Steen recalls the famed Beat writer scribbling on whatever he could find — including paper towel rolls — while soaking in the sounds of Denver’s legendary after-hours jazz clubs. "He was the white guy who was in there, and he was always drunk," Steen says. "Man, he had the filthiest mouth; he was always cursing, drunk and writing up a storm. I remember he’d say, ‘Oh, man, it's the best damn music I've ever heard! This place is the Harlem of the West,' so it was Jack Kerouac who gave Five Points that nickname."
For decades, the neighborhood pulsed with the sound of jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmie Lunceford, Miles Davis, Paul Quinichette and hundreds of other musicians who "came here because there was fertile ground for jazz," Steen says. The city's significance as a center for jazz went well beyond its physical boundaries.
"Five Points was so important because the next-closest place was Los Angeles," Steen says. "Well, I guess technically it was Salt Lake City, but that was nothing but Mormons; you might have counted one or two Black people in the state of Utah. Denver's was a main stop for the Black musicians who were coming West from Kansas City to Los Angeles."
The Rossonian Hotel stood as a beacon, welcoming artists who often faced discrimination elsewhere. Here, musicians could rest, eat and play for audiences that appreciated their art. "Black people still could not get public accommodations in many parts of the country, " Steen says. "Well, when they got here, they found this very nice, vibrant city, which had these people who were very hungry for jazz and welcomed them. It was as though they were making a pilgrimage; it was tantamount to making a pilgrimage to Mecca."
Steen characterizes the early Five Points jazz performances as a celebration of the Black American art form. But as the years passed, gentrification altered the landscape, leaving longtime Black residents and musicians fighting to preserve what remained of their cultural foothold.
"With the exception of the large, historic Black neighborhoods, from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, places are being gentrified into extinction," Steen says. "Those of us who are still left are trying our very, very best to preserve the cultural footprints so that we won't be lost to history in the sands of time."
Jazz in Denver has endured shifting tides. From its Five Points heyday in the mid-twentieth century to the present, the community has had to navigate redlining, urban renewal and the modern real estate boom. Yet, even as Five Points changed, the music never truly left; it just found new homes, smaller venues and passionate stewards determined to keep the flame alive. Among them was Dazzle, a club that evolved from a restaurant playing recorded jazz in the late ‘90s to a full-fledged performance venue.
Dazzle first opened in 1997 at 930 Lincoln Street, where it spent two decades establishing itself as one of the city’s premier jazz venues. After 9/11, then-co-owner Donald Rossa, who retired in 2024, pushed for live music to become the club’s main focus. By 2003, Rossa took over as sole owner, transforming Dazzle into a key fixture in Denver’s jazz ecosystem. The venue continued to grow in stature, attracting national and international artists as well as fostering local talent.
In 2017, Dazzle relocated to the historic Baur’s Building, continuing its tradition of hosting world-class jazz performances while expanding its role in the community. When the pandemic forced venues across the country to close their doors, Dazzle pivoted its efforts to community service, operating a food bank and helping to organize a statewide drum circle as a form of musical solidarity.
In August 2023, Dazzle moved again, this time to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where it now sits at the heart of the city's cultural district. The move represents a return to Dazzle’s roots, emphasizing its commitment to preserving and celebrating jazz while expanding its audience reach.
"Dazzle programs a variety of artists every month, so during Black History Month we make sure Black musicians of different ages and musical styles within jazz are represented," explains Dazzle marketing sirector Kelley Dawkins. "This year, we're thrilled to present a string mix of local and touring artists to represent the diverse sounds of today's jazz. Plus, Purnell Steen & the Five Points Ambassadors' annual Black History Month show is always a favorite amongst our patrons."
ATOMGA will play Dazzle Denvre on February 7 as part of its Black History progamming.
Courtesy of ATOMGA
"Fortunately for myself, I get to live, breathe and be Black History 365 days of the year," says lead vocalist CalySōl. "I’d like to dedicate this show to our most recent trailblazers who joined the rankings of the ancestors in 2024. We honor Quincy Jones, Marlena Shaw, Bernice Reagan, Cissy Houston, Louis Gossett Jr., Nikki Giovanni and many more. I also honor and celebrate the life of Robert Nesta, Bob Marley, as his birthday is the day before our show. Thank you to my dear ancestors for laying the foundation for this black woman."
On Saturday, February 8, ManyColors presents King of Beats: A Tribute to J Dilla, a performance honoring the pioneering hip-hop producer’s jazz-infused beats. Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors return on Wednesday, February 12, reviving the legacy of Five Points with a setlist brimming with history.
"At Dazzle, we are going to replicate quite a few songs from our performances at the MLK parades with the symphony," Steen says. "It will all be Black composers. This music is a part of our heritage; jazz came from the African American Church and is an extenuation of the negro spiritual. Jazz is the only art form that was created in the Western Hemisphere. Everything else is either Eurocentric, Afrocentric, or Sinocentric, but jazz’s roots are deeply embedded in the African American tradition."
Thursday, February 13, will feature Eugenie Jones blending jazz standards, soul and blues in an emotionally charged performance. On Saturday, February 15, Baba Kuboye presents Heartbeats and Afrobeat: Love and Legacy. Christian McBride, an eight-time Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader, will perform at Dazzle from February 17 to 20. Guitarist and producer Adam Hawley will represent the contemporary jazz scene on Friday, February 21, and the month concludes on Friday, February 28 with the Ken Walker Sextet, a group whose decades-long collaboration ensures a purposeful swing performance.
From the swing-era luminaries who played Five Points to the Afrobeat-infused rhythms of ATOMGA, the month showcases the evolving, ever-relevant spirit of Black music. "Five Points was this lighthouse in the vast Rocky Mountain west of jazz music," Steen says. "Denver is still perceived as a cow town way out in the middle of nowhere, but we are a key place for jazz and creative expression."
Learn more and get tickets at dazzledenver.com.
