Thank you to everyone who particpated in the 2008 Weekend of Jazz survey!  Our randomly selected winners are:

1st place | Dennis Precord | Wins an autographed Earl Klugh iPod loaded with music from Weekend of Jazz artists!
2nd place | Karla Wright-Giles | Wins a $50 iTunes gift card & autographed copy of The Spice of Life!
3rd place | Sheila Mitchell | Wins a WOJ blanket & autographed copy of The Spice of Life!
4th place | Julie Nielsen | Wins an autographed copy of The Spice of Life and WOJ CD Sampler!
5th place | Leslie Canfield | Wins an autographed copy of The Spice of Life!

Stay tuned for more Weekend of Jazz news soon!

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Weekend of Jazz Friends:

Yesterday afternoon, we all lost a great friend and colleague, Weekend of Jazz co-founder and former Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Broadmoor, Mike Dimond.  Mike, also known as ‘Shiny’, had wanted to bring jazz back to The Broadmoor during his time there.  Mike reflected, “The Broadmoor is very respectful of tradition, and one of our traditions over the years has been jazz.”  Mike’s vision became a reality in 2003 when he brought Earl Klugh to The Broadmoor to perform, and a few months later in 2004, the first ‘Weekend of Jazz’ was born.

In 2004 while he was on stage introducing Earl to you, the Weekend of Jazz audience, Mike said, “I think you really answered our question: Can we bring jazz back to The Broadmoor and will it be successful?”  Thank you all each and every year for helping us to answer Mike’s question and keeping Weekend of Jazz going strong.  Mike, we will all miss you, and we’ll never forget your smiling face.

From Left: Chris Botti, Mike Dimond, Earl Klugh & Bob James at Earl's first annual Weekend of Jazz at The Broadmoor in 2004.

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Hospitality Industry Morns Loss of Celebrated Leader, Mike Dimond
 
Michael J. Dimond, 67, passed away June 23, 2008 after suffering a heart
attack. Born February 2, 1941 in Lima, Ohio, he was preceded in death by his
brother, Steve, mother, Lee, and father, Ward.  He and wife, Lou, made their
home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Mike graduated from Lima Central
Catholic High School and attended the University of Dayton on a football
scholarship. Widely recognized as one of the top hotel marketing executives
in the nation, Mike’s career spanned over four decades. In addition to The
BROADMOOR, he served in top management and marketing positions with Hyatt
Regency Hotels; the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee; Doral in Miami,
Florida; the Boca Raton Hotel & Club in Boca Raton, Florida; and Caesar’s
Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Mike also served as Senior Vice President of
Marketing for Gaylord Entertainment Company. One of the many milestones of
his illustrious career included the branding and positioning of Opryland
Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, putting Nashville on the map as a
convention destination.
 
Mike retired from The BROADMOOR as the Senior Vice President of Sales and
Marketing in 2006 and was one of the most celebrated leaders in the leisure
and hospitality industry. He believed in giving back to the industry he
loved and was active in numerous professional organizations.  During Mike’s
memorable career, he served on the boards of both the American Society of
Association Executives (ASAE) and Meeting Planners International (MPI). His
many industry honors include the “Academy of Leaders” award from ASAE and
“Supplier of the Year” from MPI, where he also served on the executive
committee. Mike was named “Sales Executive of the Year” for Insurance
Conference Planners and was a member of Hospitality Sales and Marketing
Association International’s (HSMAI) Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was inducted
into the prestigious Convention Industry Council’s
(CIC) Hall of Leaders. In 2004, HSMAI honored Mike as one of “The 25 Most
Extraordinary Sales & Marketing Minds in Hospitality & Travel” for 2003.
 
Mike had an insurmountable love for life and for those who surrounded him.
He was affectionately known to many as “Shiny.”  His passion lives on in
each person he touched and will forever be remembered. 
 
Mike is survived by his wife, Lou; daughter, Debbie Stahl, and husband, Tom, of Columbus, OH;
son, Michael, of Nashville, TN; step daughter, Lucy Swayze, and husband,
Charlie, of Greenwood, MS; step daughter, Jenny Mutter, of San Francisco,
CA;  sister, Carol Mingarelle, and husband, Patrick, of Erie, PA; brother,
Drew, and wife, Nancy, of Nashville, TN; granddaughter, Gabriel, Debbie and
Tom’s daughter; and six nieces and nephews.
 
The memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 26 at St. Paul Catholic Church, 9 El Pomar
Rd., Colorado Springs, 80906.  Prior to the service, there will be a 1 p.m. visitation at St. Paul’s.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the HSMAI -Scholarship Fund at
1760 Old Meadow Rd., Suite 500, McLean, VA
22102 (ph. 703-506-3286).

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NEW in the Weekend of Jazz gallery:

Check out a video clip of Earl Klugh performing OCEAN BLUE from his new album, The Spice of Life!  This clip is LIVE from Weekend of Jazz 2008 and features Earl with The Broadmoor Pops Orchestra, Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, and Nelson Rangell. Hope you enjoy!
 

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Thanks to all of our 2008 Weekend of Jazz at The Broadmoor attendees!

Earl is always thrilled to be your host and he had an incredible weekend this year.  Stay tuned for all the latest Weekend of Jazz news by clicking 'sign up for the e-newsletter' where you will receive a link to our 2008 WOJ survey (giving you a chance to share your thoughts for next year!) and the FIRST announcement of our 2009 Weekend of Jazz dates!

AND a special congrats to SOPHIE MILMAN for winning the 2008 Juno Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album!  Sophie performed Friday evening at Weekend of Jazz and had to leave immediately following her show so she could attend the Juno awards on Saturday.  We are all thrilled to hear the great news!

Weekend of Jazz 08 pictures are up in the GALLERY section!  We'd love to see your photos, too!  Just send us a comment in the 'contact us' form and we'll give you details on where to send them.