The first time a person hears Jewel's latest album, 0304, the likely reaction will be something along the lines of "What the hell?" The singer-songwriter, who broke through in 1995 with an acoustic guitar and her mega-hit debut Pieces of You, has made a dance pop record.

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.