Denver’s Historic Five Points District will be home to the
“After Five Jazz & Blues Festival 2008” this August during the Democratic
National Convention.
From the 1920s to 1950s, Denver’s Five Points was heralded
as a “Jazz Mecca.” It was hoppin’ with dozens of clubs, restaurants and hotels
serving hot, live jazz to hip crowds who migrated along Welton Street. In
addition to local and regional talent, jazz legends like Louie Armstrong,
Billie Holliday, Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole graced the stage and put
Denver on the map as the “Harlem of the West.”
To celebrate Denver’s diverse cultures and share with
visitors this storied past, a monumental music event will be held in Five
Points from August 23 - 29, to coincide with the 2008 Democratic National
Convention, when an estimated 60,000 visitors are expected to ascend on the
city.
Produced by After 5 LLC, the festival is being organized by
Five Points entrepreneurs Sheila King and Carl Bourgeois of Civil Technology,
Inc., Bee Harris publisher and owner of the Denver Urban Spectrum newspaper,
Becky Taylor, voice of numerous jazz stations throughout the country, Lu Vason
of Lu Vason Presents, Inc., Vernon Barbary of Vbass, LLC and Tamara Banks with
Taz Media, LLC.
The 2008 festival will continue an eight-year tradition of
putting on jazz concerts in the Five Points District. In the past, their much anticipated
one-day festivals have attracted thousands of guests and featured
internationally celebrated musicians such as Hugh Masekela, Jonathan Butler, Najee,
and Alex Bugnon.
The “After Five Jazz and Blues Festival 2008” musical
line-up will be stellar, representing jazz, blues, Latin jazz, African jazz,
gospel and old school jams. Negotiations with artists for the 2008 festival are
underway. The festival will kick off the weekend before the DNC convention with
afternoon performances. Then, during the week, attendees can look forward to
premier performances after 5 p.m.
A limited number of festival tickets will be sold to the
public. Visit DenverJazzFestival2008.com for current information about tickets
and performers.
SIDEBAR:
What: “After
Five Jazz & Blues Festival 2008”
Why: To
celebrate the cultural legacy of Denver’s Five Points and share the history of
this former “Jazz Mecca”
Who: After
Five, LLC business group
Where: Downtown
Denver’s Historic Five Points District
When: August
23 -29, the week surrounding the 2008 Democratic National Convention
