Charles Burell

Charles Burrell (October 4, 1920 – June 17, 2025) was an American classical and jazz bass player most prominently known for being the first African American to be a member of a major American symphony (the Denver Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Colorado Symphony). For this accomplishment, he is often referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of Classical Music".

Early life, family and education Charles Burrell was born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Depression-era Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Denverado, was the daughter of an African Methodist Episcopal Church minister from Denver, Colorado.

In grade school, Burrell excelled in music. When he was twelve years old, he heard the San Francisco Symphony under renowned conductor Pierre Monteux on his family's crystal radio and vowed to one day play as a member of the orchestra under his direction. He earned a teaching certificate at University of Denver. and attended classes at Northwestern University and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

In 1949, Burrell joined his mother's relatives in Denver, Colorado. In 1959, he fulfilled his dream of playing for Pierre Monteux by joining the San Francisco Symphony as its first African-American musician, Returning to Denver, he re-joined its symphony orchestra, playing with them for decades, retiring in 1999.

According to Jet magazine and Indianapolis Recorder articles in 1953, Burrell quit playing in the Denver Symphony to become the bass player in Nellie Lutcher's band. He was a prominent jazz player in the scene of Five Points, Denver and was featured in the PBS documentary on the subject. He rose to be a central player in the Five Points jazz scene by becoming the house bass player at the Rossonian Hotel, considered the "entertainment central" spot in Five Points during that era. He shared the stage with jazz legends such as Fats Waller, as well as Gene Harris.

He was also noted as the teacher and mentor of bass player Ray Brown and multi-Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves, a niece of his. Keyboardist George Duke, a cousin, also credited Burrell for being the person that convinced him to give up classical music and switch to jazz. Duke explained that he "wanted to be free" and Burrell "more or less made the decision for me" by convincing him to "improvise and do what you want to do".

He continued to perform well into his 90s, including playing live in the studio of prominent Jazz radio station KUVO, and was one of the two grand marshals that led the kick-off parade at the Five Points Jazz Festival. In 2021, he appeared in the documentary film JazzTown.

Burrell died on June 17, 2025, at the age of 104.

Awards and tributes In 2008, he received a Denver Mayor's award for excellence in Arts and Culture. In 2011, he received a Martin Luther King Jr. humanitarian award. Prominent Jazz radio station KUVO broadcast a tribute concert to him on his birthday. Congresswoman Diana DeGette also led a tribute to him on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in honor of his 90th birthday, referring to him as a "titan of the classical and jazz bass". In 2021, Aurora Public Schools in Colorado announced that their new arts magnet school would be named after him. The Charles Burrell Visual and Performing Arts Campus opened for the 2022–2023 school year.

Discography Don Ewell: Denver Concert (Pumpkin) Marie Rhines : Tartans & Sagebrush (Ladyslipper) Whiskey Blanket: No Object Joan Tower / Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop – Fanfares For The Uncommon Woman (Koch International Classics) "Charles Edward Burrell : Charlie Burrelli And His Trio Featuring Helyne Stewart" ) Sight And Sound Records – SS-1001)