NICKEL-A-DANCE: Thaïs Clark & Her Jazzsters

Born and raised in the musically fertile neighborhood of New Orleans Seventh Ward, Thais Clark is a high-energy performer with a deep-rooted passion for the bawdy number popularized by blues legends Ma Rainy and Bessie Smith.

This dynamic singer-dancer can present each song like no one else, having more than thirty years of experience performing before audiences at home and around the world. She’s performed in the New Orleans-themed musical revue, “One Mo’ Time,” the long-running Off-Broadway tribute to the early days of Black vaudeville. Ms. Clark played the character of Ma Reed on the New York, London, and European stages including a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and a separate performance

for Prince Phillip.

Since then, she has traveled much of the world with Wynton Marsalis and Dr. Michael White. She has also performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra