2020 Jazz Museum Annual Report
On Tuesday, December 8, 2020, The Caesar Brothers and N'awlins D'awlins Baby Dolls gave a special socially-distanced, live-streamed concert in the New Orleans Jazz Museum courtyard. Photography by Eliot Kamenitz for New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Dear Friends,
Despite the many difficulties and hurdles presented by 2020, the New Orleans Jazz Museum enjoyed an exciting year of new programs, partnerships, and fundraising opportunities.
Our year got off to a roaring start with the opening of two new exhibits, Cherchez la Femme: New Orleans Women and New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys. We offered over 50 free programs between January and March alone. When the quarantine order was implemented in March, we immediately began to strategize ways to safely continue our programming. Within weeks, we began our first virtual series, Quarantunes, and expanded to balcony concerts in May. By the end of the year, we offered 4-5 free virtual programs weekly, hosted 2 virtual festivals, opened a photography exhibit, and virtually celebrated our third annual Improvisations Gala. We invite you to enjoy past and future programs on our Facebook page, facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum.
We are heartened by the outpouring of support we received from our patrons and sponsors. The Jazz Museum raised over $330k in donations and sponsorships in 2020. These funds will go towards education, expansion, and operations. We received a generous gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation for the first phase of planning of our permanent exhibit. With his gift and gifts from the Fertel and Selley Foundations, we are currently building out our Jazz Education Center and Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab. Their completion will mark the beginning of an exciting chapter of state-of-the-art learning at the Jazz Museum. We also deepened our partnerships with OffBeat Magazine and the ELLA Project— organizations whose music-oriented missions align with ours. Their move into the Jazz Museum’s administrative offices lays the foundation for synchronous programs that benefit the music community of New Orleans. Learn how to support the Jazz Museum’s activities at nolajazzmuseum.org/donate.
Lastly, I would like to thank our Curator Emeritus Don Marquis for his service to this city, its culture, and the Jazz Museum. After making a tremendous impact in New Orleans for almost 60 years, Don has returned to Indiana to be with his family. We celebrated his departure with a special Balcony Concert by Treme-Lafitte Brass Band on August 5.
Our success is a clear reflection of our dedicated community of friends and of the resilient people of New Orleans. It has been a privilege to serve our audience during such a challenging time. Thank you for your support. We look forward to sharing 2021 with you.
With Gratitude,
Greg Lambousy, Director
New Orleans Jazz Museum
EDUCATION
The New Orleans Jazz Museum is excited to launch several education initiatives to support students in New Orleans and across the country. These programs are supported thanks to the generosity of our funders: Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, Gia Maione Prima Foundation, National Park Foundation and Selley Foundation
K-12 FIELD TRIPS While we missed being able to host students in person this year due to COVID-19, we are excited to announce the development of our distance learning field trips in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. In our new distance learning field trips, we’ll be creating video modules and lesson plans for educators to use in the classroom, as well as creating synchronous activities for students of all ages to take part in online. We look forward to supporting students from across the nation with this new education offering!
INTERNSHIPS Every academic semester, the New Orleans Jazz Museum partners with international and local universities to host interns. These students have interest in museum studies, public history, arts administration, the music industry and music education. Due to closures from COVID-19, interns worked with us virtually on projects including special events, marketing and fundraising. The Museum provided education and hands-on virtual experience to students. In addition to university students, the New Orleans Jazz Museum was thrilled to host young apprentices from the Trombone Shorty Foundation. We are grateful for the great contributions of all of our interns—we could not have had such a successful year without them!
JAZZ EDUCATION CENTER AND RUTH U. FERTEL JAZZ LAB Education is the heart of the New Orleans Jazz Museum. We are proud to announce that the first phase of our new Jazz Education Center has opened this fall, and we look forward to opening our Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab in 2021 in collaboration with grants from the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation and the Selley Foundation. The Education Center will support the development of the next generation of talented artists through masterclasses and mentorship. The Education Center has played a vital role this year due to COVID-19, serving as a performance space for our virtual concert series that’s hosted in partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America.
JAZZ ENRICHMENT SUMMER CAMP Elementary-school students explored the roots and branches of jazz. They began with drums, shakers, and maracas, illustrating that percussion instruments are an important part of life, art, and ceremony in many cultures.
