Annie Kemble is a multi talented musician who creates irresistible music with a unique jazz sound. She is trained on voice, piano, drums, and arranging. Annie uses her training along with her exceptional songwriting to tell stories and evoke feelings as universal as they are specific. --- The Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra (PLJO) is an 18-piece large jazz ensemble that performs Paul’s original compositions and arrangements exclusively. Formed in 2017, the band has performed in various venues across the state, frequently selling out shows at Noce since Paul relocated to Des Moines in 2020. Notable musicians that have been featured in the band include UNI faculty Christopher Merz, Michael Conrad, and Anthony Williams; Iowa City’s Blake Shaw, Nolan Schroeder, Jarrett Purdy, Chris Jensen, and Marvin Truong, and Des Moines’ Dave Rezek, Jackson Churchill, Antonio Garza, Gabe Scheid, Alayna Ringsby, and Rishi Kolusu. His voice is on full display in PLJO's debut album, "Dark Soul," recorded June of 2019. This record, completely crowdfunded with financial support from over 60 donors, includes seven original compositions and one arrangement of Paul’s. The charts from “Dark Soul” are inspired by various life experiences, ranging from the shenanigans of a college house party, the bewilderment of watching the 2016 presidential debates, and his adventures on various dating apps. “Dark Soul” can be heard on all streaming platforms and available for purchase on Bandcamp. In addition to writing for PLJO, Paul is an active freelance composer, arranger, and trombonist. He is a member of the brass band BYOBrass and performs regularly with the Max Wellman Big Band, NOLA Jazz Band, BONORAMA, and the Des Moines Big Band. Almost every ensemble that he performs with regularly performs his compositions or arrangements. Paul has arranged music for contemporary jazz giants Kurt Rosenwinkel and Ben Wendel in addition to contributing music for Michael Conrad’s new project, the Iowa Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, an elite ensemble that performs works by Iowa composers. As music director for the band BYOBrass, Paul regularly contributes compositions and arrangements which have helped develop and refine the band’s unique approach to the brass band medium. Other recent collaborations/commissions include works for Max Wellman, Heath Alan, Jeff Kane (NOLA Jazz Band), Dr. Robert Washut (UNI Jazz Panthers), Logan Vander Wiel (Marion High School), Lucas Petersen (Purdue University and Winterset High School), and Brad Jensen (Hudson High School). In 2024, Paul was 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. 

A shared passion for the music of the iconic jazz group Spyro Gyra, led University of Iowa music professors Damani Phillips and Dan Moore to create The Road Scholars. Focusing exclusively on the infectious music composed by Jay Beckenstein, Dave Samuels, Jeremy Wall, Tom Schuman, and others, The Road Scholars perform landmark hits like Morning Dance, Catching the Sun, Chrysalis, and many more. --- 

Every Thursday night, Noce hosts an all night happy hour. Doors at 6, music 7-10pm, no cover all night! $5 green tea shots, $6 well drinks, $7 house wine, $8 specialty cocktails. Some of the top jazz musicians in the region are featured each week. 

Versatile vocalist Amber Duimstra returns to Noce for an evening of songs close to her heart. “My Favorite Things” is a curated celebration of Amber’s most cherished repertoire—featuring highlights from her Noce shows Songs of Burt Bacharach and Across the Pond, as well as gems from the American Songbook, the poetic brilliance of Joni Mitchell, and unexpected treasures from her favorite songwriters and bands. 

In the latest innovative revue at Noce, Max Wellman and his big band highlight the works of Frank Sinatra, his contemporaries, and those that followed. Fly Me to The Moon features songs made famous by Harry Connick Jr, Michael Bublé, Dean Martin, and more. Wellman includes newly commissioned arrangements from some of today’s great Big Band arrangers; this new format will allow for an ever-changing, dynamic set list each time the band takes the stage. –––––––––– Vocalist Max Wellman continues to entice music lovers throughout the region, with a sound evoking Sinatra and Connick. Wellman’s recordings & performances proclaim that the Great American Songbook is alive and well for a new generation of listeners. Noce is a state-of-the-art jazz club (co-founded by Wellman) in the Western Gateway neighborhood of downtown Des Moines. In addition to performing at Noce, Wellman has appeared at some of the great clubs around the country, including Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center, Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago, and Dazzle in Denver. 

