Shout! Omaha

The Tradition Continues

Locally adored Jazz on the Green moves to new home at Turner Park

The blankets and wine and all that jazz have moved up the street and a few blocks to the east, but the spirit of one of Omaha’s most beloved summer events – Jazz on the Green – is still the same and, in fact, more vibrant than ever.

With a much bigger space, thousands of additional parking spaces and unique food purveyors, this will surely be a record-breaking year for the annual outdoor music series.

For the past 25 summers, Jazz on the Green was hosted by the Joslyn Art Museum. It all began in 1985 on the museum’s east lawn, with such acts as Urban Surrender, the Tod Barnard Quartet and the late Preston Love and his orchestra performing. But with last summer’s opening of Joslyn’s Peter Kiewit Sculpture Garden in the space that hosted the event, it was time for Jazz on the Green to find a new home.

Enter Omaha Performing Arts and Midtown Crossing, a 15-acre, mixed-use urban development that covers 31st Avenue to Turner Blvd., from Farnam to Dodge streets. 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.

“We thought Jazz on the Green was a perfect fit for Omaha Performing Arts. It’s an amazing tradition in this community, and it really helps us serve our mission,” said Joan Squires, president of Omaha Performing Arts. “We have a jazz series, we present these types of events.”

The total attendance for Jazz on the Green in its first year was 1,900. By 2009, the Joslyn lawn was hosting about 5,600 for each show. Organizers are expecting an even larger weekly audience in the new Turner Park, where up to 8,000 people will be able to fill the space. Which begs the question: Will there be enough parking?

“Parking is plentiful,” said Molly Skold, marketing director for East Campus Realty, LLC, the Mutual of Omaha subsidiary developing Midtown Crossing.

In addition to 3,000 parking stalls in two parking garages, Mutual of Omaha is opening up two of its surfaced lots, making another 3,000 parking stalls available. If all of those fill up, there’s another option for Jazz on the Green attendees: a free shuttle service.

“Mutual and East Campus Realty have the means to make a better experience, and that’s what we’re going to try to do,” Skold said.

When Mutual of Omaha began the planning stages of Midtown Crossing, the initial drafts for historic Turner Park were meager.

“It was just a nice little park – some benches and nice walkways,” Skold said. “And Mutual executives looked at that and said, ‘We’re looking big.’

“So the architects came back with a very grand idea, and it was literally in the top conference room on the 12th floor (of Mutual of Omaha) and all the executives were there and they rolled it out and everyone at once said, ‘That’s it, that’s what we want.’”

In the early 1900s, Turner Park was a happening spot, a popular gathering place for live entertainment and community-driven events. Skold said Mutual executives wanted to return Turner Park to its glory days, and so a significant investment was made.

“Then, as we did the residential component, and the park component and the retail, it became clear that the parking was going to make this or break this. If there’s not adequate, substantial parking, it’s going to be a deal breaker,” Skold said. “That’s why parking has been one of our biggest ingredients.”

With the natural bowl-shape of the reborn Turner Park, audiences will have an ideal vantage point from which to take in the concerts. Omaha Performing Arts, conscious of the fact that this year would be a major turning point for the long-running series, went above and beyond when it came to booking the artists, who will begin playing consecutive Thursday evenings beginning July 8.

“I am very pleased to be kicking off the series with Poncho Sanchez,” OPA’s Squires said. “He was with us (OPA) several years ago with our jazz series, and he’s an amazing musician. He’s well liked in this community, so to kick off the series, and give it a little extra support, that’s a great way to do it.

“Then we’ve got some returning artists, some new artists – we really worked to continue the tradition of Jazz on the Green, and to also take it to the next level. So it’s a nice mix of returning artists and some artists that folks may not know.”

This year’s Jazz on the Green will feature a unique finale, with Luigi Inc performing. The group’s namesake, Luigi Waites, passed away earlier this year. He was a legend locally, and he will be missed by the tens of thousands of Omahans who had a chance to hear him perform with his jazz ensemble. For the finale, past members of Luigi Inc will gather for a tribute.

“Certainly there is no one more beloved than Luigi, and his loss is very significant, and so we wanted to pay tribute to him,” Squires said. “Joi Brown, our vice president of programming, knew him well and really wanted to develop a tribute to him. I think it’s a very fitting tribute to end this year’s series.”

Something also new this season for Jazz on the Green is that beer, wine and champagne are now officially legal to consume in the park during the performances. Technically, it was illegal for concert-goers to drink adult beverages on the Joslyn lawn, but the law turned its head and beer and wine was always flowing at JOTG.

Food vendors will also be available beginning this year from eateries at Midtown Crossing. Wohlner’s grocery store is offering special boxed meals and bottles of wine, while Coldstone Creamery and Rocky Mountain Chocolates also will run specials for Jazz on the Green.

“Delice is doing fresh baked goods, and Ingredient is participating as well; they just opened,” Skold said. “And Tru Salon is going to have a massage chair and they will be giving massages. We’re looking forward to a great Jazz on the Green this year.”

A final note on the free shuttle service:

Midtown Crossing’s free shuttle service begins Friday, July 2 and will continue every Friday and Saturday evening thereafter. The shuttle will also run on Thursday evenings during the Jazz on the Green concerts. The event shuttle will travel extensively through downtown Omaha, north downtown (NoDo) and back to Midtown Crossing, making key stops along the way.

“Guests can take advantage of Midtown Crossing’s ample parking, and then shuttle to NoDo for a concert at Slowdown; meet friends for drinks or a show; or catch a game at the Qwest Center or the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (when it opens),” Skold said.

The shuttle will run a continuous loop throughout those Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as Jazz on the Green, with two loops per hour.

For a Jazz on the Green FAQ, click here.