Serving the community since 1926
WEEK OF MAY 25, 2023
VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 27
$2
GETTING JAZZY
State sees growth in smaller communities
Five Points Jazz Festival returns for 20th year BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When saxophone player Rico Jones was just 14 years old, he got to jam alongside drummer Tom Tilton and jazz pianist Joe Bonner at Brother Jeff ’s Cultural Center in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. “Joe had performed with artists like Woody Shaw and Pharaoh Sanders,” Jones said. “It was one of the first times I was so close to the authentic lineage of the music. I was beyond inspired.” That was 2012. Today, Jones — a Latin-Indigenous artist who was born and raised in Denver — has been recognized with more than 10 national awards. He is one of about 40 musical artists slated to perform at this year’s Five Points Jazz Festival. The event runs from noon to 8 p.m. on June 10. It will feature 10 indoor and outdoor stages along Welton Street between 25th and 29th streets. The day kicks off with a parade led by the Guerilla Fanfare Brass Band. Attendees will also find food vendors, a kid’s zone and artisan booths. “People love a great music festival,” said Sonia Rae, the cultural affairs program manager for Denver Arts & Venues, which puts on the festival. “There’s a powerful and rich jazz community here in Denver – some of the finest local musicians are playing the festival.” The festival is free and will feature a variety of jazz genres: Latin jazz, smooth jazz, soul, avant-garde, jazz SEE JAZZY, P4
Larger cities level off, Census Bureau finds BY ELLIOTT WENZLER AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN
Colorado’s smaller cities and towns saw the greatest growth from 2020 to 2022, new U.S. Census Bureau estimates show, while the state’s largest cities and ski towns saw declining or stable populations. In Elbert County, the population of Elizabeth rose from 1,717 to 2,285 from 2020 to 2022, a 33.1% increase. The changes come as Colorado’s population ages and people search for more affordable housing, state demographer Elizabeth Garner said. Keenesburg, a Weld County town along Interstate 76 about 40 miles northeast of Denver, logged the most growth with a 65% population explosion over two years. That town grew to 2,080 in 2022 from 1,258 in 2020. The census estimates released Thursday are based on births, deaths, people moving in and out and the number of housing units, Garner said. So they aren’t based on survey data like the census taken every 10 years or the annual American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Previous estimates showed the Rico Jones performing at the 2022 Five Points Jazz Festival.
COURTESY OF RICO JONES
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 11
LEADING IN TRAILS
Navigating Colorado’s bicycle trail network
P14
SEE GROWTH, P2