Jazz at the Sandbar

Offbeat's Look-Ka Py Py Podcast catches up with event producer Jason Patterson on the Jazz at the Sandbar Series below:

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Wonderful evening at Jazz at the Sandbar on May 1st with Dr. Lonnie Smith and Ricky Sebastian's World Beat Combo!

Jazz at the Sandbar Continues!

Spring 2013 Season

March 6 Masters Performance: The Music of Battiste, Black & Marsalis performed by Masakowski, Petersen & Atkins

Three local favorites of the New Orleans jazz scene will kick of the Spring 2013 Sandbar Series with a performance that pays tribute to the masters of Louisiana modern jazz; Dr. Harold Battiste, James Black & Ellis Marsalis. UNO Professor Victor Atkins III on piano conjures up a distinct style that is "infectious, unconventional, tasteful, and powerful" all at once. Master saxophonist Ed Petersen has that big tenor sound that he honed as a star player for years on the Chicago jazz scene. Steve Masakowski is recognized as one of the finest jazz guitarist of New Orleans by Offbeat magazine and is a long-time member of the highly praised band Astral Project.

March 13 Trumpeter Antoine Drye

Trumpeter extraordinaire Antoine Drye has honed his skill with some of the finest artist and mentors while attending UNO including Teddy Riley, Victor Goines, Ellis Marsalis, Harold Battise, Donald Harrison, Wendell Brunius, Leroy Jones and Earl Turbentine. After graduation in 1995, Drye travelled the world with trumpet in hand. From Paris to the Cayman Islands to finally landing in New York where he has since recorded several albums and worked with the likes of Rashied Ali, Miles Griffith, Donald Edwards, Elise Wood, and Wycliff Gordon. Antione Drye returns to his old stomping grounds to give back to his alma matar.

March 20 Pianist Joanne Brackeen

Known as the “Picasso of Jazz Piano,” Joanne Brackeen’s cutting-edge elegance as a musician ranks her among some of the top pianist in the world including Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and Chick Corea. Brackeen first gained recognition as the first and only female member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from 1969-1972. With 25 albums to date, her style is consistently inventive, dynamic, and filled with playful imagery that captivates audiences.

April 3 Pianist Mulgrew Miller

Mulgrew Miller has recorded with almost every known Jazz artist in the scene. In fact, he remains one of the most recorded pianists in the scene today, with over 400 recording sessions to his credit. His professional career took off at age twenty with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, led by the late Mercer Ellington. Miller has also worked with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Woody Shaw’s Quintet and Betty Carter’s group and was one of the founding members of Tony Williams’ Quintet.

April 10 Saxophonist Rex Gregory

Saxophonist and composer Rex Gregory is a staple to the New Orleans jazz community performing with the likes of Jason Marsalis, The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra led by Irvin Mayfield, Steve Masakowski, and James Singleton. Rex Gregory is a reedman and composer currently residing in New Orleans. He plays all forms of saxophones, clarinets and flutes with equal facility, which makes him a sought after musician for a diverse array of projects. He recently graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.A. in Jazz Performance.

April 17Guitarist Keith Ganz & Singer Kate McGarry with the UNO Guitar Ensmbles

Keith Ganz is an inventive jazz folk guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer. He has performed with such jazz notables as Harry Connick Jr., Kurt Elling, Luciana Souza, and Gretchen Parlato and has appeared on Oprah, Letterman, The View and toured the world.Keith's work as guitarist, arranger and producer on Kate McGarry's "If Less is More...Nothing is Everything" (Palmetto) helped garner a 2009 Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Kate McGarry’s musical path has explored elements of swing, jazz, Celtic, Brazilian, Indian music and everything in-between.

April 24 Pianist Butch Thompson with the UNO Classic Jazz Combo

Butch Thompson is an American jazz pianist and clarinetist best known for his ragtime and stride performances. The sweetness and buoyant rhythm of New Orleans music took hold of pianist Butch Thompson’s life at an early age and hasn’t let go. His roots are deep, and he has played his personal style of traditional jazz and ragtime from Kansas City to Cairo! Tonight he will be collaborating with the UNO Classic Jazz Combo.