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION GRANT We are excited to announce that the New Orleans Jazz Museum is partnering with the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park to develop a series of virtual field trips that will be distributed to school children nationally through a grant from the National Park Foundation. A $30,000 grant will be used to create a digital field trip component for the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The field trip will be called New Orleans Cultural & Musical Connections: Culturally Responsive Field Trips for 4th – 8th Grade Students in a Digital World. The grant is part of the National Park Foundation’s Open Outdoors for Kids Hybrid Learning Grant Program that creates pathways for kids to enjoy, understand and connect in exciting ways by facilitating outdoor activity, experiential learning, and cultural heritage exercises.
EXHIBITS
Visitors to the New Orleans Jazz Museum have access to a series of rotating exhibits on themes relating to jazz history and culture. Current exhibits include: Drumsville: Evolution of the New Orleans Beat, The Wildest! Louis Prima Comes Home, New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore & Emilie Rhys, and Rick Olivier: Great-ish Hits. With listening stations, films, instruments, a recording studio, and dance floor, each exhibit is intentionally designed to personally engage each visitor.
OPENINGS
In 2020, the New Orleans Jazz Museum opened three new exhibits, highlighting the work of four renowned New Orleans artists.
Cherchez la Femme. Photographer Cheryl Gerber captured the spirit of women in New Orleans in this exhibit, which opened in January. It featured a selection of photography highlighting women’s roles in the musical culture of New Orleans. The exhibit closed in September, but guests can still enjoy her work in Gerber’s book of the same name, available online and in stores.
New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys opened at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. For the first time, this new exhibition brought together the musical portraits of acclaimed artists Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys. The late Rockmore and his daughter Rhys are both renowned for their portraits of musicians in New Orleans. Rockmore (1928-1995) and Rhys (1956- ) both have used their unique vision not only to paint musicians but also to reveal their personalities and their ways of approaching and making music. This exhibit—that paired them together for the first time—is supplemented by the holdings of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, which has the most extensive collection of early jazz artifacts in the world.
Great-ish Hits. On September 17, 2020, the New Orleans Jazz Museum celebrated the debut of an exhibit of Rick Olivier’s music photographs that features iconic photographs of local legends including Aaron and Art Neville, Champion Jack Dupree, Irma Thomas and many others, plus a selection of more obscure documentary images seldom seen outside of Olivier’s Mid-City studio.
CLOSINGS
In addition to the closure of the Cherchez la Femme temporary exhibit in September, the New Orleans Jazz Museum bid farewell to the successful exhibit Me Got Fiyo: The Professor Longhair Centennial. The exhibit opened in August 2018 and has drawn crowds to celebrate the life and legacy of Henry Roeland Byrd aka “Professor Longhair.”
RESEARCH
DIGITIZATION The New Orleans Jazz Museum is in the midst of digitizing its collection of its over 25,000 holdings— the most extensive collection related to New Orleans jazz in the world. The artifacts chronicle the history and evolution of jazz, both local and international, and include instruments, sheet music, records, reels, and personal effects of legendary figures related to the genre. Through digitization, the New Orleans Jazz Museum aims to broaden access and education for students, researchers, and enthusiasts alike, as well as to ensure long-term preservation and broad integration of resources.
The New Orleans Jazz Museum Digitization Project was made possible through funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who generously provided a grant in 2017 for the long-term digitization process of the museum’s collections. Thus, while digitization has been ongoing for the past few years, the project has taken on an unprecedented importance in the age of COVID-19, when virtual accessibility and alternative forms of interaction have become especially critical. At this stage in the process, the Jazz Museum has now seen the successful digitization of numerous holdings, including its 10,000-plus photograph collection; 1,829 piece sheet music collection; 749 piece poster collection; numerous miscellaneous objects including playbills and letters; various ephemera of iconic jazz greats; and the beginnings of the historic instrument collection.
While digitization serves myriad purposes, one of its primary roles is to facilitate public accessibility to the collection, especially in a time when distance learning and interaction has become a standard form of engagement. As digital photos and scans are produced of artifacts within the holdings, digital records are uploaded to a cohesive server system organized to mirror the newly re-housed items in archival storage. Thus, as the objects have been scanned and documented, they have simultaneously been made available digitally. This new data is catalogued in museum collection software (TMS), and used to create entries for public websites and databases. As of the end of 2020, there have been nearly 14,000 Jazz Collection entries created on the Louisiana Digital Library for free public access. By the end of the digitization project, the collections will exist as data that consist of both a server and backup system accessible to museum employees, both of which are organized as an exact replica of the re-housed physical collections. This will result in an accessible, organized collection that is both digitally and physically secure for museum staff, visitors and jazz enthusiasts alike.
GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE The New Orleans Jazz Museum has partnered with Google Arts & Culture to make its historic collections available online. Specially-curated digital exhibits and hundreds of images that accompany the music New Orleans made famous are now just a click away at https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/nolajazzmuseum and on the Google Arts & Culture mobile app for iOS and Android.
DIGITAL INITIATIVES + OUTREACH
2020 was a record-breaking year for the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s online initiatives. Under Digital Strategist Baylee Badawy, the Jazz Museum adapted to new COVID-protocols in safe and effective virtual environments.
Our digital outreach program got its start in April, broadcasting live from clarinetist Tim Laughlin’s balcony, which promptly went viral with coverage from the Associated Press. In May, we began streaming weekly concerts live from our balcony into the courtyard facing Barracks Street. We garnered millions of views of these events, which in turn helped raise funds to support local musicians. In addition, we brought acclaimed former Times-Picayune photographer Eliot Kamenitz on board to document each of these events, serving as an important time capsule of the state of music in New Orleans during COVID-19. Partnering with the Midlo Center at the University of New Orleans, we have participated in efforts to build an archival website that chronicles the global impact of the corona virus pandemic called “Journal of the Plague Year.” We initiated online fundraising opportunities both for our own institution and for musicians suffering during the pandemic, including a virtual International Jazz Day, NOLA River Fest, and a successful fundraiser for a regular performer at the museum, Native American vocalist and storyteller Grayhawk Perkins. Accessibility issues are prominent features of our time, and we have found ways to bring our programming to people in a way that is safe while maintaining the high quality to which our visitors are accustomed. We also joined forces with Offbeat Magazine and the ELLA Project, furthering our digital and outreach capabilities.
OUTREACH Just before the pandemic, Badaway presented her work at the New Orleans Jazz Museum as a panelist on Case Studies: Activating the Archives at the 2020 Jazz Congress at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. In the midst of the pandemic she represented the Jazz Museum at the NOLA Music Tech conference, speaking on digital strategy and musicians’ relief during COVID-19.
SOCIAL MEDIA The New Orleans Jazz Museum’s online presence has exploded during the pandemic. We have over 23,000 followers on Facebook, over 28,000 followers on Instagram, and nearly 5,700 followers on Twitter. All together, we had an annual social reach of over 55-million views and interactions from fans all over the world. Follow us @nolajazzmuseum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily educational and informational content.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The New Orleans Jazz Museum expanded its international impact through key live streaming partnerships throughout the world. These efforts bring the music and culture of New Orleans to new audiences while enriching our programming with multicultural themes. We continue to strengthen our international partnerships through programming with the World Trade Center, the French Consulate, the French American Chamber of Commerce and the Mexican Consulate.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBIT A joint exhibit of Day of the Dead altars was coordinated with the Mexican Consulate, which created a typical altar of Dia de los Muertos. A Facebook live event also showcased the Mexican tradition to our viewers due to the pandemic,. This is an annual event, and this year was presented in the Museum’s Jazz Education Center.
JOINT PROGRAMMING WITH HISPANIC RADIO “ RADIO TROPICAL” Monthly interviews at KGLA took place to describe events at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The goal is to encourage more of the local Hispanic community to visit the Museum’s exhibits and participate in Museum events and festivals.
HispaNOLA LIVE! A joint partnership between The Mayor's Office of Culture Economy, Moonrise Entertainment and our museum. The event was sponsored by Big Easy Fresh Market and HCCL. HispaNola Live! was a weekly celebration of New Orleans' rich Latin culture. From the City's music, to the architecture, the food and its people, Latin flavor is woven throughout the vibrant tapestry of New Orleans. HispaNola Live! aimed to shine a light on just some of the talented culture bearers in the Latin community. Featured artists included hot Salsa band Muévelo, jazz fusion band ViVas Trio; music extraordinaires Julio & Cesar; Brazilian jazz guitarist Geovane Santos; traditional Brazilian samba band Amigos do Samba; and traditional northern Mexican music band Los Norteños del Sur.
DEDE ST. PRIX In collaboration with the French American Chamber of Commerce-Gulf Coast Chapter, Neighborhood Story Project, and Comité Martiniquais du Tourisme, Martinique Chouval Bwa Superstar Dédé Saint Prix joined Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots for a special performance at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on March 7. On April 28, Dédé performed a virtual set, streamed free on Facebook Live.
WE ARE FAMILIA In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, on September 30 the New Orleans Jazz Museum presented “We Are Familia,” a virtual event showcasing the environmental, cultural, and economic impact of Hispanic Heritage on New Orleans through live music, presentations, and presenters.
INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIPS The New Orleans Jazz Museum was excited to welcome Yasmina Bemat, a graduate intern from France. Initially planning to complete her internship in person, Yasmina rapidly adapted to virtual work. During the course of her internship, Yasmina translated material from the Jazz Museum’s exhibits into French and Arabic for our international visitors. She also helped to secure international streaming partners for the Jazz Museum’s third annual Improvisations Gala.
REBEL BABEL ENSEMBLE For International Jazz Day and NOLA River Fest, the New Orleans Jazz Museum partnered with Polish group Rebel Babel Ensemble. Conducted by award-winning conductor and producer L.U.C., Rebel Babel is an international orchestra of big bands that plays for peace and creates dialogue among cultures and musical genres all over the world. Financed from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, Rebel Babel will be partnering with us for future international musical programming.
SAMY THIEBAULT In partnership with TSF Jazz and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US, the New Orleans Jazz Museum virtually hosted a live stream by French musician Samy Thiebault. The performance aired on June 15 and focused on musical themes from the Caribbean.
FUNDRAISING, DEVELOPMENT, & PARTNERSHIPS
In 2020, the New Orleans Jazz Museum made great strides to create new partnerships and took a multifaceted approach to fundraising. Through grants, sponsorships and direct mail campaigns, the Jazz Museum raised nearly $330,000 in COVID relief, education and expansion funds. We are deeply grateful for the generous donors and foundations who have supported us through such challenging times.
FERTEL FOUNDATION With the continued support of Randy Fertel, the Jazz Museum will continue to build out the Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab. Upon its completion, the Jazz Lab will be a multi-use educational space for musical experimentation and improvisation.
GIA MAIONE PRIMA FOUNDATION Our longtime partners at the Prima Foundation awarded the Museum a gift to fund the development of an Education Outreach Program. These funds will go towards the improvement of the Jazz Museum’s website and the preparation of virtual learning programs.
HERB ALPERT FOUNDATION We are grateful to the Herb Alpert Foundation, whose generous gift will allow the Museum to further expand the Jazz Education Center, create a music performance fund, and will support the design of the first phase of the Jazz Museum’s permanent exhibit.
NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION The New Orleans Jazz Museum and New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park recently received an education grant that will allow us to further pursue our partnership. The grant funds will be used to develop virtual educational programs. These digital field trips will be available beginning in early spring. Educators and students will be able to access the digital field trips through the New Orleans Jazz Museum website or the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park website. The program will run until June 2022.
SELLEY FOUNDATION The New Orleans Jazz Museum is beyond thrilled to announce that we've been awarded a grant from the Selley Foundation Fund that will assist us with the completion of the Jazz Education Center and accompanying Ruth U. Fertel Jazz Lab, supporting and connecting students from across the country with the music and culture of New Orleans.
LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES In June, the New Orleans Jazz Museum received a grant from LEH’s Louisiana Culture Care Fund. These funds provided emergency operating support to the Museum in the early stages of the COVID crisis.
JAZZ & HERITAGE FOUNDATION We are grateful for a generous grant from the Jazz & Heritage Foundation to partially fund the publication of Drumsville! The Evolution of the New Orleans Beat, a companion book to the New Orleans Jazz Museum exhibit that traces the history of drums and drumming in New Orleans from Native People to today.
OFFBEAT MEDIA The New Orleans Jazz Museum is developing a deepening partnership with OffBeat Magazine, its website, weekly newsletter and social media to market and promote the Museum’s programs and events. OffBeat is assisting the Museum’s marketing efforts by using its substantial reach, its editorial, social media and videographic resources. In addition, OffBeat donated a substantial number of photographs to the Museum’s photographic archives.
IMPROVISATIONS GALA The New Orleans Jazz Museum was excited to host the third annual Improvisations Gala on December 5. The event was a fusion of virtual and in-person experiences. Fans from around the world enjoyed the Facebook live stream from home. Sponsors and patrons enjoyed an exclusive donor event featuring performances by the Dee Dee Bridgewater Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bonerama and Big Freedia. The Jazz Museum offered guests a selection of gourmet alcohol-free cocktails and concessions by The Ya-Ka-Mein Lady, Chef Ms. Linda Green. Proceeds from the Improvisations Gala will help the Jazz Museum to continue to operate amidst the corona virus pandemic.
GIVING TUESDAY & FALL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN In 2020, the New Orleans Jazz Museum launched its first fall fundraising campaign, thanks to matching grants from Randy Fertel and the Gia Maoine Prima Foundation. To promote the campaign, the New Orleans Jazz Museum joined the global Giving Tuesday movement on December 1. We are grateful for the outpouring of support. If you would like to make a donation to the New Orleans Jazz Museum, please visit nolajazzmuseum.org/donate.