Beginning with an impromptu a cappella clip of “Over the Rainbow,” Stella Cole has become a global viral sensation for simply doing what she has been passionate about her whole life - singing songs from the Great American Songbook. Buoyed in part by her weekly livestream concerts on Tiktok from 2020 to 2022, the multi-talented singer’s ever-growing numbers both embody and defy every superlative cliché (staggering, mind blowing, through the roof). Her most viral singing video has a whopping 27 million views. With a combined social media following of over 1.6 million, Stella has caught the attention of superstars David Foster, James Taylor, Michael Buble, John Mayer and Meghan Trainor. Countless devoted fans from social media flock to see her perform, many of them traveling cross country and overseas to attend her sold out headlining concerts around the world. She has performed in venues like Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Birdland and the Cafe Carlyle. In 2023, she toured the United States, Australia and New Zealand with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. She released a stylish, swinging rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” with the group in 2023 to mass acclaim, racking up more than 6 million views. Stella’s enduring influence as a viral artist and live performer lays a promising foundation – and gives her an eager built-in audience - for her highly anticipated self-titled debut album, an exquisite collection produced by Matt Pierson. Among Pierson’s hundreds of credits in the pop and jazz worlds is Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile, a 2023 Grammy winner for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album. A testament to Stella’s vast artistry, the singer worked on the project with some of the top studio talent in the industry, including multiple Grammy-winning arranger/pianist Alan Broadbent, Brazilian guitar master Chico Pinheiro, pianist/keyboardist Ben Paterson and bassist Neal Miner. The first half of the album features a lushly orchestrated string section arranged by Broadbent, while Stella is backed on the latter half by the trio of Paterson (on piano or Hammond B-3 organ), Miner on double bass and Keith Balla on drums. True to her eclectic tastes, Stella Cole features both very familiar and delightfully obscure Songbook tunes including “Over the Rainbow,” “(Love Is) The Tender Trap,” the Judy Garland classic “The Boy Next Door,” the Streisand-inspired “When the Sun Comes Out,” “Detour Ahead” and “Moon River,” the iconic Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer tune she has chosen as the album’s lead single.“We picked ‘Moon River’ because it’s a very important song for me,” Stella says. “When I started posting on social media, the first well known musician to notice me was James Taylor, reposting a video of me singing ‘Moon River’. That was a big moment!” Stella also cites the song as symbolic of her goal for the entire album. “What I’ve been trying to do with this music is comfort people. To me, ‘Moon River’ always feels like a deep breath; hopeful, calming and nostalgic. There’s so much negativity and chaos in the world and I want people to stop, listen and feel they can breathe again.” Among Pierson’s suggestions to the track list were “P.S. I Love You” and one of the album’s greatest surprises, Billie Eilish’s Top Ten hit “My Future.”Performed as a vocal-acoustic guitar duet with Pinheiro, the Billie Eilish song serves as a uniquely contemporary love story in an album of songs from the midcentury. The track list also includes the ballads “My Foolish Heart” and “Blame it On My Youth” and a spirited, swinging rendition of “On the Street Where You Live” featuring Jerry Weldon on tenor sax. “Many people of my generation aren’t familiar with these songs, and I’m excited about the opportunity to introduce this timeless music to a new audience,” says Stella. “Often when people hear my voice, they tell me I was born in the wrong decade. I definitely feel an artistic connection to those earlier time periods, but I don’t want to overly romanticize the past. Right now is the perfect time for me to be singing because the world needs this soothing and joyful music now just as much as they needed it in the 40s and 50s.” Stella’s musical story began when, at three years old, her mom pressed play on a VHS tape of The Wizard of Oz. Stella was immediately obsessed with the film, watching it at every opportunity. By kindergarten, her VHS collection had grown to a large stack of classic movie musicals, setting the stage for a remarkable journey. “I’ve been singing since I could talk and began voice lessons really early,” says Stella. “Throughout middle school and high school, I was in musicals both in school and local community theatre, sometimes two shows at the same time. I remember when I was a teenager, I didn’t listen to pop music, instead I loved singing along with Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, slowly realizing my range or tone sounded a bit like them. But I lacked confidence when I was starting out. I had no idea if there was an audience for the kind of songs I loved.” Enrolled at Northwestern University with a double major of theater and international relations, Stella continued to look for spaces for her voice. Fortunately, towards the end of college, she took a Great American Songbook class, an important step in rediscovering her passion for her first musical love, eventually allowing her to grow in skill and confidence. The pandemic caused a temporary move back home, and her dad came up with a wild idea, encouraging her to post singing videos on social media. Fresh out of the shower and wearing a bathrobe and green clay face mask, she posted “Over the Rainbow.” Quickly encouraged by the growing number of viewers, she made it her daily job. Stella knew she was on to something after her clip of Stephen Sondheim’s “Everybody Says Don’t” hit 40,000 views. Amidst her burgeoning viral success, she graduated from Northwestern and moved to New York, where she began singing at clubs and restaurants (starting with a regular weekend gig at Giovanni’s in Brooklyn), developing her repertoire and becoming part of a local creative community of singers and actors.“I think what makes me stand out as an artist is that I’ve learned that being a good singer is more than just having a pretty voice,” she says. “It’s about effective storytelling, communicating feelings and emotions through lyrical narratives. A few years ago, I was too focused on how my voice sounded, but since I began concentrating on telling a story, I’ve become a better all-around artist. I love that with the exception of the Billie Eilish tune, these songs were written decades before I was born, yet they feel like they are about my life. The album paints a very full picture of me, allowing me to share these stories in a very honest, vulnerable way. Whether people are longtime fans of my Tiktok or have never heard me before, I hope these songs can bring listeners as much joy as they bring me.” 

