"I was the first black to get a contract with the Major Orchestra," he said.

But, as Burrell waited to get that contract with the Denver Symphony in 1949, he worked a number of jobs, including accepting "gigs" at jazz clubs in Five Points.

"I was playing jazz all the time, and that helped me put beans on the table," Burrell said, while sitting on his front porch.

It wasn't long before word of the masterful bass player spread around Five Points and Burrell became the house bassist for the famous Rossonian Hotel on Welton Street.

By that time, the neighborhood had become known as "The Harlem of the West" for its active jazz scene. And the Rossonian attracted legendary musicians.

"The people who played in fancy downtown Denver (hotels) were not allowed to stay in those places," said Charleszine Terry Nelson of the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. "So they came back to Five Points for housing and stayed at the Rossonian."

Jazz89 KUVO Programming Director Carlos Lando says the jazz scene in Five Points lasted well into the 1950s.

"The music changed. It was bee bop and hard bop," said Lando. "There were a few places that closed down, (including) the Rossonian."

The once-lively place became the home for several businesses before being gutted and abandoned. Now owned by Denver-based development company Civil Technology, Inc., there could be a new future on the horizon for the Rossonian and the music scene in Five Points.

"We're looking at restoring it to a live jazz venue," Civil Technology, Inc. Senior Associate James Ellis said.

Burrell says if that happens, he'll be one among the first people to play there.

"Even if I had to crawl up there," he said, "I'd be the first one up and saying 'thank you.'"

In celebration of Black History Month, 9NEWS Reporter TaRhonda Thomas and Photojournalist Byron Reed produced a five-part series on the Five Points Neighborhood, airing all week on 4 O'clock at 9NEWS.