PROGRAMS
The core of the Jazz Museum’s mission is to support the cultural economy of New Orleans and cultivate a global appreciation and understanding of jazz music. Programs allow the Jazz Museum to carry out its mission by employing musicians and offering free opportunities to enjoy live jazz. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the New Orleans Jazz Museum hosted almost 50 programs in January and February alone. While the Museum had to postpone in-person concerts in March, we have continued to virtually host over 100 regular and special events. We invite our supporters to enjoy past and future shows free on our Facebook page: facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum.
VIRTUAL & SPECIAL PROGRAMS
LIVE FROM THE JAZZ MUSEUM BALCONY This virtual concert series provides performance opportunities for New Orleans based musicians, addressing the challenges placed on our music and cultural community due to COVID-19. This series, hosted almost weekly since May 5, supports an average of five musicians per live-streamed concert and allows artists to perform safely outdoors.
May 5 - Cole Williams
May 12 - Brass Band Jazz Funeral
May 19 - Glen David Andrews
Jun 2 - Sierra Green & the Soul Machine
Jun 9 - James Williams & The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys
Jun 16 - Bon Bon Vivant
Jun 23 - Shannon Powell Trio
Jul 7 - Dinosaurchestra
Jul 14 - Adonis Rose Quintet
Jul 21 - Walter “Wolfman” Washington
Aug 4 - Treme-Lafitte Brass Band
Aug 11 - Trumpet Mafia
Aug 18 - Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Sep 1 - Wessell “Warm Daddy” Anderson
Sep 8 - Nayo Jones Experience
Sep 18 - Honey Island Swamp Band
Sep 29 - Cha Wa
Oct 6 - Hot 8 Brass Band
Oct 13 - Khris Royal & Dark Matter
Oct 20 - Cutting Contest with James Williams & the Jay Anderson Band
Oct 30 - Cutting Contest with James Williams & Tuba Skinny
Nov 3 - Soul Brass Band
Nov 10 - Michael Watson
Nov 17 - TBC Brass Band
Nov 24 - Anaïs St. John
Dec 1 - Detroit Brooks
Dec 8 - N’AWLINS D’AWLINS with the Caesar Brothers
Dec 15 - Glen David Andrews Holiday Special feat. Erica Falls
QUARANTUNES Our first virtual series, Quarantunes features intimate performances live from the musicians’ homes. Watch every Friday at 2 p.m. on facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/live.
Simon Lott - 4/3
Sarah Quintana - 4/10
Oscar Rossignoli - 4/17
Mahmoud “Mood” Chouki - 4/20
Kris Tokarski - 4/24
Jenna McSwain - 5/1
Brad Walker - 5/8
Roderick Paulin - 5/15
Tom McDermott - 5/22
Helen Gillet - 5/29
Detroit Brooks & Friends - 6/5
Chip Wilson - 6/12
Erica Falls - 6/19
Shea Pierre - 6/26
Josh Paxton - 7/10
Gracie Jessop - 7/17
Don Vappie - 7/24
Amina Scott - 7/31
Nicholas Payton - 8/7
Ashlin Parker - 8/14
James Martin - 8/21
Jeff Albert - 8/28
Carmela Rappazzo - 9/4
Meghan Swartz - 9/11
Haruka Kikuchi - 9/18
Cindy Scott & Brian Seeger - 9/25
Arsene DeLay - 10/2
Carl LeBlanc - 10/9
Meschiya Lake - 10/16
Noah Young - 10/30
Voodoo Queen Kalindah Laveaux - 10/31
Molly Reeves - 11/6
EXTENDED - 11/13
Bryce Eastwood - 11/20
Burke Ingraffia - 11/27
Josh Starkman - 12/4
Marina Orchestra - 12/11
Bryon Asher - 12/18
Hanna Mignano - 12/25
JAZZ FOUNDATION OF AMERICA The New Orleans Jazz Museum is grateful to continue our partnership with the Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) to host over 30 virtual shows. Starting in August, JFA has presented up to two virtual concerts per week with artists including Hot 8 Brass Band, the Pinettes, Thais Clark, Louis Ford, Chucky C, and Mem Shannon, Molly Reeves Hold on Tight Quartet, and Mayumi Shara & Tack Tom Revolution. We are also grateful for their participation in NOLA River Fest and our Improvisations Gala. These performances are streamed live from the Jazz Museum’s Jazz Education Center. They are available free at facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum.
