The Great American Songbook is the trove of music that keeps much of the jazz & cabaret world going. These songs make up a significant piece of our cultural heritage. They are America's art songs. At least, that is Max Wellman's view. It is also the inspiration behind a new series of concerts featuring arranger/pianist Nate Sparks as part of Wellman's quartet. Loosely inspired also by Wynton Marsalis's series of albums in the '80s & '90s of the same name, these concerts will feature new arrangements from month to month highlighting different songs in the canon.
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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. Performances alongside vocalist Rose Colella & pianist Annie Booth have been met with rave reviews.
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Nate Sparks is a New York-based composer/arranger/performer who grew up in Runnells, Iowa. Nate began playing the piano at age 7, trumpet at 11, and pursued jazz throughout his middle school and high school years. His acceptance into several national high school honor bands and music festivals led him to a post-secondary study of jazz at the Juilliard School, where he also began his career as a writer.
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In addition to our live audience performance in Noce Jazz & Cabaret, this show will be streamed live via Facebook and Youtube beginning at 8PM on the night of the show.
Noce is gladly accepting contributions in lieu of our usual cover for shows through the following portals - https://cash.app/$nocedsm - https://paypal.me/nocedsm
