Mark Your Calendar, Des Moines RegisterThursday, May 2, 2013
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Greater Des Moines Community Jazz Center, Straight Ahead Spring 2013Tuesday, April 30, 2013
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Jazz in July 2012 Event ReportWednesday, November 7, 2012
Category: News | View attached PDF
Click the pdf link above for our Event Report of the 30th Anniversary of Jazz in July!
6th Avenue buzzes with jazz, activitiesMonday, July 23, 2012
Category: News
6th Avenue buzzes with jazz, activities
[View full article here.]
The 6th Avenue Corridor Inc. and Des Moines Area Community College will host the third annual Metro Arts Jazz in July concert Saturday at Sixth and College avenues. The event is considered the largest Jazz in July concert among the summer series in the metro area, said organizer Terry Wells.
Last year, attendance just about doubled from the previous year, Wells said.
“Last year we had 750; we’re expecting well over 1,000 this year,” he said.
The event will feature 25 vendors with foods, art and jewelry. Kids’ activities also are planned, and, new this year, a beer and wine garden will be added, Wells said. Also, Des Moines resident Ehbeni Queen will give poetry readings throughout the day.
“This is a great, all-day community event,” Wells said. “There will be something for everybody, no matter their age, ethnicity or economic status. This is the most diverse crowd and lineup. We got comments last year from Metro Arts about our diversity. The diversity of this particular show is one of our positives.”
Wells said event planning has been in the works since early this spring.
Afternoon bands perform hourly from 1 to 5 p.m. and, in order of appearance are: Alex Maasdam, Rob Lumbard, Myra Henderson, Half Tones (youth jazz group) and Uplift Quartet.
Evening performances will be the Parranderos at 7 p.m and The Brian Holtz Band featuring Janey Hooper and Taz Grant at 9 p.m.
Copyright © 2012 www.DesMoinesRegister.com. All rights reserved.
Iowa Living WestFriday, July 13, 2012
Category: News
Iowa BystanderTuesday, July 10, 2012
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Ballyhoo Foxtrot OrchestraTuesday, July 10, 2012
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John Krantz JazzMonday, July 2, 2012
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Jazz in July's TOP TENThursday, June 28, 2012
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Union Park Neighborhood Association Wednesday, June 27, 2012
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Des Moines Business RecordWednesday, June 27, 2012
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Datebook - The Des Moines RegisterWednesday, June 27, 2012
Category: News
Celebrate the 30th year of Jazz in July
As always, the concerts are free
7:50 PM, Jun 27, 2012
Written by MICHAEL MORAIN
[View full article here.]
The phrase “all that jazz” means more to Carolyn Hoard than to most people. She’s seen about 90 percent of the concerts in the 29-year history of Jazz in July.
That’s more than 750 performances — without buying a single ticket.
She’ll rack up a few more this summer, too, during the free festival’s 30th anniversary.
“I don’t care who’s playing, I just go,” she said. “It’s the kind of thing where you go, and you know your friends will be there. You don’t have to organize it.”
The series sponsor, Metro Arts, could not find a better spokeswoman if it tried.
“I have no talent, but I appreciate other people’s talent,” Hoard said. Jazz in July “is a way to hear great music in a beautiful 
setting.”
Last year, Metro Arts hired 252 musicians in 31 bands to perform for an estimated total of almost 22,000 people at city parks and front lawns throughout greater Des Moines. The events are hosted by neighborhood groups and local businesses, which help line up food vendors and activities for kids.
Here’s a look at who you will hear:
July 3: The Turner Center Jazz Orchestra, the resident group at Drake’s jazz center, opens for the Des Moines Symphony’s Yankee Doodle Pops. 6:30 p.m., State Capitol terrace.
July 4: Big Band Sound brings the swing to the Independence Day shindig at Lions Park. The band specializes in the classics of the 1940s — Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and more. 5 p.m., 4103 72nd St., Urbandale.
July 5: The Java Jews unpack the klezmer tunes for a concert at Jester Park. 6:30 p.m., 11407 Jester Park Drive, Granger.
July 6: The avant-garde Workshop quartet opens for the Paige Harpin Band in the East Village. 6 and 7:45 p.m., respectively, at East Fifth and Walnut streets.
