Corridor Buzz - The Premier Source of Arts & Entertainment News and Information for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor

KCCK announces August Jazz Under the Stars line-up

The 2008 lineup of Jazz Under The Stars will feature jazz, blues and R&B from veteran performers as well as an Iowa City West High seniort considered one of the most talented young trumpeters in the country.

Kirkwood Community College's Jazz 88.3 KCCK will stage the 21st year of Jazz Under The Stars in August. The free concerts will take place each Thursday in Noelridge Park, 4900 Council St. NE in Cedar Rapids.

The performance schedule includes:

• Aug. 7 – Kevin “B.F.” Burt & the Instigators
• Aug. 14 – The Gabe Medd Group
• Aug. 21 – Chris Merz and the X-tet
• Aug. 28 – The Diplomats of Solid Sound

The scheduled rain date for all concerts will be Thursday, September 4.

Station manager Dennis Green says the series will present a variety of musicians and music styles.

"We’re especially pleased that we can not only feature veteran talent who have large followings, but also give people a chance to hear a young player just coming into his prime,” Green says.

Gabe Medd has performed at venues including the Great Wall of China and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland. He also played in February with the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble in Los Angeles. His Aug. 14 performance will include pianist Adam Kromelow and drummer David Gugliano, a science/music double major who will be a junior at the University of Iowa this fall.

Food will be available for sale. Families are invited to bring picnic baskets, blankets and lawn chairs to sit under the stars and enjoy the music.