Des Moines Community Jazz Center

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

CELEBRATE ROD LEAVERTON AT THE
2026 JAZZ HALL OF FAME ON OCTOBER 11

Guitarist Rod Leaverton will become the 53rd member of the Community Jazz Center of Greater Des Moines' (CJC) Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame during the organization's annual awards celebration at Noce in downtown Des Moines on Sunday, October 11.

Leaverton has been a fixture on the Iowa jazz scene since beginning his professional career at age 16 with Hall of Fame members Jim and Nancy Bierma. One of the founding members of CJC, Leaverton has also studied and performed with many of the Hall of Fame honorees. Today he continues to perform regularly while pursuing a career in the artificial intelligence industry.

The evening will also celebrate artists, educators and other contributors to the vitality of the local jazz scene as well as this year's winners of the CJC Student Scholarships.

The Hall of Fame celebration begins with a reception and dinner at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, followed by the awards program at 6 p.m. The evening will feature performances by this year's honorees, previous Hall of Fame inductees and special guest musicians.

Advance tickets are $20 and $25 at the door. An optional meal is available for $25. Proceeds support the Community Jazz Center's youth education programs.

Tickets and more information are available at www.cjc-dsm.org.

08/24/2026

BOTTOM LINE: As a young saxophonist in the early 1960s, Tabnik took the road less traveled. Drawn to the sense of adventure and lyricism he heard in Lennie Tristano’s music, he sought out players such as Lee Konitz and Connie Crothers as he developed his own genuine and intuitive approach to jazz. Those qualities are in full display on I Remember Connie a heartfelt and long overdue tribute to his 36 year musical relationship with Crothers.

NEW ARTISTS1080 (RELEASED APRIL 2026) Shortly after the death of his teacher, collaborator and friend Connie Crothers in 2016, alto saxophonist Richard Tabnik took his quartet into the studio to re…

08/24/2026

CELEBRATE THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF JAZZ IN DSM

Tickets are on sale now for the Des Moines Jazz Hall of Fame.
Join us for an evening of recognition, music, food and friendship.
Visit cjc-dsm.org for details.

08/23/2026

EXPLORING MUSE RECORDS ON STRAIGHT NO CHASER

Between 1971 and 1996, Muse Records issued more than 500 different albums featuring straight ahead jazz, soul jazz, fusion and avant garde. Enjoy three hours exploring this catalogue of wonderful music that includes the releases pictured here as well as albums from baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, drummer Barry Altschul, organist Don Patterson and others. Listen in tonight, 5 to 8 PM, at KFMG-FM — 98.9 FM in Des Moines and streaming at kfmg.org.

08/22/2026

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT JAZZATCASPE.WEEBLY.COM

08/20/2026

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT CJC-DSM.ORG

08/17/2026

BOTTOM LINE: Trumpeter Jim Rotondi and pianist/vocalist Dena DeRose first recorded together in 2000. Recorded just two weeks before Rotondi’s death in 2024, Out of the Past is their final session and a fitting testament to the musical chemistry they developed over more than two decades. It is an album rooted in their mutual belief about the importance of melody, swing and an unfussy approach to jazz.

CELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 21, 2026) If Geoffrey Chaucer were reviewing Out of the Past, he might borrow the phrase he first used in The Canterbury Tales in 1386: “better late than never.” This …

08/16/2026

The CJC youth combo is ready for their set in 15 minutes!
West Des Moines Parks & Recreation / Aquatic Centers

08/16/2026