Celebrate the 80th birthday of Iowa composer Jerry Owen with a concert featuring six of Owen’s own song cycles right here in Cedar Rapids. In the studio to tell us all about it is Thaddeus Ennen, CR Opera General Director, and Jerry Owen himself.
It’s CR Opera’s “Jerry Owen’s 80th Birthday Concert,” Sunday, Oct. 27, 3pm at the Coe College Daehler-Kitchin Auditorium.
Tickets are free but with limited space you will want to reserve a ticket in advance. Visit cropera.org for more info and tickets or code.edu.
Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.
It’s the first of two shows about Kirkwood’s upcoming production of Steven Sondheim’s “Into The Woods.” This time, we go behind the scenes with Bre Kinney, costume designer, and Marianna Coffey, set and tech chief. We talk about the joys and challenges of getting the right “look” for the show, and how the students get involved in sewing, building, etc.
“Into The Woods” runs November 1-3, and 7-9 in Kirkwood’s Ballantyne Auditorium. Ticket info at Kirkwood.edu/ballantyne.
Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.
Maestro Hankewich is back ahead of Orchestra Iowa’s first concert of this season’s Pops Series, “The Music of Harry Potter.” Delivered as a multifaceted production, music from all eight of the films will be performed by the orchestra along with the Orchestra Iowa youth choir, Discovery Chorus.
To make the night even more magical, everyone is encouraged to come in costume and if you attend the pre-concert you’ll get the chance to see some live owls, face the sorting hat, and make your own wand!
It’s “The Music of Harry Potter,” Saturday, October 26, 7:30pm at Paramount Theatre. Tickets available for purchase at orchestraiowa.org and artsiowa.com.
Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.
Coralville’s Young Footlighters traditionally produce plays with a cast of young people. This weekend, Footlighter’s Imagination Studio launches with a play starring adults, but still for young audiences.
Keegan Christopher and Katie Colletta are excited to bring the timeless classic Charlotte’s Web to the stage, the beloved tale of friendship, loyalty, and community. In addition to the show, families can enjoy a special barnyard petting zoo and craft making. October 25-27. Tickets and more information are available at CoralvilleArts.org.
Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.
The Hot Club of San Francisco has never shied away from putting their own stamp on the Gypsy jazz sound created by guitar legend Django Reinhardt and violin maestro Stephane Grappelli in 1930s Paris. Guitarist Paul Mehling, a leading force in North America’s Hot Club movement since the early 1990s, has long made a point of featuring original tunes along with Reinhardt standards and imaginative “Djangofied” interpretations of songs by the likes of Lennon and McCartney. But the band’s 15th album, “Original Gadjo,” captures the creative ferment of the entire group, not just its fearless leader. It’s a project that finds the venerable combo revivified after a pandemic-induced hiatus, hitting on all creative cylinders.
Matt Panayides is a guitarist who has long had his own style. His harmonically adventurous playing, at times a bit reminiscent of Jim Hall and Pat Martino, is filled with fresh and personal chord voicings. Originally a pianist, he initially became a guitarist inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page before discovering jazz. Since finishing his university studies, Matt has headed his own creative groups and recorded three albums. His fourth, “With Eyes Closed,” is his first acoustic trio album. Joined by bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, Panayides digs into eight songs by six jazz composers plus reinvented versions of three standards.
Also this week, original members Bill Summers and Mike Clark unveil a new studio album from the Headhunters, “The Stunt Man,” featuring songs spanning the genre-bending repertoire of the 50-year-old ensemble; drummer Brandon Sanders, who was first exposed to the music of such greats as Jimmy Smith, Grant Green and Lou Donaldson at his grandmother’s nightspot in Kansas City, releases his sophomore recording, “The Tables Will Turn”; and guitarist and German native PhilipWeberndoerfer, who has steadily been contributing to the New York jazz scene as a bandleader and sideman since 2016, drops his debut disc, “Tides.”