For over 30 years, Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors have been dedicated to preserving and playing the Jazz and Blues music of Denver's legendary Five Points neighborhood, and they are regulars at Dazzle.
Charles Burrell is a classical and jazz bass player who was the first Black member of a major U.S. symphony, first with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, and then the San Francisco Symphony. He was a prominent musician in Five Points when it was referred to as "The Harlem of the West" and was the house bass player at the Rossonian Hotel during that era.
In 2017, he was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, and in 2022, The Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts Campus was opened in Aurora, CO.
Purnell Steen and the Five Points Ambassadors are honored to perform for Mr. Burrell at his 104th birthday party. Although performing for dignitaries is nothing new for them (in September 2022, they spent a week lecturing in Denver's Sister City, Brest, France as part of a cultural exchange, and in 2008 they played at the National Convention for the Clintons and other notables), Purnell holds a special place in his heart for playing for his cousin, Charlie Burrell.
A commemorative CD that Charles Burrell made with Purnell Steen will be available for $10.
Purnell Steen - Piano
Ed Stephen - Acoustic Guitar
Ron Bland - Bass
Vohn Regensburger - Brazilian Guitar
Bill Larson - Drums
