Purnell Steen, a joyous Colorado jazz pianist-bandleader and tireless civil rights advocate, died on Nov. 18. He was 84.
Steen was seemingly always illuminating Denver area stages with his formidable keyboard skills and graceful wisdom. His website lists a show with one of his bands, Purnell Steen & The Five Points Ambassadors, at Dazzle earlier this month. Despite increasing health issues, he made the gig.
Born on April 15, 1941, at Denver’s Mercy Hospital, Steen was attracted to music as a young child, telling the Colorado Music Experience podcast that he was given a toy piano at the age of 3.
“The black keys were painted on,” he said.
Steen studied music at Denver’s East High School and the University of Colorado Boulder before establishing himself on the local music scene.
Several of his relatives were also music luminaries: Colorado bassist Charles Burrell, who broke the color barrier in the Denver Symphony and died earlier this year at 104; influential jazz fusion keyboardist George Duke; fabled saxophonist-blues singer Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson; and vocalist and multiple Grammy recipient Dianne Reeves were all his cousins.
Bassist Andrew Hudson, who worked with Steen for years, told The Denver Post the pianist had a rigorous work schedule up until the end.
“He was the kind of guy who would play two church services on a Sunday, a funeral on Tuesday, a jazz gig on Thursday and Friday, then he’d go perform with the Symphony on Saturday. And he might have a wedding in between there as well. He told me many times he was put on this Earth to make music, and that’s certainly what he did,” said Hudson, who is also a former spokesman for politicians, companies and agencies.
Steen was committed to civil rights, dating back to the 1960s, as a member of the NAACP National Board of Youth and the Congress of Racial Equality. And he was a lifetime booster of the creative culture that was fostered in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, which dated back to before he was born.
His groups, The Five Points Ambassadors and Le Jazz Machine, often appeared on Denver stages, showcasing the swinging music he loved so deeply. And Steen was always enthusiastic about presenting new local jazz talent.
“Purnell was one of those guys who you just thought was going to last for eternity,” Hudson said. “He’s been around for so long, and he’s been such a staple in not just the jazz community, but the Denver community.”
During an online performance recorded in 2021, Steen said, “One thing that I love about jazz is that it is very intergenerational, and jazz really is one of the greatest art forms because it transcends socioeconomic distinctions; also, it transcends all ethnic distinctions.
“And jazz is what it is – it’s America’s music, it was invented here. The only art form created in the Western Hemisphere. It is distinctly American.”
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