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.
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. 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, and expanded to include a multitude of family oriented activities such as face painting and a pop-culture classroom.Cultural Significance
Five Points has a rich jazz history, 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, an effort to "re-create the energy of jazz in Five Points like it was decades ago", and something "important to community and the jazz community”
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.
- Cleo Parker Robinson, founder of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and major figure in the Denver arts scene.
- Carlos Lando, longtime KUVO music director and advocate for Colorado jazz.