Five Points Jazz Festival

Five Points Jazz Festival was an annual free outdoor jazz celebration held in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood from 2003 to 2024. Originally a small community event, the festival grew to include more than 50 bands across 10 plus stages, attracting 100,000 attendees in its later years.[1]

History

The festival was launched in 2003 in the parking lot of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, and despite being hit with a snowstorm was considered a success.[2][3] By the 2020s, it had grown to be considered one of "two internationally-known annual celebrations" in Five Points, together with the Juneteeth Music Festival,[4] and expanded to include a multitude of family oriented activities such as face painting and a pop-culture classroom.[5]

Cultural Significance

Five Points has a rich jazz history,[6] with past performances in the area by Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and Charlie Parker. The festival was viewed as a celebration of the musical and cultural history of the neighborhood [7][8] [9] ,[10][11] an effort to "re-create the energy of jazz in Five Points like it was decades ago",[12] and something "important to [the Five Points] community and the jazz community” [13] as a way to help preserve its history.

Grand Marshals and Honorees

Each year, the festival began with a parade led by grand marshals chosen for their cultural contributions. Notable figures who have served as grand marshals include:

  • Charles Burrell (musician), a pioneering bassist often referred to as the “Jackie Robinson of classical music.” He served as a grand marshal of the Five Points Jazz Festival.[14]
  • Cleo Parker Robinson, founder of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and major figure in the Denver arts scene.[15]
  • Carlos Lando, longtime KUVO music director and advocate for Colorado jazz.[15]

Closure

In 2024, the City of Denver announced that the festival would be discontinued and replaced by the Five Points Jazz Activation Fund, a grant program intended to support jazz performances and education in the neighborhood year-round. The city's decision to discontinue the festival sparked a mixed response. While some applauded the new year-round support model, others criticized the loss of the festival. [16][17][18]

References

  1. ↑ "Five Points Jazz Festival Returns To In-Person Performances". CBS News Colorado. CBS News. 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  2. ↑ Wolf, Stephanie. "How Five Points came to be the 'Harlem of the West'".
  3. ↑ Criado, Justin. "Five Points Jazz Festival Turns Twenty". Westword.
  4. ↑ Brooks, Matt. "Five Facts About Five Points". NBA.com.
  5. ↑ Solomon, Jon; Moulton, Katie. "Five Points Jazz Festival and Project Pabst Come to Denver This Weekend". Westword.
  6. ↑ "The past, presence and future of jazz in Five Points". Denver7. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  7. ↑ Lonely Planet USA. Lonely Planet Global Limited. 2018. ISBN 9781787019515.
  8. ↑ St. John, Kathleen. "Best Bets: Five Points Jazz Festival". The Denver Post.
  9. ↑ Hazel, Kori. "The Five Points Jazz Festival Returns for 15th Anniversary". 303 Magazine.
  10. ↑ "History of Five Points Neighborhood". PBS.
  11. ↑ Moore, John. "Time to get joyful – and jazzy – in Five Points". Denver Gazette.
  12. ↑ Saunders, Bret. "Jazz fest relives heady Five Points era". The Denver Post. Cite error: Unknown parameter ""dp2007" in <ref> tag; supported parameters are dir, follow, group, name (see the help page).
  13. ↑ "Show Review: Five Points Jazz Fest Turns 20". Americana Highways. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  14. ↑ "The Longest Walk: Three Powerful Insights From the Extraordinary Life of Jazz Legend Charles Burrell". Denver Weekly News. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  15. 1 2 Herrera, Vincent (2024-06-06). "Everything You Need to Know About Denver's 2024 Five Points Jazz Festival". Westword. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  16. ↑ Herrera, Vincent (2024-11-21). "Denver Five Points Jazz Festival to End, Replaced by Grants Program". Westword. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  17. ↑ Velasquez, Kate (2024-11-22). "Denver cancels Five Points Jazz Festival, announces new jazz programming". Rocky Mountain PBS. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  18. ↑ "Musician reacts to Five Points Jazz Festival cancellation". 9News. Gray Digital Media. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
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