JAZZMAN JOE VIDEOS: Home for the Holidays with Max Wellman and Tina Findlay Haase at The Bridge in Johnston on December 20, 2015

For this installment, we present a holiday show featuring Max Wellman and Tina Findlay Haase.

"Whether it is at Chicago’s stunning Drake Hotel or the historic Hoyt Sherman Place Theater, vocalist Max Wellman is enticing music lovers throughout the region. With a sound evoking the likes of Sinatra & Connick, Wellman’s recordings & performances promise that the Great American Songbook is alive & well for a new generation of listeners.

When Wellman teams up with his jazz trio or his Big Band, it’s an opportunity to witness his talent on a grand scale. Concerts like his annual ‘Home for the Holidays’ have become a cherished treasure throughout the region."
- from Max Wellman's Facebook page

"Tina Haase Findlay and Brandon Findlay are bella soul. As a modular group, the duo expands with members of their diverse musical family, including international award-winning bassist Scot Sutherland and reknowned artist-educator Dr. Damani Phillips, among more than two dozen local and regional artists who regularly join on stage and in studio.

"As a duo, trio, quintet, or sextet, bella soul is built from a loving devotion to the kaleidoscope of sounds and styles that have naturally raised from the American deltas and heartlands they call home. And as they prepare a new collection of original work, Genesis of the Exodus, the Findlay's and their family are enjoying the blessings of lives filled with great friends, great art, and great love."
- from the Diva and the Deacons Facebook page

IOWA MUSIC SHOWCASE PODCAST - Episode 9: Iowa Jazz Music

This episode is dedicated to my jazz-loving wife and father-in-law.

Sorry it's taken so long to get another podcast out. "Life is what happens when we're making other plans." Overtime, family gallbladder operation, and a graduation conspired against me. Something had to give, and it was the podcast. I'll try to get it back to every two weeks.

At a casual glance, one might not think much about Iowa's jazz scene. The fans and players are not nearly as numerous as, say the rock, alternative, or even the blues scene.

But what it lacks in numbers, it more than makes up on dedication. Many of the colleges have Jazz departments. And the ones, that may not be big enough to have a jazz department, will often have one member of the music department dedicated to jazz.  And the colleges and college towns, if they don't jazz festivals, will often host Jazz musicians.

Here in Des Moines, we have Jazz in July, a month-long Jazz festival. And the restaurant, Chuck's, features Jazz every Friday and Saturday night. And The Des Moines Social Club has started a monthly show with The NOLA Jazz Band.

And if that is not enough proof for you, check out Jazzman Joe's YouTube channel, featuring literally 100's of videos of Iowa jazz artists doing their thing
- https://www.youtube.com/user/jazzmanjoe100/videos.

So here in the episode, we present six bands and artists pushing Jazz forward here in Iowa.