The Des Moines Big Band, a storied ensemble that goes back to the 1950s, has played with some of the greatest names in jazz, from legends like Clark Terry to some of the more local household names such as Scott Smith. --- The band often invites high school & college groups in to play during the set break. The first Wednesday of every month, though, the band plays their own full night highlighting the work of a different iconic jazz artist or composer. 

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. 

Paul's amazing big band will be back in costumes for the second year in a row performing two shows on Halloween night at Noce - 7pm + 9pm! Paul has put together a program of scary movie soundtracks, spooky original compositions, and new arrangements of the music of Mother Monster herself. Also, come in costume because there will be another contest this year - dress up for a prize! It will be the spookiest, grooviest, and silliest music event in Des Moines on Halloween night. Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra: Saxes: Gabe Scheid, Tyler Utter, Chris Merz, Simon Harding, Thomas Sparks Trumpets: Antonio Garza, Dave Rezek, Morgan Eadie, Kyle Marlin Trombones: Rich Medd, Jackson Churchill, Collin Krukow, Michael Stow Guitar: Luke Sanders Synth: Carson Parker Bass: Bridget Shoemaker Drumset: Chris Jensen Paul Lichty: Paul Lichty has become one of Des Moines’ most prolific freelance musicians and composers since moving there in 2020. Now the bandleader of the Paul Lichty Jazz Orchestra (PLJO), trombonist/music director for BYOBrass and "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 has developed a unique and personal approach at composing and arranging for ensembles of all sizes and skill levels. PLJO’s first album, “Dark Soul”, was released in 2021 and can be found on all streaming platforms, BandCamp, as well as Paul’s website (paullichtymusic.com). BYOBrass' second album, "Breathe", was released in 2025 and features several of his newest arrangements and compositions. 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. Paul's full bio, as well as social media/streaming links, event info, and videos of past performances, can be found at paullichtymusic.com. 

Noce presents a late night show hosted by a rotation of musicians every Friday & Saturday night following the conclusion of the prime time show. No cover & happy hour prices at the bar! 

Backed by a Jazz Orchestra full of the area’s best jazz musicians, Napoleon Douglas highlighs one of the giants of the art form: Rat Pack Member & Broadway Actor Sammy Davis Jr. --- 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. 

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! 

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. 

The IJCO is a big band made up of the very best jazz musicians from all over the state, dedicated to playing original music by Iowa composers. With members from Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, the Quad Cities, and everywhere in between, it’s truly special when this powerful group gets together to play. Dedicated to playing original music by Iowa writers, the IJCO is proud to program pieces by prolific seasoned veteran composers like Bob Washut and John Rapson as well as younger writers like Nate Sparks and Paul Lichty. --- Mike Conrad is a composer, improviser, and teacher from Iowa. He has been recognized for his arranging and composing with four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards and seven DownBeat Awards, as well as awards and commissions from the Contemporary Music Academy in Beijing, the Bundesjazzorchester of Germany, the West Point Army Jazz Knights, and many other organizations. Conrad’s music has been performed all over the world, including a 2017 concert by the Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, a 2014 Carnegie Hall octet premiere, and a string quartet performance at the US Presidential Inauguration in 2013. Some recent career highlights include winning the SONIC Award from the International Society of Arrangers and Composers for his piece “Flyover,” collaborating on an hour-long recomposition of Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony with the incredibly creative Stegreif Orchester of Berlin, and releasing recordings with both the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra and the Mike Conrad Trio. Equally accomplished on both trombone and piano, Conrad truly loves collaborating with other musicians, and always brings his creativity and expressiveness to everything he does. In addition to his own projects as a leader, Conrad regularly performs regionally with several groups such as Chris Merz’s Quartet, the Bob Washut ‘Emeritet,’ and the Max Wellman Big Band, and has also collaborated with musicians like Louis Hayes, Alexa Tarantino, and Alex Sipiagin. Conrad is in high demand as a clinician and guest director for jazz bands, with recent experiences including a residency at the University of New Hampshire, and directing the 2023 4A Iowa All-State Jazz Band. Dr. Conrad earned degrees from the University Northern Iowa (BM and BME), the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the University of Northern Colorado (DA). He is currently serving as Associate Professor of Jazz Studies & Music Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where he directs Jazz Band Two and teaches courses/lessons in Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz Methods, Jazz Theory, Jazz Piano, Jazz Composition, and Jazz Arranging. 