May 1 Organist Dr. Lonnie Smith

Definitive Hammond b3 organist Dr. Lonnie Smith is the jazz, blues, and R&B guru of the music industry. Having recorded on over seventy albums with masters such as George Benson and Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith is one of the few jazz artist to successfully and continuously cut across almost all genres of music; from covers of the Beatles, and the Eurythmics, to tribute albums of Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane and Beck. Jazz Times magazine describes him as “a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a turban!”

“Jazz @ the Sandbar” is presented by the UNO Jazz Studies Program with support from the UNO Student Government Association, WWNO public radio, Offbeat Media and the New Orleans Jazz Celebration.

General admission is $5.00 per person. UNO students, falcutly and staff free with UNO ID. All proceeds go to the George Brumat Memorial Scholarship Fund. For more information, call the UNO Music Department at (504) 280-6039.

Ellis Marsalis Opens Jazz @ the Sandbar Concert Series: Wednesday, October 3, 7:00 P.M.

CELEBRATING TWENTY TWO YEARS OF LIVE JAZZ AT THE LAKEFRONT

Jazz @ the Sandbar

WEDNESDAYS OCT 3- NOV 14

7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
SANDBAR at the new COVE

Founders Rd.
on UNO campus

General Admission: $5.00 PER PERSON
UNO students, faculty & staff free w/ UNO ID.

Thank you to the following sponsors:

Nate & Priscilla Gordon

The performance series Downbeat Magazine calls “One of the best things going in America".

Jazz @ the Sandbar Returns to Wednesdays this Fall

New Orleans favorite father figure Ellis Marsalis kicks off the Fall 2012 series in the recently opened Cove on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus. This season, all events will be on Wednesday beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Here is the complete schedule of guest artists coming through the end of the season:

ELLIS MARSALIS on October 3

It is becoming a tradition that UNO patriarch and jazz education icon Ellis Marsalis kicks off the Sandbar season, and this year is no exception. The premier modern jazz pianist of New Orleans...and the father of a generation of contemporary jazz musicians who are considered the international leaders of the current scene. Together with his sons Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, the Marsalis clan is often referred to as ‘The First Family of Jazz’.

DEREK DOUGET on October 10

Saxophonist Derek Douget serenades audiences with equally powerful and melodic vibes as he switches between alto, soprano, and tenor sax throughout his sets. A native to Gonzales, Louisiana, Douget contains an advanced jazz dexterity that is reminiscent of Sidney Bechet and old world New Orleans. Notably, he performed on the 2010 Grammy Winning Album “Book One” with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The Grammy was awarded for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

JONATHAN LEFCOSKI on October 17

Classically trained pianist Jonathan Lefcoski has made a name for himself in the jazz world by playing with the likes of Jason Marsalis, Grammy winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and with the legendary R&B vocalist Johnny Adams. Lefcoski has toured internationally as a musical ambassador for the US State Department throughout Europe and the Middle East saying that "music is universal" throughout all languages.

VICTOR ATKINS III, ED PETERSEN, & STEVE MASAKOWSKI on October 24

University of New Orleans professors Victor Atkins, Ed Petersen and Steve Masakowski will perform original Jazz music based on renowned authors William Faulkner, Dr. Seuss and John Kennedy Toole. These performances were originally presented as a Jazz Masters Series commissioned by New Orleans Jazz Institute.

JOANNE BRACKEEN on October 31

GUITARIST TED LUDWIG

with the UNO Guitar Ensembles on November 7

World class seven-string jazz guitarist Ted Ludwig is an improviser who plays with effortless grace the melody and swing of traditional jazz. While a student at the University of New Orleans, Ludwig studied with jazz notables Ellis Marsalis, Harold Batiste, Hank Mackie and Steve Masakowski. Transplanted to Little Rock after Hurricane Katrina, the alumni is back in the Big Easy to team up with the UNO Guitar Ensembles under the direction of Mackie and Masakowski.

