Jazz Royalty: The Des Moines Big Band Plays Strayhorn & Ellington

Name: Jazz Royalty: The Des Moines Big Band Plays Strayhorn & Ellington
Start: 2025-10-01T19:00:00-05:00
Location: 1326 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50309

Schedule

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

1326 Walnut St, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50309 | Des Moines, IA

The first Wednesday of the month, the Des Moines Big Band produces a special show highlighting a composer or performer in the big band canon. For their first show of the '25/26 season, the band will be playing music from one of the greatest partnerships in jazz history: Billy Strayhorn & Duke Ellington.
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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.