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Purnell Steen, Denver Five Points Jazz Mainstay, Dies at 84

The pianist anchored the Five Points jazz tradition through decades of performances with his Ambassadors.

Overview

  • Friends and colleagues said he died Tuesday, Nov. 18, at age 84, with his publicist calling their partnership a labor of love.
  • Steen led the Five Points Ambassadors for more than 30 years, sustaining the neighborhood’s celebrated jazz lineage.
  • He kept a regular presence at Dazzle with Friday brunch sets and performed there earlier this month despite health challenges.
  • In June he paid tribute to his cousin Charlie Burrell, the groundbreaking bassist who joined the Denver Symphony in 1949.
  • A Denver East High School graduate who performed internationally, he was remembered for civil rights advocacy and mentoring local talent, while memorial details have not yet been announced.