The Eddie Piccard Quartet is coming back to Mount Vernon. The group will be at the Uptown Theatre in the First Street Community Center Saturday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. They will start the evening with jazz favorites and will be joined by the Busch Brothers to play some of the “good old good ones” (as Louis Armstrong said) from New Orleans.
Eddie Piccard grew up in Norway, Iowa and attended Cornell College. He played gigs in Cedar Rapids and near-by communities before leaving for Chicago, the west coast, and Florida. He’s a jazz legend in eastern Iowa and all over the Midwest.
Eddie Piccard returned to Iowa and opened a jazz club on Mount Vernon Road with his wife Dallis in the 1990s. The club’s patrons recall a sophisticated spot that offered unforgettable nights of music. Well-known jazz musicians traveling in Iowa made a point of jamming at the club with Eddie. One such musician traded tunes with Eddie until three a.m. “People were always astonished to find a thriving jazz club on Mount Vernon Road,” Eddie recalls. The club was forced to close because of road widening. Eddie now plays regularly in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area, as well as in the Chicago area.
Eddie’s Quartet will feature Eddie on piano and vocals, Rich Martin on vibes, Gary Palmer on bass, and Tim Crumley on drums. The group will then be joined by “the Busch Brothers”—Larry on trumpet, Marty on trombone and Luke on clarinet.
Larry Busch is a veteran of many well-known jazz orchestras—Guy Lombardo, Wayne King, and Al Pierson—and has led his own big band for many years. Marty has toured with Johnny Mathis, Dick Jurgens and others. Luke has played with the Dixieland Allstars and Mad City Funk.
“We always love playing for the Mount Vernon audience,” Eddie said. “We look forward to seeing long-time friends and sharing this classic American art form with new listeners.”
Tickets for the performance can be purchased at Bauman’s Clothing Store. Patrons are welcome to bring a favorite beverage and purchase a Community Center cup.