HISPANOLA Presented by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Economy - Embrace the Culture Series, Hispanola was a limited series of performances that brought best in live music, entertainment all while highlighting some of the city’s most influential Latin culture bearers.
Oct 16 - ViVaz Music Trio
Oct 23 - Julio & Cesar
Nov 6 - Amigos do Samba
Nov 13 - Los Norteños del Sur
Nov 20 - Muevelo
LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: MUSIC AT THE MUSEUM The New Orleans Jazz Museum proudly hosted three events in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Music at the Museum” live series. A limited number of guests were welcomed to our outdoor courtyard on September 25, November 4 and 19, and December 9. Guests to enjoyed the music of Mozart and Beethoven. LPO also participated in NOLA River Fest on September 25. We look forward to joint programming in 2021!
INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY Originally planned as an in-person event, the New Orleans Jazz Museum quickly arranged a virtual celebration of International Jazz Day on April 30. Our first live-streamed special event, International Jazz Day featured a mixture of live music and archival footage. Students and local and international musicians joined the lineup to honor the international impact of jazz music.
SEVEN DAYS OF SATCH July 27 – August 2. Seven Days of Satch was a multi-platform, virtual celebration that celebrated the life and legacy of Louis Armstrong, and was sponsored by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. There was thematic programming on WWOZ, Louis Armstrong-inspired cooking demonstrations on WWL-TV, and original performances and talks by Armstrong scholars on Facebook Live. The lineup included James Andrews, John Boutté, Wendell Brunious, Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony, and more. The festival highlighted the influence that Louis Armstrong had on New Orleans music.
NOLA RIVER FEST September 21-27, 2020. The eighth Annual Nola River Festival celebrated the environmental, cultural, and economic impact of the Mississippi River and the land it built through live music, cooking demonstrations, presentations, panels and walking tours that explore this year’s theme “Working on the River." All performances and lectures we streamed on Facebook Live are now available on nolariverfest.org. Follow @nolariverfest on Facebook for updates about this year’s festival.
AMERICAN UTOPIA November 21. Bywater Bakery and the New Orleans Jazz Museum presented a live outdoor screening of David Byrne’s American Utopia, an HBO film directed by Spike Lee, in the museum courtyard with a pre-film performance by John Boutté Trio. The film was a live recording of a Broadway performance of a modified version of David Byrne’s album American Utopia.
IMPROVISATIONS GALA December 5. The Jazz Museum hosted its third annual Improvisations Gala with performances by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bonerama and Big Freedia. This year’s gala was streamed live on Facebook with a limited courtyard party for a small group of patrons. The Improvisations Gala captivated an international audience on Facebook Live with very positive comments from viewers in Taiwan, California, New York, Brazil, Florida, Japan, France, Martinique and Honduras. The impact of the stream was doubled through cross-posting relationships with the Facebook pages of streaming partners across the globe including WWOZ Radio (New Orleans), Bravo Radio (Taipei), Delmark Records (Chicago), Jazz Times Magazine (USA), TSF Jazz (France), Radio Tropical (New Orleans), Duc Des Lombards (France), Consulate General of France in Louisiana (New Orleans), Jazz Foundation of America (USA), Trombone Shorty Foundation (New Orleans), OffBeat Magazine (New Orleans), Louisiana Music Factory (New Orleans), and Telemundo (New Orleans).
OTHER VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
These programs were streamed live and remain available to watch on Facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/videos.
Seth & Owen Finch Live Home Concert — Apr 9 & 16. Brothers Seth and Owen Finch performed live from their homes.
Balcony Stream with Tim Laughlin — Apr 13. For one of our first virtual concerts, Tim Laughlin performed new original songs from his balcony.
We Are Familia! — Sep 30. We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a selection of performances and lectures.
Movin & Groovin with the Jumphounds — Oct 24. The Jumphounds performed live from the Jazz Museum’s Performance Center.
Caroling in the Square, 2020 Style!— Dec 20. The New Orleans Jazz Museum proudly hosted the first virtual Caroling in the Square, a beloved New Orleans holiday tradition typically celebrated in Jackson Square.
