Wearing an 80th anniversary El Chapultepec T-shirt underneath his striped zipper jacket, John Kudlinski sat in his favorite spot near the back where the music fell peacefully on his ears. Outside, on the other side of the wall behind us, post-game fireworks boomed from Coors Field -- a development that helped sink Kudlinski's favorite dive into the shadows of Denver's memory.
Late on this Friday night, people stepped foot inside of "The Pec" hoping to relive moments that remind them of a Denver they once knew.
"Denver was a special place to grow up in, especially during the '60s and '70s," Kudlinski said. "I couldn't tell you how many nights of my life I spent here listening to jazz. This is a special place to me. When I was your age, I was here."
Kudlinski attended the 87 Foundation's show inside of the old Chapultepec venue that saw legendary musicians pass through in its 87-year history. The show was intended to bring attention to the cultural touchpoints that the city will lose if it does not prioritize the revitalization of arts, culture and nightlife.
"We are trying to honor the space by bringing jazz back into the building while we have it," 87 Foundation Executive Director Stephen Brackett said. "And at the same time, call attention to what is at stake."
While some people shuffled their feet on the checkered floors of The Pec, others waited in line for drinks at a dingy bar set up near a green exit sign. A few sat around the perimeter of the venue, taking in what the space looked like before time caught up to it.
"Before COVID it was much smaller, it had old school booths and it was cash only," said Kevin Ramos, who couldn't miss out on a chance at catching live jazz in The Pec for old times sake. "One of the coolest things about this bar back in the day is that you could be at arm's length from the band members. It just felt really intimate and like you were family or friends."
It was Brian Franke's first time inside of the venue. A recent transplant from Chicago, he came to celebrate a friend's birthday.
"Denver's got a lot of awesome things, but the one thing it doesn't have is nostalgia," Franke said. "It does, but it's not places that people frequent. This is so unique. It reminds me of places that I've been to that are a hundred-plus years old."
Twenty minutes before showtime, headliner Gregory Goodloe, Denver's very own Billboard charting smooth jazz guitarist and Thomas Jefferson High School alum, sat in the back room waiting for his set to begin.
"I'm a prayerful kind of guy so I'm good, there's no jitters," Goodloe said when asked if he was nervous. "One of the unique things about The Pec is that it's so up close and personal. You can personalize yourself with the audience."
Over the years, Goodloe has played inside this venue many times and he understands its footprint on American Jazz history in Denver. He named Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and B.B. King as artists he knew and loved who once played inside these four walls.
Times are different from the times Goodloe could hear jazz throughout Five Points and from inside The Pec.
"Change is good but also try to keep and preserve that which our jazz forefathers have left, because it's always something that you can look back to," Goodloe said. "If you're a musician, it's important for you to continue cultivating the future music but always remember where music started and then continue to blossom from that. Instead of canceling it out."
After the show, Kudlinski stood outside on the corner of 20th and Market while young partygoers could be seen crowding the rooftop bar of El Patio across the street. He pulled his iPhone out to scroll through pictures of El Chapultepec Owner Jerry Krantz and other musicians that he once saw play here.
"It was always special because it was a cool dive but then you knew everybody over time," Kudlinski said. "There was this community that hung out here all the time. The relationships over time brought me back. I hope we preserve the history of this place."