TRUMPETER MARK BRAUD

with the UNO Classic jazz Combo November 14

Grandson of the legendary trumpeter John "Picket" Brunious, Sr. and nephew of internationally acclaimed jazz trumpeters Wendell Brunious and John Brunious, Jr., Mark Braud was destined to acquire a passion for music and pursue a career as a musician. A native to New Orleans, Mark has toured with Harry Connick Jr., Dr. Michael White, Henry Butler, and Legendary R&B singer Eddie Bo to name a few. Mark Braud joined Preservation Hall Jazz Band as one of its youngest members, keeping the New Orleans jazz tradition alive.

‘Jazz at the Sandbar’ was established in 1990 by Ellis Marsalis, the first Chairman of the Jazz Studies Program at the University of New Orleans. The Jazz at the Sandbar performances are designed to provide UNO Jazz Studies students an opportunity to get real life experience performing with professional musicians in front of a live audience. The series is presented on Wednesday nights during the Fall and Spring semesters and features a different respected jazz artist each week. It also provides a medium in which students exercise their improvisational skills and gives them the rare opportunity to work with jazz masters which have included Marcus Roberts, Ravi Coltrane and Nicholas Payton among many others.

“Jazz @ the Sandbar” is presented by the UNO Jazz Studies Program with support from the UNO Student Government Association, WWNO, Nate & Priscilla Gordon, the UNO international Alumni Association and the New Orleans Jazz Celebration. For further information, call UNO Music Dept. at 504-280-6381 or visit www.nojc.org/sandbar.

New Orleans Jazz Celebration Bringing an Understanding and Appreciation of Jazz to Louisiana and the World

UNO STUDENTS PLAY AT YOSHI'S IN SAN FRANCISCO

UNO students Barry Stevenson and Jamison Ross (bass & drums) are caught backstage at San Francisco's premiere jazz club Yoshi's with New Orleans piano professor Henry Butler. Henry selected them to do his July 27th gig there and was very impressed with them. Jamison stayed in the Bay Area to play that Sunday with Carmen Lundy at Bach's Dancing & Dynamite Society Lodge in Half Moon Bay.

Jazz @ The Sandbar Grand Finale

LAST PERFORMANCE OF SPRING SERIES 2012

Guitarist Mike Moreno will be the guest artist on Tuesday May 1st at 7:00 p.m. “Jazz @ the Sandbar” at the newly opened Cove on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus.

GUITARIST MIKE MORENO

Guitarist and composer Mike Moreno has toured with some of the biggest names in the jazz world including The Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Wynton Marsalis and the JALC Orchestra, Terrance Blanchard and Nicholas Payton. Jazz Times Magazine proclaims “Mike Moreno's appealing tone, cascading lines and inherent sense of lyricism mark him as one of the most outstanding guitarists since Kurt Rosenwinkel." Leading his own band, Mike has recently release his debut CD "Between the Lines" on World Culture Music. He will be joining the UNO Guitar Ensembles under the direction of Steve Masakowski and Hank Mackie.

Click in the map for an enlarged version:

Jazz @ The Sandbar Continues

SPRING PERFORMANCE SERIES 2012

Grammy award winning Jazz trumpeter Maurice Brown kicks off the second half of the Spring 2012 series of “Jazz @ the Sandbar” in the newly opened Cove on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus. This season, all events will be on Tuesday beginning at 7:00 p.m. Here is the complete schedule of guest artists coming through the end of the season:

TRUMPETER MAURICE BROWN on April 10

Maurice is coming fresh from the 2012 Grammy Awards ceremony where he won the statue as a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band for Best Blues Album. Maurice "Mobetta" Brown is actually better known in the jazz world for his soulful albums that merge traditional be-bop to hip-hop without losing the essentials of either genre. After growing up in Chicago, he came down to Louisiana in 2001 to study under clarinet legend Alvin Batiste at Southern University. He then moved to New Orleans where he held down a regular night at the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro for two years until Hurricane Katrina blew him up north where he still resides in New York City. Brown’s sophomore release to his critically acclaimed “The Cycle of Love” is due to hit later this year featuring his dynamic quintet, The Maurice Brown Effect. This show is made possible by a generous donation by Nate & Priscilla Gordon.

