By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Jazz notables inducted into Hall of Fame

The Community Jazz Center adds four more jazz notables to its impressive Jazz Hall of Fame membership on Sunday when it hosts, “A Celebration of Des Moines Jazz,” its 7th Annual Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame Reception and Concert at 6 p.m. at Adventureland Inn in Altoona. The evening will include the induction of trumpeter and educator Bob Weast, bassist and educator Dartanyan Brown, educator Phil Mattson, and club owners and musicians of the former Center Street scene, Howard and Seymour Gray. It will also recognize the contributions of instrumentalist Paul Micich and drummer Rob Messer, and Johnston High School Senior Paige Saunders, winner of the Bobby Dawson Award for her participation in the CJC-sponsored student jam sessions. Afterwards, local jazz musicians and members of the Hall of Fame will pay a musical tribute to this year’s Hall of Fame winners.

“This is our opportunity to recognize Des Moines’ own jazz heroes,” says John Krantz, head of the Hall’s organizing committee, in a written statement. “Whether by birth, or by choice, these musicians are proud to call Des Moines home and have not only influenced future generations of musicians, but have provided the city’s jazz fans with years of musical adventure and enjoyment.”

Over the years, Mattson, Brown, Weast and the Gray Brothers have done just that. Mattson, director of the School for Music Vocations at Southwestern Community College in Creston, has published more than 70 choral and vocal jazz compositions. He has twice been nominated for Grammy Awards and produced CDs and instructional videos with VoicesIowa. Groups like the Manhattan Transfer and The Four Freshman have covered Mattson’s arrangements.

As a young adult during the ’60s, Brown played with a Who’s Who list of local musicians including Frank Tribble, Don Archer and Sam Salomone. Following a stint with jazz-rockers Chase, Brown returned to Des Moines to complete his degree at Drake University and start Midwest Express. He was a fixture on the local jazz scene for years until he moved to California where he teaches at the Martin Academy. During the holidays, Brown returns home to play with his friends and relatives and his homecoming shows are well received.

In his 66 years as a jazz trumpeter, Weast has done everything from playing in a speakeasy at the tender age of 14, to hitting the road with big bands in the late ’40s, to teaching trumpet to students in Costa Rica, to serving as emeritus professor of music at Drake where he formed the university’s first official big band. Over the years, he gave lessons to local jazz luminaries like Brown and his wife, Marcia Miget, Tribble and Dick Oatts. He was the managing editor for Brass World and has published three pedagogical brass instrument books.

Last, but not least, any conversation about Des Moines’ former Center Street jazz scene wouldn’t be complete without mention of Howard and Seymour Gray. The brothers owned the legendary Sepia Club during the ’40s until it closed in 1965, which hosted national artists like Thad Jones. They also were members of the club’s house band. Howard played tenor sax and Seymour played bass.

Scene notes

Two noteworthy classical musicians are headed to Des Moines this week. Violinist and composer Andre Rieu, the “Modern King of Waltz,” brings his Johann Strauss Orchestra to Wells Fargo Arena on Friday. Tickets, $41-$66, are available by calling 866-55-DAHLS. On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Nathan Gunn, one of America’s most exciting young baritones, performs at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium. Gunn was originally scheduled to perform last March for the Civic Music Association series, but his concert was cancelled due to bad weather. Tickets from that show will be honored on Wednesday. Single tickets are $30.50 for adults and $14.50 for students. Call 280-4020 or visit www.civicmusic.org. … You might not know his name, but you know his songs. Country music singer-songwriter Steve Seskin, who has penned No. 1 songs for Tim McGraw, Colin Raye and Mark Wills, plays The Lighthouse Coffeehouse in West Des Moines on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance through IowaTix.com and $20 at the door. The Lighthouse is located at West Des Moines Christian Church, 4501 George Mills Pkwy. … Speaking of The Lighthouse, the music venue moved its annual MDA fundraiser “Concert of Hope” to the House of Bricks last Saturday where four bands performed and helped raise more than $800 for the MDA. … Sleepy Hollow’s Haunted Scream Park includes live music by Hold For Swank (Friday), The Moonshine Runners (Saturday), The Hooligans (Oct. 26) and The Horseshoe Spatulas (Oct. 27). Music starts at 9 p.m. Call 262-4100 or visit www.sleepyhollowsportspark.com. … The Botanical Center hosts “Tropical Tunes,” featuring a performance by Brian “Taz” Grant, on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Admission is free for members and $4 for non-members. … The Des Moines Big Band’s 49th season is underway at the Adventureland Inn in Altoona where the group performs every Monday through May at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for students. Visit www.dmcommunityjazzcenter.org. … A reminder: Bob Dylan, with opening acts Elvis Costello and Amos Lee, performs Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Tickets are $47.50 and $67 through Ticketmaster. ... The Tony Valdez Large Band hosts a benefit concert for Rich Murillo on Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m. at People’s Court. Murillo is battling cancer. Admission is $10. Fans who are unable to attend the concert but would like to make a donation can send checks to: Murillo Family Fund, 4211 92nd Ct., Urbandale, 50322. … Pieta Brown and Bo Ramsey perform live on KUNI-FM on Oct. 25, at 7:15 p.m. … Stone Sour and FaceCage play the Val Air Ballroom on Oct. 26, for LAZER 103.3’s “Halloween Show.” Tickets, $22.50, are on sale now through Ticketmaster. … The Celtic Music Association kicks off its 16th season on Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. at Holy Trinity Parish Hall, 2926 Beaver Ave., with a concert by Gerry O’Beirne and Rosie Shipley. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Call 277-3727 or visit www.iowatix.com. … The 14th Annual Ames Jazz Party featuring Dan Barrett will be held Nov. 8. … The “Run, Al, Run” rally and concert featuring the Blue Band and other acts scheduled last week to be held at Hoyt Sherman Place, has been rescheduled for Nov. 11, to give organizers a better opportunity to select a national keynote speaker. … The Moscow Ballet presents its “Great Russian Nutcracker” at Veteran Memorial Auditorium on Nov. 15. Tickets, $25-$100, are on sale now through Wells Fargo Arena and Dahl’s Foods. CV

The 7th Annual Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Community Jazz Center, will be held Sunday at Adventureland Inn in Altoona. The evening starts with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by the awards presentation at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students, and are available through the CJC (276-0777) and at the door. The proceeds from the event will help fund non-profit CJC’s
educational outreach. Visit http://www.dmcommunityjazzcenter.org

Comment on this story | Return to top