A recent segment aired on CBS News Colorado takes a deeper look at Denver’s Five Points, the historic neighborhood and jazz hotspot that became known as the “Harlem of the West,” and spotlights some of the area’s most notable landmarks including Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, the historic music venue still operating at 2637 Welton St.
The club now known as Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom was first opened by Denver “Godfather of Jazz” George Morrison in the 1930s as the Casino Ballroom and later became known as The Casino Cabaret, which played host to a who’s who of notable jazz musicians for several decades.
“From the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s… everybody played here,” Cervantes’ co-owner Scott Morrill explains in an interview with the CBS News Colorado team. “Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, they’ve all performed in this room,” adds co-owner Duncan Goodman.
Beyond giving Black performers a stage, The Casino Cabaret provided them with a safe haven while much of Colorado still resisted racial integration. As Goodman explains, “The musicians that would perform here, mostly Black musicians, could not get lodging anywhere else in town. They would stay here on site in these dormitory-style rooms that we have upstairs.”
After closing for a time, the Casino Cabaret was revived by Morrill and Duncan as Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom 22 years ago. It has remained an active hub for all types of live music ever since, making its own name as a foundational piece of the modern Denver music scene. Still, its owners have never lost sight of the history of the space and its importance to the local culture. In addition to various historic memorabilia lining the backstage halls and a large portrait of Louis Armstrong covering one of the venue’s walls, the club still proudly bears the Casino Cabaret’s famous marquee, with the sign for Cervantes’ Masterpiece beneath it.
“Cervantes’ is honored to be featured in the recent news segment on CBS News – Five Points: Then and Now. The building that Cervantes’ occupies, formerly known as The Casino Cabaret, has been hosting live music for nearly 100 years and we are very proud to carry on the tradition of live music in Five Points,” Morrill wrote in a post about the news segment.
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The full Five Points: Then and Now segment goes into the history of Denver’s first predominantly Black neighborhood which became a haven for small businesses, a hub for jazz music and the faith community, and efforts to keep the neighborhood’s rich cultural history alive. Watch the entire segment below.
Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom and its adjacent venue, the Other Side, have tons of concerts coming up including Everyone Orchestra (3/22), The Bluegrass Generals ft. Daniel Donato, Chris Pandolfi, Andy Hall, and more (3/28–3/29), Sir Woman (3/29), ALO with Cris Jacobs Band (4/4), Garaj Mahal with True Loves (4/4), Ghost-Note (4/5), and more. Find a full calendar of upcoming events here.
Five Points: Then and Now – CBS Colorado – Full Segment