Fareed Haque 4.5.25
- galaxytenants
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
Indian Hot Springs
Idaho Springs, CO
Words by J. Picard
Photos by Mike Sherry Photo
When I think about my years coming up seeing live music and exploring the realms of Jazz, Jam and in turn Indian Music, there are a collection of formative figures in my life that brought me to these musical ends, and one of those humans is Fareed Haque (Garaj Mahal). I've worked with Fareed on his projects, I've toured with him and included him on super jams. I've gotten to know him and have really come to appreciate equal parts who he is and what he is capable of musically. I worked for years on trying to reunite and eventually reuniting Garaj and coming off of a handful years of not seeing Fareed, I was glad to see Garaj Mahal returning to Denver for Denver Jazz Fest. I connected with Fareed and filled him in on what's been unfolding at Indian Hot Springs, a mere 35 minutes west of Denver, and he was sold. I booked him a cabin, arranged some water amenities and excitedly announced an afternoon solo guitar set in the resort's Sunroom!
As I met with my team on Friday morning, I received a text from Fareed letting me know that he was in the lobby. I headed out of my office to the front desk where I found the professor. We gripped each other up and after checking in we headed to the Sunroom to look at the site renderings for the upcoming development. We talked about the history of the hot springs, we spoke about its future, which will include a stage in an aspen grove, surrounded by natural mineral pools, soaking tubs in the mountains and well-planned communal spaces! I brought Fareed in to meet my team and he spoke about visiting the location years back. Following the introduction, he headed off to his cabin and then down to Denver for soundcheck, as I continued on with my day in paradise!
Saturday came and Fareed hit the Spa while I fielded questions about his set, our set up, what the options were for soaking and more. The lobby was buzzing and around 1:00 PM Fareed made his way to the main part of the resort to set up. As we walked along the front side of the building chatting, I heard a woman say, "Well if it isn't Fareed Haque wandering the streets of Idaho Springs!" I smiled and he greeted his friends. With his small Henriksen Amplifier in tow, we headed to the Sunroom where he set up and interacted with some additional excited folks.
A short time later members of the IHS team and guests alike gathered for a beautiful set from one of the genres' most proficient and creative guitarists. He played his songs, he played Garaj Mahal songs, he joked about the non-existent drummer and bass player and performed a beautiful version of "Halleluiah." It was special to see a musician like Fareed in such a mellow laid back setting. His playing filled the historic space with incredible rhythms and melodies to the delight of those in attendance on that sunny Saturday afternoon.
At one point Fareed launched into some call and response style clapping with Takadimi, a definite first for that space. In looking around the room I saw gratitude, joy, creativity, inspiration and life. It felt like a new time on the historic property and I found myself feeling nostalgic for a past era, inspired by an incredible vision of the hot springs' future and emotional to be a part of the story. Following the set folks made their way to meet one of their favorite guitarists and I gave him a big hug, leaning my head on his shoulder. Fareed hung out and mingled, and I directed folks to their scheduled water amenities before giving a tour to Pete Wall, a wonderful sax player who will perform at Indian Hot Spring at some point in the near future.
It was an incredible afternoon on-site. The team was smiling and playful, the guests were mellow and appreciative, and all was right in that moment and time. I headed back to my office for some water and a moment of reflection. I smiled knowing that Yak Attack, a band from the Pacific Northwest whom I really enjoy, was arriving on-site that night for a stripped down performance the following day. Fareed headed out for dinner on Miner Street and returned to enjoy the natural mineral pool followed by our cedar soaking tub, Zuni. It was meaningful to me to have Fareed on site and I was grateful to my team for the opportunity. Though it felt like we were chapters deep in this story, it was only the beginning. Stay tuned to MusicMarauders and Indian Hot Springs' social media outlets for upcoming event announcements!
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