Jazz Calendar (Updated 5 / 15 / 2012)

Omaha Performing Arts presents jazz pianist Kenny Barron and his trio at the 1200 Club on Friday, May 18 at 8:00pm. Kenny Barron mesmerizes audiences with his elegant piano playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. During his decades-spanning career, Barron has worked with several jazz greats, including Dizzie Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine and many more. One of the most renowned pianists in jazz today, Barron is a multiple-Grammy® nominee, was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005 and was selected for the National Endowment for the Arts prestigious Jazz Masters in 2010. For more information, you may visit http://www.omahaperformingarts.org

Omaha Performing Arts Presents Big Sam's Funky Nation on Saturday, May 19 at 8:00 PM at the 1200 Club at the Holland Center. The Funky Nation is presided over by Big Sam, who blows the funk out of his trombone and refuses to let the audience sit still. Between solos and trombone riffs, Big Sam gets the crowd going both in movement and in replies to his call-and-response MC-style. Big Sam began playing with the Dirty Dozen at the tender age of 19 before striking out on his own and creating the Funky Nation. Tickets start as low as $25. For more details you may visit http://www.omahaperformingarts.org