Noce's Upcoming Shows
Sat, Nov 14
From his beginnings as one of Chicago’s most thrilling young trumpeters, to his current status as an internationally renowned musician, composer and bandleader, Marquis Hill has worked tirelessly to break down the barriers that divide musical genres. Contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house, neo-soul—to Hill, they’re all essential elements of the profound African-American creative heritage he’s a part of. “It all comes from the same tree,” he says. “They simply blossomed from different branches.”
That mission to bring styles together, complemented by Hill’s absolute mastery of his instrument, is a through line connecting his many achievements. It can be heard on his latest album, Modern Flows Vol. II, with its seamless blend of jazz interplay, hip-hop-infused rhythms and socially conscious spoken-word. It’s integral to The Way We Play, his Concord Jazz debut from 2016, where Hill and his musicians reinvent jazz standards using their generation’s wide- ranging influences. It marks the four records Hill self-released before November of 2014, when he won the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz competition and became a presence on the global scene virtually overnight. And it defines the revelatory live dates by Hill’s longtime working group, the Blacktet, which the Chicago Tribune called “a remarkably polished, immensely attractive ensemble.”
For Hill, playing and listening without limits has long been an instinct. “It comes naturally; that’s the way I hear the music,” he says. “I came up in a household where my mom played Motown, R&B, Isley Brothers, Barry White, Marvin Gaye. Then I received my first jazz record, by Lee Morgan, and that was added to the collection. ... I truly believe that the music is all the same.”
Born in Chicago in 1987 and raised on the city’s culturally rich South Side, Hill began playing drums at age 4, before switching to trumpet in the 6th grade. He attended high school at Kenwood Academy, excelling in its revered jazz-performance program, and was mentored by Bobby Broom, Willie Pickens, Tito Carrillo and other Chicago greats through the Ravinia Jazz Scholars program. Hill earned his bachelor’s in music education from Northern Illinois University and his master’s in jazz pedagogy from DePaul University. During college he made gigs and sessions around Chicago, jamming with and absorbing wisdom from the likes of Fred Anderson, Ernest Dawkins and Von Freeman. Even then, Hill was known in town as a stunningly gifted trumpeter with a soulful, highly textured tone. His sound is now somehow both deeply distinctive and a tour through jazz-trumpet history, evoking the high-drama stillness and space of Miles; the undeniable virtuosity of Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard; the groove- savvy phrasing of Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd; and much more.
Well before Hill won the Monk prize—arguably the most important jazz competition in the world—his reputation for brilliance was firmly established in the Midwest, as a member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, an in-demand sideman and a bandleader. He also developed into a precocious, determined young label owner, and has released five acclaimed discs—New Gospel,Sounds of the City, The Poet and Modern Flows Vols. I and II—through his Black Unlimited Music Group imprint. “Just having my personality, there’s nothing like being in control of what you produce and put out into the world,” he says. “It’s a great feeling.”
A move to New York in 2014 helped him gain wider exposure and new opportunities—though he frequently returns to his hometown for gigs and projects—and in recent years Hill has
garnered an enviable spate of press. Previewing a Blacktet show, the New Yorker said, “His performances and recordings reveal a smart post-bop player who circumvents genre clichés by incorporating elements of hip-hop and contemporary R. & B.” Of The Way We Play, DownBeatwrote, “The groove-laden arrangements provide the perfect soundscape for Hill’s fluid improvisational style, which, with its glass-like lucidity, recalls the crisp elegance of hard-bop stalwart Donald Byrd.” In 2016, Hill earned first place in the “Rising Star–Trumpet” category in that magazine’s storied Critics Poll. Throughout his journey, he has supported and guested with a who’s who of jazz that includes Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Boney James, Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano and Hill’s trailblazing Chicago peer Makaya McCraven.
Today, Hill maintains a nonstop touring schedule with the Blacktet, and the intensely interactive, utterly unique band has become a kind of graduate school for next-level talent—Hill included.“One of the most beautiful things about leading a group is the flow of knowledge and energy that we bounce off of one another,” he says. “Each member contributing their distinctive voice is what truly makes the music and magic happen.”
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Sat, Nov 14
Vocalist/pianist Max Wellman along with local jazz musicians play standards from the end of Saturday night's primetime show (9:30 or 10:30) until 11:30 or midnight.
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Vocalist Max Wellman is enticing music lovers throughout the region. With a sound evoking the likes of Sinatra and Connick, Wellman’s recordings & performances promise that the Great American Songbook is alive & well for a new generation of listeners.
Wellman co-founded Noce, a state-of-the-art jazz club in the Western Gateway neighborhood of downtown Des Moines. Additionally, Wellman has appeared at some of the great clubs throughout the country, from Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center to Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago to Dazzle in Denver & many in between.
Tue, Nov 17
The Des Moines Big Band was founded in 1959 and has been a driving force in the Iowa jazz scene (yes, there IS one!) ever since. Well known for hundreds of miles around, it has become a regular stop for touring artists such as Bobby Shew, Frank Perowsky, Dick Oatts, John Fedchock, Paul McKee, Richie Cole, John Mosca and Clark Terry to mention just a few.
Our mission is to present large-ensemble jazz without compromise. We regularly commission new compositions from nationally-recognized composers while still keeping the classics in the rotation. Our members are committed to high standards of performance, and we make sure that the band cooks!
We’re also committed to student musicians. We’ve worked hard to give student musicians a venue where they can hear high quality performances in an appreciative, smoke-free, family-friendly atmosphere. We also invite high-school and college bands to share the stage with us most weeks.
We play because we love jazz and we're on a mission to keep it alive and vibrant. Please join us in celebrating a truly original American art form!
Wed, Nov 18
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.