July 7: Gruve wraps up a full evening of activities (including pony rides!) on the Roosevelt High School lawn. 6:30 p.m., 4419 Center St.
July 8: The Betsy Hickok Quartet makes some noise at Union Park. 2 p.m., 725 Thompson Ave.
July 9: The South African pianist Witness Matlou brings his trio to an indoor show at Drake’s Turner Jazz Center. 6 p.m., 2505 Carpenter Ave.
July 10: The Belin (String) Quartet adds a concert at Terrace Hill to its usual lineup of lunch- hour gigs every Friday downtown. 6:30 p.m., 2300 Grand Ave.
July 11: Trumpeter Jim Oatts brings his quintet to the Coneflower Shelters at Raccoon River Park. 6:30 p.m., 2500 Grand Ave., West Des Moines.
July 12: The Scott Smith Trio plays on the front lawn at Wesley Acres. 6:30 p.m., 3520 Grand Ave.
July 13: The John Morgan Orchestra livens up the lawn at the Des Moines Art Center. 6:30 p.m., 4700 Grand Ave.
July 14: Ed East World Round opens for Orquestra Alto Maiz during the Clive Festival at the Clive Aquatic Center. 5:30 and 7:45 p.m., respectively, at 1801 N.W. 114th St., Clive.
July 15: The Soya Vista Jazz Orchestra does double duty, for Jazz in July and the Music Under the Stars series every Sunday at the Capitol. 7 p.m., State Capitol terrace.
July 17: The John Krantz Quartet plays at Waukee’s downtown triangle. 6:30 p.m., Sixth and Walnut streets, Waukee.
July 18: Dave Rezek’s Alpha State Agents perform at Living History Farms. 6:30 p.m., 2600 111th St., Urbandale.
July 19: FreeStyle takes a turn on the lawn at the Casady Building. 6:30 p.m., 1801 16th St.
July 20: The Jazz Page, a combo of music teachers who write their own music, plays at Beaverdale Park. 6:30 p.m., 34th Street and Adams Avenue.
July 21: The Uplift Quartet performs at the Sixth Avenue Corridor, followed by It’s Complicated and Brian Holtz with Janey Hooper & TAZ. 5, 7 and 9 p.m., respectively, at Sixth and College avenues.
July 22: The Fred Gazzo Band plays Rat Pack tunes at the Johnston Commons. 6:30 p.m., 6700 Merle Hay Road, Johnston.
July 26: Equilateral brings its reggae-tinged sound to the Cornerstone Credit Union. 6:30 p.m., 414 61st St.
July 27: The Emmy- winning World Port performs at Hispanic Educational Resources Center. 6:30 p.m., 828 Scott Ave.
July 28: Salsa Vibe wraps up the month with a show at the lake at Jordan Creek Town Center. 6-10 p.m., West Des Moines.
Nature News -- Polk County Conservation Monday, June 25, 2012
Category: News
Nature News - Polk County Conservation
2012 Nature Programs and News - May-August 2012
Cityview - May 31-June 6, 2012Monday, June 25, 2012
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Jazz in July visits Terrace Hill for showSaturday, June 23, 2012
Category: News
Letter to the Editor - DM RegisterFriday, June 22, 2012
Category: News | View attached PDF
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012306220041
Letter to the editor: Music is good for the soul of the city
A June 19 column highlighted the burgeoning live music scene’s impact on central Iowa’s economy. Music is more than an important engine for Des Moines’ economy. Music is also good for the city’s soul.
Thanks to Metro Arts Alliance, people throughout the community will have an opportunity to experience Iowa’s finest jazz musicians in their own neighborhoods. For free. Metro Arts has provided this experience for 30 years, and, while the economic impact is difficult to measure, their efforts have succeeded in lifting the spirit and the soul. And that’s priceless.
As drummer Art Blakey used to say, “Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.”
So let’s be sure to remember local organizations like Metro Arts Alliance, the Community Jazz Center of Greater Des Moines, Synergy Jazz and Jazz at Caspe Terrace who work tirelessly to keep the soul of Des Moines swinging.
— Abe Goldstien, Des Moines
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