TROMBONIST BIG SAM WILLIAMS on April 17

Now a driving force of urban funk music scene in New Orleans, Big Sam Williams is a former student of the UNO Jazz Studies program. This powerhouse trombonist leads and fronts Big Sam’s Funky Nation, which now tours all over the world. Sam left UNO at 19 years old when he got the call from the acclaimed Dirty Dozen Brass Band to tour with the band. Since starting Funky Nation, Big Sam produces dynamic energy onstage between trombone riffs and signature dance moves that demand high levels of participation from the audience. The San Francisco Chronicle calls Big Sam “the top man on the slide trombone in the birthplace of jazz.” He will be performing with the UNO Jazz Combo under the direction of Ed Petersen.

SINGER BANU GIBSON on April 22

Swinging jazz singer Banu Gibson is one of the few vocalists of our time to remain exclusively loyal to the song styles of the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Gibson intertwines Tin Pan Alley standards with classics such as Gershwin, Ellington, and Porter. Her fresh mixture of genres presents her wide range of versatility that allows her to be a powerful force on stages around the globe. She will be performing New Orleans Jazz material this night with the UNO Classic Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Matt Perrine and the Hot Club of UNO.

GUITARIST MIKE MORENO on May 1

Jazz @ The Sandbar Returns

SPRING PERFORMANCE SERIES 2012 KICK-OFF

Brazilian Jazz trumpeter Claudio Roditi will kick off the Spring 2012 series of “Jazz @ the Sandbar” in the newly renovated Sandbar at the Cove on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus. This concert will be on Tuesday March 6^th as all Jazz @ the Sandbar shows will now be on Tuesdays beginning at 7:00 p.m. Roditi will be the first performer for the performance series Downbeat Magazine calls “One of the best things going in America.”

Claudio Roditi is a Brazilian jazz trumpeter.After arriving in the United States in 1970, he began to study at Berklee School of Music, where he became musically influenced by Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan. In 1976 he moved to New York and began to establish himself as a formidable jazz figure.Currently he leads his own band and frequently travels as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra. He earned a Grammy Award nomination in 1995 for his "Symphonic Bossa Nova",and another in 2010 as Best Latin Jazz Album for Brazilliance.

Jazz @ the Sandbar is expected to return to its home for the new spring 2012 season. Originally built in 1973 as a student food and recreation center, the Cove quickly became the center of campus life. In 1990, UNO jazz studies director Ellis Marsalis turned The Cove into a living laboratory where UNO students performed with national and international jazz artists. The Cove was damaged during Hurricane Katrina and was demolished and rebuilt. The grand opening took place on Friday December 2nd, and it reunited students, faculty and community members into a big celebration.

“Jazz @ the Sandbar” is presented by the UNO Jazz Studies Program with support from the UNO Student Government Association, WWOZ, Nate & Priscilla Gordon, the UNO International Alumni Association and the New Orleans Jazz Celebration.

General admission is $5 per person. UNO Students, faculty and staff admitted free with their UNO Id. All proceeds go to the George Brumat Memorial Scholarship Fund. For more information, call the UNO Music Department at (504) 280-6039.

