Three venues in downtown Burlington will feature jazz concerts on Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14. All the shows for Jazz in Burlington weekend are free and open to the public.
“I really encourage anybody that’s not familiar with jazz to come. Each of our artists are going to bring a different style of jazz. That’s what so cool about jazz. They can go a lot of different directions,” said Jeff Poulter, Executive Director of the Capitol Theater Foundation.
The lineup:
- All-American Jazz Collective, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Art Center of Burlington.
- Richie Bliesener Trio, 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Art Center of Burlington.
- Blake Shaw and his Big(ish) Band, 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Capitol Theater.
- The Kojo Roney Experience, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at The Washington
The venues are all within walking distance of each other in downtown Burlington.
All-American Jazz Collective is from North Carolina, the Kojo Roney Experience is from New York, Bliesener grew up in Burlington, and Shaw is also from Iowa.
“This whole event has really got an all-star lineup of musicians from around the country. So we’re super-excited about having people come and be a part of this,” Poulter said.
He said there will also be a jam session on Thursday night at the Capitol Theater’s Nightcap Lounge, which is free and open to the public.
Elizabeth Pappas, Executive Director of the Art Center of Burlington, said Friday night’s performance will feature the music of Duke Ellington, and the art center will be set up like other jazz nights it has hosted.
“We really pride ourselves on the ambience and the food, and we really turn it into like a 1950s jazz club,” Pappas said.
“We also weave in a lot of educational storytelling. My husband (Daniel Pappas, music program coordinator at Southeastern Community College) will be leading that band and he will be weaving in the story of Duke Ellington and the historical context and the times he was living in. So it’s a very special, magical night.”
Pappas said jazz musicians love the spontaneity that creates a different show every time out.
“And the audience gets to be part of that. You can create some real magic in a room when great jazz musicians are playing great music that they love,” she said.
Organizers held a jazz weekend in Burlington in July 2025. They moved the event to November this year so they could include students and an educational component to the events.
Poulter said that on Wednesday they will bring in a musician from Chicago for a session with SCC students, and on Thursday other musicians will come in for SCC students.
In addition, musicians will hold a master class with area high school students at the Capitol Theater.
Poulter said jazz is America’s music.
“I think it’s important to share that, have young people learn the history of jazz, and then embrace it,” he said.
Poulter and Pappas said the weekend’s events are made possible by support from the Greater Burlington CVB, the Bart Howard Foundation, the John H. White, Jr. Foundation, the Harry and Virginia Murray Foundation, Music at SCC, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
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