NOLA Jazz Band at the RME Courtyard -- July 23.
Saturday, July 23, 6 p.m.
River Music Experience Courtyard, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Following their successful late-winter performance in Davenport's Redstone Room, the exuberant musicians of the NOLA Jazz Band will deliver an equally hot set during their July 23 concert in the River Music Experience's outdoor courtyard, the group's members dedicated to exposing audiences to traditional jazz music, its history, and its emotion.
From their 2015 debut in The Basement venue of The Des Moines Social Club, the NOLA Jazz Band has been in demand across the greater Midwest. Its gifted musicians have played numerous festivals across Iowa and the Midwest, and are highly sought after for larger private events in the Des Moines area. The ensemble also continues to build their reputation regionally and across the United States, and its members have been inducted into the Iowa Jazz and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The NOLA Jazz Band has also played at well-known Jazz clubs such as Spotted Cat in New Orleans and the Iridium and Smalls in New York City, with musical groups and artists the band has recently played with including Davina & the Vagabonds, Bria Skonberg, Dom Flemons, and Marla Dixon & the Shotgun Jazz Band.
At present, the NOLA Jazz Band is composed of band leader, clarinet and soprano saxophone player, and vocalist JeffKane; cornet player and vocalist Scott David; trombonist and vocalist Myron Peterson; vocalist Abbie Sawyer; bass player Chris Walsh; pianist Jamie Poulson; drummer John Spike; and guitarist Josh Gorman. The musicians released their first album NOLA Jazz Band Vol. 1: Genesis – Live from the ARK in March of 2016, which was followed by 2018's NOLA Jazz Band: Fat Tuesday LIVE, and all of the band's members have a common love for the feel of both traditional and current New Orleans based music – real, gutsy, raw, heartfelt, and entertaining. The group considers their audiences part of their “family-living-room experience” for each performance, with the ensemble's eight members represented by five generations ranging from their early-20s to mid-60s, each with their own unique experiences and musical talents. As stated at the musicians' Web site NOLAJazzBand.org: "Just as traditional jazz was built on collaboration and diversity, so is our band."
The NOLA Jazz Band plays their RME Courtyard engagement on July 23, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is free, and more information on the evening is available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