Jazz @ The Sandbar Returns

FALL PERFORMANCE SERIES 2011

LOCATION: UNO HOMER HITT ALUMNI CENTER (Milneberg Road at the Lake on UNO campus)

WHEN: OCTOBER 5 - NOVEMBER 16 / WEDNESDAYS 7:00 PM TO 9:30 PM

GEN’L ADMISSION $5.00 PER PERSON//UNO STUDENTS, FACULTY & STAFF FREEW/UNO ID

New Orleans, LA 9/19/11: New Orleans jazz legend Ellis Marsalis will kick off the Fall 2011 series of “Jazz @ the Sandbar” at the Homer Hitt Alumni Center on the University of New Orleans Lakefront campus October 5. UNO Professor Emeritus Ellis Marsalis will pay tribute to Thelonious Monk for the opening concert of the performance series Downbeat Magazine calls “One of the best things going in America.”

Thanks to the Homer Hitt Alumni Center, Jazz @ the Sandbar will be able to celebrate its 21^st year of service to UNO Jazz Studies in their Geoghegan Grand Ballroom, located on the second floor of the Alumni Center. The Center is also developing a campaign to support the construction of the new Cove on campus which will become the permanent site for Jazz @ the Sandbar.

“Jazz @ the Sandbar” is presented by the UNO Jazz Studies Program with support from the UNO Student Government Assn, the UNO International Alumni Assn, the New Orleans Jazz Celebration & the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro. Admission charge goes toward the George Brumat Scholarship Fund. For more information, please call the UNO Music Department at 504-280-6381 or Jason Patterson at 504-309-JAZZ.

The lineup for this FALL season’s Jazz @ the Sandbar schedule is as follows:

October 5 - Ellis Marsalis “Tribute to Thelonious Monk”

As a leading educator at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana, Ellis has influenced the careers of countless musicians, including Terence Blanchard, Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Payton; as well as his four musician sons: Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason. In May, 2007, Marsalis received an honorary doctorate from Tulane University for his contributions to jazz and musical educatio

October 12 - Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson

Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson studied with Alvin Batiste at Southern University in Louisiana. He toured with the Wynton Marsalis Septet, and collaborated with Marsalis through the middle of the 1990s. He has continued to play with Marsalis's Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In 1994, he released his debut album on Atlantic Records; Eric Reed and Ben Wolfe were among those who played as sidemen.

October 19 - Vocalist Rhondi Charleston & Guitarist Dave Stryker

Rhondi Charleston is a charming and powerfully poetic singer/songwriter with an expressive and sensuous voice. Chicago raised and Julliard trained, her album has been well-received, both for her soulful covers and for her original compositions. She brings in her powerful touring band that includes guitarist Dave Stryker.

Dave Stryker is a guitar player’s guitarist. Gary Giddins in the Village Voice calls him one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years. He was voted one of Downbeat Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists in its Critics and Readers Poll. Stryker possesses knowledge of all styles, but he plays the blues with emotional depth, grit and soulful simplicity.

October 26 - Drummer Herlin Riley

Herlin Riley was born in New Orleans, LA. Herlin was a member of Ahmad Jamal’s group from 1984 through 1987. He has recorded with important artists such as Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr., George Benson, Marcus Roberts, among others. In the Spring of 1988, he joined Wynton Marsalis’ touring and recording group, which he performed with through its disbanding in late 1994. Herlin is regularly a featured musician at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC.

November 2 - Guitarist Lionel Loueke

Lionel Loueke (born 1973) is a guitarist born in the west African country of Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art.[1] He attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, France from 1994-1998. In 1999, Loueke was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in Jazz Performance in 2000.

November 9 - Bassist Bill Huntington

Bill Huntington is an American bass player and educator. He was professor of jazz at Loyola University New Orleans and at the University of New Orleans. He played and toured with musicians such as Ellis Marsalis, Lionel Ferbos, Steve Masakowski, Dr John, and Wendell Brunious. His legacy as an educator is invaluable and many of today’s modern masters of the bass were his students during his years at Loyola and UNO.

November 16 - Trumpeter Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown

He has style and elegance. Trumpeter Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown is an emerging, young musician on the New Orleans scene who collaborates with the likes of Irvin Mayfield and Shannon Powell. Kid Chocolate played Jazz Ascona 2011 as part of Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Playhouse Revue.