... and will close with a heartfelt tribute to an Omaha icon. Omaha Performing Arts has announced a line-up that will appeal to every type of jazz fan, as the popular outdoor concert series moves to Turner Park.

The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band kicks off the season Thursday, July 8. One of the nation’s top percussionists, Sanchez won a Grammy for his Latin Soul album. His music weaves spirited tales that pay homage to a tradition born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merge with bebop. The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band played the Kiewit Concert Hall at the Holland Performing Arts Center in 2008.

Thursday, July 15 Lao Tizer, noted keyboardist and recording artist, will bring his contemporary jazz to Turner Park. This talented “Best New Jazz Artist” nominee, who last played in Omaha in 2007, self-produced and released his first three solo keyboard recordings by the age of seventeen. Since then he’s appeared at premier venues across the country and has sold more than 90,000 recordings, receiving acclaim in the industry’s most respected publications. His music also has been heard on radio and television.

The high energy Sugar Thieves will steal the sweetness right out of your bowl when they play their sultry blues and danceable grooves at Midtown Crossing at Turner Park Thursday, July 22. One of Phoenix Valley’s brightest up and coming bands, they won the Arizona Blues Competition two years in a row and were finalists in last year’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

Thursday, July 29, is a double bill with the pop-swing, jump-blues of the Prairie Cats and Kansas City-based big band Grand Marquis. The Cats played Jazz on the Green in 2001, 2003 and 2005, breaking attendance records. Lead Cat, Jeff Koterba, political cartoonist with the Omaha World-Herald, describes their work as “original music with a rock approach to jazz.”

The five-member Grand Marquis Band, selected as Kansas City’s best jazz group for several years, delivers its own brand of music the band describes as “old school jump blues, rockabilly and fiery jazz balled up into one big hit of red hot rhythm ‘n’ roll.”

Eleven-piece Latin-jazz-dance band Orquesta Alto Maiz is featured on Thursday, August 5. Living in America’s heartland, these musicians have made several trips to Cuba to study the masters of Cuban folkloric music. The result is a sound usually found in the clubs of New York City or Miami, earning them a reputation as one of the hottest bands in the Midwest. Jazz on the Green audiences will find their combination of Latin Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music tied up in a sweet salsa package just right for dancing.

The Thursday, August 12 finale will be a fitting tribute to Luigi Waites and his impact on the local jazz scene. The band, Luigi, Inc. will be joined for the second set and grand finale by several special guests who will pay homage to the talents of the late, great Luigi Waites.

Concerts for Omaha Performing Arts presents Jazz on the Green at Midtown Crossing are free to the public. No reservations or tickets are needed. Performances start at 7:00 p.m. Further details about the artists, amenities, and parking at Midtown Crossing at Turner Park will be announced at a later date.  Sponsors for the series are Mutual of Omaha, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Omaha Steaks.  To learn more about the artists and to sample their music, go to www.OmahaPerformingArts.org.

OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS
Omaha Performing Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing world-class performances to the Omaha metropolitan area. The organization manages two landmark venues, the Holland Performing Arts Center and the Orpheum Theater – the former, which includes the acoustically acclaimed Kiewit Concert Hall and Scott Recital Hall and the latter, which includes Slosburg Hall, a proscenium theater. Omaha Performing Arts also manages Ticket Omaha, provider of comprehensive ticketing services for arts within the region.

Omaha Performing Arts’ commitment to the arts extends into its own series, Omaha Performing Arts Presents, as well as education and community involvement programs that help ensure the arts have a far-reaching impact. In partnership with Broadway Across America, Omaha Performing Arts also brings the finest in touring Broadway productions to Omaha.

Omaha Performing Arts performances are supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Omaha and the Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund. For more information, please visit www.omahaperformingarts.org. Omaha Performing Arts, 1200 Douglas, Omaha, NE 68102, Telephone: 402-345-0202; Fax: 402-345-2200

MIDTOWN CROSSING AT TURNER PARK
Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is a 15-acre, mixed-use urban development in the heart of Omaha’s historic midtown neighborhood. Built around an expanded and revitalized Turner Park, the million-square-foot development includes nearly 500 condominium and apartment units as well as more than 220,000 square feet for restaurants, retailers and entertainment venues along with parking for more than 3,000 vehicles. For more information, please visit www.midtowncrossing.com. Midtown Crossing at Turner Park, East Campus Realty, LLC, Mutual of Omaha Plaza, Omaha, NE 68175, Telephone: 402-351-5998, Fax: 402-351-1712