It’s fall – Crisp apples, pumpkins, red and gold trees and Eddie Piccard Jazz in Mount Vernon. Eddie Piccard Jazz Quartet will be back in Mount Vernon at the Uptown Theater in the First Street Community Center, Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The show will highlight favorite jazz and pop tunes as well as Dixieland jazz.

Eddie Piccard is a familiar name in eastern Iowa. He grew up in Norway, Iowa, and attended Cornell College, where he played jazz bass. He joined groups in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities while in college and later left Iowa for Utah, Rush Street, Chicago, the west coast and Florida. He returned to Iowa in the 1980s and was featured at the Top of the Five Seasons Hotel.

Eddie is a jazz legend in Eastern Iowa and all over the Midwest. The jazz club that Eddie and his wife Dallis operated on Mount Vernon Road was a favorite spot for jazz fans in Eastern Iowa and an exciting surprise for those traveling through. Musicians with other gigs in the area loved sitting in with Eddie for late night jam sessions. A road-widening project forced the popular club to close.

Eddies’ quartet includes Cedar Rapids drummer Tim Crumley on drums, Iowa Citian Gary Palmer on bass, and Mount Vernon’s own Rich Martin on vibes. The Busch Brothers – Marty, Larrry and Luke—will come from Wisconsin to join the group for the Dixieland portion of the concert.

Tickets for the performance may be purchased through the Mount Vernon Lisbon Community Development Group (319-210-9935) or a the door. Patrons are welcome to bring a favorite beverage and purchase a community center cup.