Star City Blog / Music

NEBRASKA JAZZ ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES WINNER OF THE 2009 YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST COMPETITION

Lincoln -- The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra has announced the first and second place winners in the 2009 Young Jazz Artist Competition.  First place honors went to Karl Lyden, trombone; finishing second place was Kevin Lloyd, piano.

The winner, Karl Lyden, receives a cash prize and will perform with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra at its first concert of the 2009-2010 Season.  The performance will take place Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. General admission tickets may be purchased at the concert or ordered in advance by contacting the business office at (402) 477-8446 or njo@artsincorporated.org.  Ticket prices are:  Adults $20, Students $10.  Priority seating for season ticket holders and Jazz Club members is at 7:00 p.m. General admission seating begins at 7:15 p.m. Season tickets for the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra’s 2009-2010 season are also available, $64 for adults and $32 for seniors, with a 50% discount for new subscribers.

LSO Season Finale Features Jay Wise, Trombone

LINCOLN — Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra ends its 2008-09 season with a concert featuring LSO Principal Trombonist Jay Wise at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 8 at Kimball Recital Hall.

 

Wise will play Tomasi’s Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, a virtuosic piece that reminds the listener of the trombone’s prominence in the jazz medium. The concert closes with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, a climactic ending to the season with its lush romanticism and grand sweeping gestures.

 

“What better way to end the season than with one of the most compelling and beautiful romantic pieces ever written,” said Edward Polochick, LSO Music Director. “Jay is extremely talented and we are very fortunate to have someone with his talents be part of our LSO family, and be featured at the season finale. The audience will enjoy the evening from beginning to end.”

 

New Music Showcase 'Songwriter Power Ranger' Fights to Keep Lincoln's Music Scene Progressive

By Sarah F. Sullivan
For the Star City Blog

If you are of the opinion that Lincoln’s music scene is seriously lacking, local musicians Ember Schrag and Cory Kibler would like to change your mind. Starting May 4th, Box Awesome will be hosting the musicians’ collaborative project Songwriter Power Ranger every Monday from 6 to 9 PM.

The goal for Schrag and Kibler is to present three different individuals, some who have been on the scene for a while and some new faces, each with their own style so that listeners will never know what to expect.

Outside the Box: 15 Bands Live, Friday May 1st

By Tom Ineck
For the Star City Blog

Thinking outside the box is that ability to shift perspective in order to gain insight and arrive at unconventional solutions.

“Outside the Box” is that and more. It also is an audacious music event featuring 15 diverse artists on three stages inside and outside of Box Awesome, an unconventional little club at 815 O St., on the edge of the Historic Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln. Scheduled from 5:30 p.m. until closing on May 1, “Outside the Box” is the brainchild of Rad Kadillac Productions and the folks at Box Awesome.

With a little luck, and good audience response, it will be the first of many such events. In fact, organizers have subtitled the inaugural affair “Spring Session, Vol.1,” implying a twice-annual bash corresponding with spring and fall semesters at the University of Nebraska and other area schools.

Review of House Show Featuring John Walker and Ember Schrag

By Katie Lechler
For the Star City Blog

Perfect experiences must always include the blues somehow.  I saw Lincoln blues legend John Walker on Saturday night, and it was a crystalline moment. Walker played at Ember Schrag's house as part of the Clawfoot House Series, accompanied on the washboard and the guitar by Günter Voelker; Schrag and Voelker opened, playing songs from their soon-to-be-released album A Cruel, Cruel Woman.

Schrag, Voelker, and Walker were an ideal musical grouping for the evening; they have a folksy, upbeat sound even as they are singing about mistakes, hard times, or lost love. Schrag's voice was evocative as she sang witty, self-referential lyrics like, "I left you for a lot of reasons; one of them was to write this song." Her songs often refer to biblical imagery such as Jacob's ladder, burnt offerings, prophets, and Philistines. One piece, "Jephthah's Daughter," tells the story of Jephtha's sacrifice rom the point of view of the daughter and her friends. Another of Schrag's songs, "Two Suns," describes being in love with two people at the same time. My favorite line came from this one: "I can pick a guitar but not like I can pick a man."

NEBRASKA JAZZ ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 SEASON

Lincoln, NE — The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra is pleased to announce its 2009-2010 season of events. This season will feature outstanding, nationally-known instrumentalists and local stars as guest artists as the NJO performs popular big-band favorites and exciting new arrangements. Season tickets are available: Adults $64 and Students $32. Season Tickets are offered to new subscribers at 50% off the regular price! General admission tickets for individual concerts may be purchased in advance or at the door for each concert. General admission prices are: Adults $20 and Students $10. Concert dates, times and locations are listed below. For tickets and additional information, contact the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra business office at (402) 477-8446 or njo@artsincorporated.org.

NEBRASKA BRASS ANNOUNCES BRASS ROOTS FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

As the final concert of the 2008-2009 season approaches, the Nebraska Brass would like to announce its “Brass Roots Fundraising Campaign” to guide the organization into the 2009-2010 season. As a result of the current economic downturn, the Nebraska Brass has seen reductions in funding from several sources, and the organization is addressing these reductions by cutting staff time, scaling back in marketing, publicity, mailings, promotions and office costs, but is committed to maintaining services.

The Hatchbacks, Live Jazz at the Crescent Moon April 17-18

The Hatchbacks, a jazz quartet from North Platte, NE, will be performing live at the Crescent Moon on April 17th at 8pm and on April 18th at 7pm.  The group has played this venue before and is excited to be returning.

 

"We play mostly jazz standards but offer a broad variety in the way they are played", according to Robert Martinson, the group's bass player.  Additional members include Kent Kittle on Piano,Gregg Todd on Drums, and Bill Applegate on Guitar.

The bands website, www.purevolume.com/thehatchbacks, offers samples of their music.  "Right now, there is still a lot of Christmas music up because that is what we have most recently recorded", Rob noted.

TRENNEY TO HEAD MUSIC MINISTRY AT FIRST PLYMOUTH CHURCH

By John Cutler

For the Star City Blog

Tom Trenney, Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, MI, has been named Minister of Music at Lincoln’s First-Plymouth Congregational Church.  Trenney had been in the post at Birmingham for seven years. The Birmingham congregation will have new faces, as there’s also a candidate for new Senior Pastor being introduced to the Birmingham First Presbyterian Church family this month.

A music ministry ‘team’ is being formed at First Plymouth, according to an announcement from the church. First-Plymouth organized a search committee after its former Minister of Music, Jon Cummins, announced his resignation. Jeremy Bankson has been Acting Music Minister since July, 2008, and will stay on staff as Associate Minister of Music. Bankson is a UN-L organ performance graduate who was Associate Director of Music at Trinity English Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a post he attained in 1999.

LSO Benefit Concert Features Joe Locke on Jazz Vibraphone

LINCOLN -- Joe Locke fell in love with Lincoln and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra when he and his jazz combo performed with LSO last April at Kimball Recital Hall. The feeling was mutual, and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra invited Joe to return for a benefit concert this spring.

 

The concert, featuring Joe Locke on jazz vibraphone and his jazz combo is Thursday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. at the Rococo Theatre.

 

Locke is looking forward to performing a benefit concert for LSO. “LSO is an American orchestra that is keeping things moving ahead with a strong connection to their community. LSO has an incredible staff with Edward Polochick at its helm, and they are not afraid to reach out and do innovative things. I have a lot of respect for LSO and its patrons, and this is my way of giving back to Lincoln and saying thank you for the wonderful experience I had last year,” Locke said.