music, have a little food and a little bit of drink if they wish. ... I love my Lord, and I love my life. I’ve just tried to give people the stage to express themselves. I love that every show at Dazzle is truly never the same — it's been an honor to make space for people to do what they do best in Denver."