Aviana Gedler is a jazz singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for music and performance artistry. As the 1st Place Winner of the Ravenscroft Jazz Prize and 2nd Place Winner of the 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, she has developed her voice and improvisational ear in the worlds of swing, bossa nova, bebop, modern jazz, and many more, and has spread her artistry across her home state of Iowa, with performances at Noce Jazz & Cabaret, Turner Jazz Center, and Hoyt Sherman, to name a few. She has performed alongside many other renowned musicians and ensembles, including Gabriel Espinosa, Kim Nazarian, Nate Sparks, and the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra, and has performed at summer festivals such as the Iowa City Jazz Festival and Jazz in July in Des Moines. After earning her Associate of Applied Arts degree in professional music at the School for Music Vocations in Creston, Iowa, under the direction of Tobi Crawford and Grammy-nominated Dr. Jeremy Fox, Aviana studied jazz performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts with Jason Moran, Dominique Eade, Hankus Netsky and Ran Blake. She entered the New England scene, playing at Wally’s Jazz Cafe, the Mad Monkfish, and has performed at the Regattabar alongside the NEC Jazz Orchestra. Aviana now resides in Chicago, where she continues to write and perform her original music and collaborate with those around her. Aside from music, in her free time, Aviana enjoys eating food, reading, running, and petting her cats, Iris and June. 

The Des Moines Big Band, a storied ensemble that goes back to the 1950s, has played with some of the greatest names in jazz, from legends like Clark Terry to some of the more local household names such as Scott Smith. --- The band often invites high school & college groups in to play during the set break. The first Wednesday of every month, though, the band plays their own full night highlighting the work of a different iconic jazz artist or composer. 

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. 

Noce is proud to present “Voix de Ville,” an original ever-evolving cabaret produced by Max Wellman featuring arrangements spanning from the 1920s to the 2020s. A modernized creation inspired by the vaudeville shows that ushered in the Jazz Age, Voix de Ville includes an elite jazz orchestra under the direction of Jason Danielson alongside drag & ballet professionals. The show opened in September of 2024 & will have an ongoing rotating cast of performers for a different show each week. Past shows have featured drag queens Tyona Diamond & Domita Sanchez, ballet professionals Amelia & Logan Hillman, Napoleon Douglas, & more. 

Adam Larson (b. 1990) is an American saxophonist, composer, educator and author currently residing in the Kansas City-area. Larson holds BM and MM degrees in jazz performance from The Manhattan School of Music and was a part of the vibrant NYC jazz scene for eleven years before relocating in 2019. While a resident of the KC-Metro, Larson has held positions at UMKC Conservatory, University of Kansas and The Kansas City Art Institute. Larson currently teaches Entrepreneurship at KCAI. Larson continues to perform in NYC with some of the greatest musicians in the genre. As a guest artist, Larson has been invited to present masterclasses on music business, improvisation and composition at more than one hundred universities across the globe. Adam has recorded eight albums as a leader and maintains an active touring and clinician schedule, playing and presenting his original music and educational materials. 

The Des Moines Big Band, a storied ensemble that goes back to the 1950s, has played with some of the greatest names in jazz, from legends like Clark Terry to some of the more local household names such as Scott Smith. --- The band often invites high school & college groups in to play during the set break. The first Wednesday of every month, though, the band plays their own full night highlighting the work of a different iconic jazz artist or composer. 

Enjoy the music of this up-and-coming jazz pianist and his trio. Carson Parker is lighting up the state's music scene, and Noce is proud to host him for this special performance. --- Born and raised in Des Moines, IA, Carson Parker discovered his passion for piano at the early age of 6, setting the stage for a lifelong musical journey. His genre-defying sound effortlessly blends jazz, blues, and funk engaging audiences with every performance. His music has been shaped by a combination of tradition and innovation, drawing inspiration from legendary jazz pianists including Cedar Walton, Oscar Peterson, and Duke Ellington. Carson has performed at prestigious venues across Iowa such as Hancher Auditorium, Noce Jazz Club, and the Iowa City Jazz Festival. Including collaborations with musicians including Benny Green, Sean Jones, Benny Benack III, Max Wellman, and Jerome Gillespie. In 2023, Carson distinguished himself as the sole pianist selected for the esteemed National Jazz Band of America. Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in jazz performance and marketing at the University of Iowa, he continues to captivate audiences across Iowa with his own ensemble, and as a sideman, showcasing his passion for music. Carson will be joined by some of Iowa City’s finest musicians including bassist Blake Shaw, and drummer Christopher Jensen 

Join Max Wellman for a night full of standards featuring a rotating cast of musicians & other singers. Similar to Wellman's Last Call series, but just a little bit earlier in the evening. --- 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.