Vol. 26 No. 18
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With horn in hand
July 2017
Longtime Broadmoor entertainer Ebhardt spreads joy of music to CSU-Pueblo students
By Anthony Welch
P
ueblo West resident Al Eberhardt entertained hotel patrons at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs for three decades with his jazz band, The Changing Times. It was a dream come true when you don’t have to haul gear. We were in the tavern; you just walked in and played,” Eberhardt said. Plus, it was a classy place. You never saw a fight. You never saw drunks. It was kind of a family environment.” The Changing Times averaged around 220 performances a year, not only at the Broadmoor, but all around the Front Range, Everhardt said. Not only did the experience provide a way for Eberhardt to make an income playing music, it also helped to groom his son as an up-and-coming drummer. “Eric was having trouble in middle school, but his drum set kind of kept him balanced. In high school, he was getting better and better. His choice was heavy metal then. I didn’t care as long as he was doing something constructive,” he said. “He would sit in at the Broadmoor at age 15. He had the rhythm, the feel, great time ... He never rushed; never dragged. He kicked us up another level. Plus, he looked like Russell Crowe, and all the girls loved it. These days, while he doesn’t perform as often, Eberhardt works at Colorado State University-Pueblo as Artist-in-Residence and teaches as a professor of trumpet and jazz studies. He’s been with the college since 1999. “I absolutely love teaching at the college level as I feel I can help students achieve their musical dreams,” Eberhardt said. He has found time this past year to hit the studio with his son and some friends to record an album – “Pop-A-Jazz,” since his grown kids always called him “Pop” and his son Eric is the album’s executive producer. In celebration of the new album, Eberhardt will perform July 9 at the Olympian Plaza Reception/Performance Room for the Pikes Peak Jazz & Swing Society’s second Sunday of the month, 1-4 p.m. event. The venue is located at Union and
Above, Al Eberhardt records trumpet tracks in the studio. Left, Al is pictured in his younger days as a part of the Broadmoor band The Changing Times. Courtesy photos
See EBERHARDT, page 5
Ready to tee off Sixth annual Octogenarian Golf Tournament is July 24 See Page 6
Fitness Over 50 Warming up for a safe summer
See Page 12