New Blood
2026 Performers are all Jazz Under The Stars First-Timers
KCCK’s Jazz Under The Stars celebrated the station’s 50th anniversary by reuniting some of Iowa’s best-known jazz, blues, and R&B performers. Iowa’s Jazz Station kicks off its second half-century by presenting a group of rising stars who are shaping the face of jazz in Iowa and beyond.
“We knew that after celebrating KCCK’s 50-year anniversary in 2025, this would be the year we look to the future,” says KCCK general manager Dennis Green. “We’ve presented many of these performers as students or in different groups, but none have ever headlined our series before. I think I can guarantee that after hearing these bands as well as the outstanding student ensembles we have each week, you’ll agree that the future of music in the Midwest is in very good hands!”
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August 6
- Joey Schnoebelen Quintet
- Young Artists: Night School (North Scott)
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August 13
- Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra
- Young Artists: Jazz on 76th (Prairie)
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August 20
- Vivian Shanley Quartet
- Young Artists: Six Man Trio (Linn-Mar)
- KCCK Album and CD Sale
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August 27
- Vandello
- Young Artists: Chase Beightler Trio (Coe College)
Meet The Artists
Joey Schnoebelen Quintet
Joey Schnoebelen credits the guest artists he met through KCCK’s Corridor Jazz Project while a City High student with fanning the flames of his interest in performing. He then balanced studies in Music and Accounting at the University of Iowa with a prestigious touring gig with The King’s Brass. Also during his college years, he was selected to the Disney All-American College Band, was a finalist in the Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Jazz Challenge and a three-time solo quarterfinalist at the National Trumpet Competition. He is now associate principal trumpet with the Dubuque Symphony, and also performs with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Ten of Soul, Joe Mattingly’s Newman Singers and his own Jazz Quintet. He holds degrees in Music Performance and Accounting from the UI, and by day is employed as a CPA.
Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra
Paul Lichty is one of Central Iowa’s most prolific musicians and composers. The Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra (PLJO) debut album, “Dark Soul”, was released in 2021 and can be found on all steaming platforms. Paul is also music director and trombonist for BYOBrass, “The Domita Show” and jazz chair of the Iowa Pride Ensembles, Paul balances these duties while also working as a band director at Winterset Junior High School. Paul is also a recipient of the CJC Des Moines Hall of Fame “Next Generation” award which recognizes an up-and-coming musician who has made an impact on the music scene in Des Moines.
Vivian Shanley Quartet
Bassist Vivian Stanley is one of Iowa’s busiest young musicians. She has been playing professionally since she was in middle school, beginning her jazz career as a Jazz Under The Stars Young artist. A Cedar Rapids Washington alumna, she has just finished her undergrad degree at Lawrence University. She is a Downbeat magazine award winner and a recipient of the Jazz Education Network’s (JEN) Women in Jazz Scholarship. Recent performances include the Iowa City Jazz Festival and First Friday Jazz.
Her quartet is comprised of friends and mentors that also has a KCCK connection, as she heard most of them play for the very first time when they taught at Jazz Band Camp.
Vandello
Vandello’s vintage vibes with a modern attitude invite comparisons with artists like Amy Winehouse and
Postmodern Jukebox, but their fresh take on retro sounds is completely their own. From lively originals to unique cover tunes, their vibrant mix of jazz, pop, soul, and sass evokes the feeling of a modern speakeasy.
Young Artists
Night School
Night School is a soul, funk, and pop ensemble from North Scott High School that is in its 5th year of existence. They keep a busy out-of-school performance schedule, including gigs at The Rust Belt in Moline, The Tangled Wood in Bettendorf, and The Redstone Room in Davenport. They recently presented a concert and clinic at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference, and were the featured entertainment for the 2025 State of Iowa School Board Convention.
Jazz On 76th
Jazz on 76th is a group of current and recently-graduated Prairie High School students, whose program has reached the Iowa Jazz Championships the last two years running.
Six Man Trio
Six Man Trio is a group of current and past students in the wildly successful Linn-Mar jazz program. The group is led by Everett Sams, a rising senior, who is a 3-time Jazz All-Stater and also organized the Corridor Combo Festival, the region’s first student-produced jazz combo event.
Chase Beightler Trio
Chase Beightler graduated from Prairie High School in 2025 and is pursuing a degree at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. He has performed for Orchestra Iowa and at the Corridor Combo Festival. In 2027, his trio will be featured in the Midweek Opus Jazz Oasis (MOJO) series.
In case of inclement weather, listen to KCCK for cancellation or rain/heat location info. At 88.3 FM, online at www.kcck.org or follow @jazz883kcck on Instagram or Facebook.
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at the concerts. Attendees are also invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and their own picnic if they wish.
Additional support comes from Kirkwood Community College and West Music.
Since 1987, Iowa’s Jazz Station has presented four free, family-friendly jazz concerts in August in Cedar Rapids’ Noelridge Park.