Music on the Mountain: Darren Novotony Jazz Collection - October 22

Please join Mount Sequoyah and the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society for an outdoor concert with the Darren Novotny Jazz Connection!

Seating for the event will begin at 6:00 pm, but music will not start until 6:30 pm. This event will be outdoors, so please bring your own lawn chairs and/or blankets, and we highly encourage bringing a picnic to enjoy!

The Darren Novotny Jazz Connection is an exciting new quartet of musicians from Kansas City and Northwest Arkansas. Brought together by the common desire to create jazz steeped in the tradition with an eye to the future, the group covers contemporary and classic mainstream jazz repertoire. The ensemble is a co-op of top-shelf musicians with a common vision driven by the desire to create new and challenging music. This debut concert offers the rare opportunity to hear greatest in the making! Veteran drummer and percussionist, Darren Novotny is the engine propelling the 4-tet forward. His ear for young talent and history in the NW Arkansas music scene is legendary, with performances that include stage time with the likes of JoEl Sonnier, Co Co Montoya, Herb Ellis, Sheila Jordan and Lee Konitz to name just a few. Pianist Brant Jester has been a key inspiration for this group after several appearances in Fayetteville and Eureka Springs. Jester currently resides in Kansas City Missouri and graduated from Missouri State University with his bachelor’s degree in music performance. He is a powerful keyboard virtuoso with a sound that draws from piano greats like Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and modernists like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Bassist Zach Ruhmann is another K.C. resident whose virtuosity is the perfect complement to Jester’s keyboard magic. He is young and gifted with an intuitive connection to ensemble playing and an impressive performance experience already under his belt. Austin Farnam is a Fayetteville based saxophonist, recording artist, and educator. He is a member of the Fayetteville Jazz Collective and has performed with multiple Grammy award winning artists including Conrad Herwig, Jeff Coffin, Bobby Shew, Dick Oatts, and more. Known for his virtuosity and intensity, Austin Farnam has a bold and propulsive sound that embodies his desire to create and the passion to be heard. Farnam is also a music faculty member at The New School in Fayetteville Arkansas.