The all-star lineup of the Newport Jazz 50th Anniversary Tour, coming to the Adler Theatre on Monday, includes two authentic jazz legends in 78-year-old saxophonist and flutist James Moody and 70-year-old pianist and composer Cedar Walton; one of today's outstanding new stars in saxophonist James Carter; a top jazz trumpet player in Randy Brecker; two of the most-called-upon rhythm-section players in bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash; and the fine guitarist Howard Alden.

The fat lady didn't sing, so I guess the opera isn't over. Instead, it's just beginning, with City Opera Company of the Quad Cities' first self-produced opera, Mozart's The Magic Flute. And if you think opera is stuffy, the production the organization staged this past weekend at the Galvin Fine Arts Center would have proved you wrong.

Two hundred sixty years after its composer set the words to music, The Messiah still draws hundreds of spectators to enjoy the tradition in the Quad Cities. What makes The Messiah different from hundreds of other masterpieces created through the years? Perhaps its history can give us a clue to why crowds flock to see performances.

After a year in operation, the Quad Cities-based Future Appletree label has an impressive résumé: four sparkling releases and a stable of reliable acts with an experimental-indie-pop flavor. It's clear even at this early stage that there's a distinct Future Appletree sound, which is evidenced by the new Soundtracks for Kisses, Trips, & Fits: A Future Appletree Compilation.