STREAMING PARTNERS The New Orleans Jazz Museum enjoyed collaborating with the following artists and organizations for virtual programs: 504LIFEstream, Anais St. John, Bon Bon Vivant, BRAVO FM91.3, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dizzy’s Club, Duc Des Lombards, FANS- Be in the Stream, French Quarter Festivals Inc., Friends of the Cabildo, Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, Improvisations, International Jazz Day, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Foundation of America, Louisiana General of France in Louisiana, Louisiana Music Factory New Orleans, M.A. Museum Studies Program- Southern University at New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, NOLA River Fest, OffBeat Magazine, Patio Planters of the Vieux Carre, Pinettes Brass-Band, Sammy Thiébault, Satchmo SummerFest, Sofa King Fest, Soy La Ley: Afro-Cuban Jazz Band, Steinway & Sons, The Hot 8 Brass Band, The Jump Hounds, Trombone Shorty Foundation & Tombone Shorty Music Academy, Tru Thoughts, TSF Jazz, Vincent HSU, World Trade Center, and WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans.
EVENTS JANUARY - MARCH
Kris Tokarski- 1/2 Kris Tokarski performed a jazz piano concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Jazz Foundation of America Presents… - 1/3 The Jazz Foundation of America presented an all-star concert featuring George French, Darrell Lavigne, Andrew Baham, Gerald French, and Rod Paulin.
Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Superband - 1/7 Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Superband performed a concert with special guest Jeffin Coffin of the Dave Matthews Band and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Jazz House Kids & Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp Ensemble - 1/8 The Jazz House Kids ensemble and the Louis Armstrong Camp ensemble gave a concert with a finale where the two bands performed to songs together.
Harry Watters, Patrick Sheridan & Friends - 1/9 Trombonist Harry Watters and Tubist Patrick Sheridan performed a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
JEN Lagniappe Concert with the Loyola Jazz Ensemble - 1/10 The Loyola Jazz Ensemble reprised their JEN appearance and performed an eclectic mix of large jazz ensemble compositions.
JEN Lagniappe Concert with the Loyola Jazz Ensemble - 1/11 The Loyola Jazz Ensemble reprised their JEN appearance and performed an eclectic mix of large jazz ensemble compositions.
Ryan Hanseler Piano Hour - 1/14 Ryan Hanseler gave a jazz piano concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival - 1/15-1/18 The Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival took place over 5 afternoons and included interviews with and performances by prominent New Orleans musicians.
Interactive Mask and Headdress Crafting Class - 1/16 There was a workshop for adults on Mardi Gras traditions, including mask-making and headdress crafting.
Cherchez la Femme Book Launch and Exhibit Open - 1/16 There was a celebration for the launch of photographer Cheryl Garber’s book Cherchez la Femme, a photographic history of New Orleans women and their contributions to the city, and the accompanying museum exhibit.
Big Charity: The Death of America’s Oldest Hospital - 1/21 Friends of the Cabildo presented the documentary film Big Charity: The Death of America’s Oldest Hospital, at 5:30 and at 7.
Tom Worrell Solo Piano - 1/22 The National Park presented Tom Worrell in a solo piano performance.
Bill Malone in Conversation - 1/23 Country music historian and former Tulane professor Bill C. Malone, the voice of the history of country music in Ken Burns’s new docu-series Country Music, gave a talk along with NPR host Gwen Tompkins, Boston College professor emeritus Dr. Patrick Maney, musician Pat Flory, and former archivist Dr. Bruce Raeburn.
Roderick Paulin - 1/24 Eminent New Orleans saxophonist Roderick Paulin gave a concert.
Planet M: Meditation, Movement, and Music - 1/27 Planet M, facilitated by Ryuta Iwashita, was a ritualist jam session where musicians gathered to meditate, tune, merge, and explore improvisational creativity.
Christien Bold - 1/28 New Orleans vocalist Christien Bold gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Jamal Batiste - 1/29 Drummer, singer, composer, arranger, producer, engineer and mixer Jamal Batiste gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Talkin’ Jazz with Fred Kasten & Brad Walker - 1/30 Producer and radio host Fred Kasten interviewed New Orleans saxophonist.
New Orleans Music Observed: Noel Rockmore & Emilie Rhys Opening - 1/30 There was a reception for the opening of an exhibit featuring paintings by Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys with music by Helen Gillet and Doug Garrison.
Jazz Foundation of America Presents… - 1/31 The Jazz Foundation of America presented an all-star concert featuring George French, Darrell Lavigne, Andrew Baham, Gerald French, and Rod Paulin.
The Iguanas - 1/31 Friends of the Cabildo presented a concert by The Iguanas.
Christien Bold - 2/4 New Orleans vocalist Christien Bold gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Preserving Cultural Heritage: The Black Indian Tradition - 2/5 Chief Darryl Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas Tribe gave a talk on the history and traditions of the Black Indian Tribes of New Orleans, including traditional songs, music, dance, and dress.