It will be a night of laughs, fun, and many hit tunes by the Devine Miss M. along with a hoppin’ 7 piece band and sassy back up girls, covering tunes like From A Distance, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, I Put A Spell On You, Wind Beneath My Wings and, of course, One Monkey Don't Stop No Show. Join renowned singer/actress/entertainer extraordinaire Gina Gedler for a night of great music. 

Every Thursday night, Noce hosts an all night happy hour. Doors at 6, music 7-10pm, no cover all night! $5 green tea shots, $6 well drinks, $7 house wine, $8 specialty cocktails. Some of the top jazz musicians in the region are featured each week. 

Napoleon Douglas and The Dirty Lowdown, an elite funk band based in Des Moines, highlight Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, & more. --- Napoleon M Douglas is an International Actor, Teaching Artist, and Entrepreneur whose performance experience includes Stage Theatre, Film, Commercial, Voice Over, Instrumental Music, Dance, and Vocal Music among others. Theatre (selected): International - Simba in The Festival of the Lion King (HKDL); National - Louie in Mr. Holland’s Opus (World Premiere & Dance Captain - Ogunquit Playhouse); Joe Alves & Carl Gottlieb Cover in BRUCE (World Premiere - Seattle Repertory); Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls (2018 Ostrander Winner - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar (Arvada Center), NoMax in Five Guys Named Moe (Westchester Broadway), as well as leading and supporting roles in Hairspray!, Sister Act, Superior Donuts, A Christmas Carol, Miss Saigon, Romeo & Juliet, and White Christmas. TV/Film (Selected): Hulu’s WuTang: An American Saga (Co-Star), and Oscar Micheaux (Cannes Short Selection, Urban Film BET Short Premiere Selection - 2018). Educationally, Napoleon has worked as a Choreographer, Director, Music Director, Studio Voice Instructor, and Teaching Artist for theatres and companies across the U.S. including The Summer Conservatory at Memphis Playhouse on the Square, The Academy at Midtown Arts Center, and The Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Institutionally, He serves as a Board Member and Artist-in-Residence for City Voices - a community-centered nonprofit that provides free, high quality, individualized music instruction to underserved students in the Des Moines Metro area and Board Member of Sing For Your Seniors (www.singforyourseniors.org). Napoleon is a former member of the renowned Isiserettes Drill and Drum Corps who performed for both Inauguration Parades for President Barack Obama, and for President Joe Biden. Drake University (B.A. Theatre Arts, ’14). SNHU (M.B.A. Entrepreneurship, ’18). Phi Gamma Delta. Actors Equity Association.