In The Pocket: The Ballad of Bobby Trombone

In The Pocket: The Ballad of Bobby Trombone 

A co-creation of Emancipation Theater Company and Theatre Artibus
Written by Jeff Campbell 
Story Consultation/ Direction by Artibus
Music by AkilCast: Jeff Campbell, Danette Hallowell, Shane Franklin, Wesley Watkins

In the Pocket: The Ballad of Bobby Trombone imagines life at the historic Rossonian Hotel, located at the pinnacle of Five Points, Denver’s historic Black neighborhood in the 1950s. Three employees tell the story of Five Point's rich jazz history and how it earned the nickname “The Harlem of the West” in a comedic, fictionalized account of historic facts. The characters in the story offer a glimpse into being a Black resident of Denver who lived, worked, struggled, and thrived in Five Points during the Jazz era. 

‘In the pocket’ is a term to describe when a musician or band finds a groove. In the play, Bobby Trombone, the Rossonian’s head concierge, explains to a young bellhop on his first day on the job, “We do it like jazz. That’s the pocket, the rhythm, keep in time, be on time, adapt and improvise, until it’s check out time... Bellhoppin’ is just like jazz.”

Supported by Denver Arts & Venues through a Five Points Jazz activation grant.