In the ’40s, the music coming out of Denver’s Five Points was celebrated as “cool, crazy and hot” by disc jockey Leroy Smith on KIMN radio. And things were jumping in the “Harlem of the West,” where every big name from the jazz world would stop for lodging and a chance to play onstage at one of the neighborhood’s respected establishments, like the legendary Casino.
The old jazz clubs are gone, but the spirit of the music and community endures for the 7th annual Five Points Jazz Festival today. Some of Denver’s most talented improvisers will give free performances throughout the day.
Gina Rubano, Denver special events coordinator, gets excited talking about everything she’s helped to plan for the festival. There’s no question that these events are buoyed by her enthusiasm for jazz, inspired by her octogenarian father Decio, a drummer who schooled her in the greats when she was growing up in the city.
“Most people in my age group listened to the Rolling Stones,” she said. “I didn’t even know who they were. But I could tell you about Louis Armstrong.”
Rubano is pleased about the scheduled “Pianorama,” a series of good-natured piano duels inspired by similar events in New Orleans, which will take place at Crossroads in Five Points. Local pianists Jeff Jenkins, Eric Gunnison, Ellyn Rucker, Purnell Steen and more will be “riffing off of each other. It should be really exciting,” Rubano said.
There will also be tributes to three pioneering figures in Denver’s creative community: the late Leroy Smith, percussionist Ray Pacheco (Rubano calls him “the Dean of Denver’s Latin musicians”) and teacher/choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson. “Her studio is in Five Points,” Rubano said. “People know her more outside of Denver than they do here.”
And the next generation of musicians should be well represented, too. Students from Denver Public Schools will play on KUVO-FM and on stage. “They’ve been playing all around town, getting ready for their debut (at the festival),” according to Rubano. “We’re hoping that this student program will continue year after year.”
It’s encouraging to see and hear about a new generation of musicians taking part in the Five Points tradition. Festivals like this are rare enough, particularly those that are free. But Rubano believes this investment in Denver’s cultural heritage is worthwhile.
“Jazz is one of the true American art forms,” she said. “We don’t want to lose that and we’re lucky to see the celebration in Five Points.”
(The Five Points Jazz Festival begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, at venues along Welton Street. Find out more at .)