Discussion: Black Creole Mardi Gras Traditions - 2/6 There was a discussion on Black Creole Mardi Gras traditions, including food, music, and religions practices, facilitated by Dianne Honore.
Jockomo: The Native Roots of Mardi Gras Indians - 2/6 Shane Lief, a scholar and musician, and John McCusker, a photojournalist, gave a talk on their new book Jockomo: The Native Roots of Mardi Gras Indians.
Downtown Mardi Gras: New Carnival Practices in Post-Katrina New Orleans -2/7 There was a book signing by Robin A. Roberts, Ph.D., Les Wade, Ph.D. and Frank de Caro, the authors of Downtown Mardi Gras: New Carnival Practices in Post-Katrina New Orleans, which is a study of how the culture and customs of a city foster its rebirth.
Andrew Finn Magill - 2/7 Violinist, composer, and bandleader Andrew Finn Magill performed a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Instigation Festival - 2/7 The Instigation Orchestra, consisting of musicians from Chicago and New Orleans, gave a concert of compositions from Chicago, Amsterdam, and New Orleans.
Planet M: Meditation, Movement, and Music - 2/10 Planet M, facilitated by Ryuta Iwashita, was a ritualist jam session where musicians gathered to meditate, tune, merge, and explore improvisational creativity.
Zach Mama, Paul Sikivie, and Jure Pukl - 2/11 Drummer and composer Zach Mama of Paris, saxophonist and producer Paul Sikivie of Slovenia, and bassist and composer Jure Pukl of Gainesville, Florida performed a concert together.
Ahli Chatters - 2/12 Vocalist Ahli Chatters performed with Simon Lott, Sam Kuslan, James Barry and some special guests.
Talkin’ Jazz with Fred Kasten and Julian Garcia - 2/13 Producer and radio host Fred Kasten interviewed New Orleans drummer Julian Garcia.
FOC Second Thursday Lectures: Sybial Haydel Morial - Witness to Change - 2/13 Educator, activist, and community leader Sybial Haydel Morial gave a talk.
Chucky C and the Clearly Blue Band - 2/14 Chucky C and the Clearly Blue Band performed a concert of jazz and blues at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
323d Army Biohazard Brass Band - 2/18 The 323d Army Biohazard Brass Band, an active duty Army ensemble from San Antonio, Texas, gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
History of African Drumming & New Orleans Music - 2/19 There was a lecture exploring the history of African drumming and its impact on the music and culture of New Orleans, with performances by Peter Boutte and Ruben Watts.
Carlos Pavan - 2/20 Argentine-born and Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Carlos Pavan gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
David Kunian interviews Roland Guerin - 2/21 New Orleans Jazz Museum curator David Kunian interviewed bassist and composer Roland Guerin, followed by a performance and reception.
Kid Merv Band - 2/26 New Orleans trumpeter Kid Merv and his band gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Chuck, Shirt, Number 9: The Life of New Orleans Bass Legend, Peter “Chuck” Badie - 2/27 There was a screening of the documentary Chuck, Shirt, Number 9: The Life of New Orleans Bass Legend, Peter “Chuck” Badie and Chuck Badie gave a talk afterwards.
Jazz Foundation of America Presents… - 2/28 The Jazz Foundation of America presented an all-star concert featuring Sullivan Dabney, Jr., Steve Burtchaell, Dominick Messina, Herbert Wing, Joseph Saulsbury, and Richard Moten.
Erica Falls - 3/5 New Orleans singer and songwriter Erica Falls gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Cherchez la Femme: New Orleans Women Talk - 3/6 New Orleans author and photographer Cheryl Gerber gave a talk about her exhibit and book, Cherchez la Femme, which highlight the contributions of women to the city of New Orleans.
Book Signing: Juke Joint Men by Kathe Hambrick - 3/7 Author Kathe Hambrick gave a talk on her new book, Juke Joint Men, which talks about the history of juke joints and profiles several blues musicians.
Creole Jazz Roots - 3/7 Musician and educator Déde Saint Prix performed a concert with Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots.
Spiagge Soul: NOLA CONNECTION - 3/10 The jazz collective NOLA CONNECTION gave a concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
New Orleans Folklore - 3/11 Peter Boutte, Reuben Watts, and Tonya Boutte lead a program on New Orleans folklore that used street rhythms and improvisational melodies.
Collecting Royalties in the Modern Age Workshop - 3/11 Ashlye Keaton, of the ELLA Project and Bill Davis, of Dash Rip Rock, led a workshop on collecting royalties which included a discussion of the Music Modernization Act and copyright registration.