Jazz International

Jazz International is an initiative of the New Orleans Jazz Museum dedicated to promoting New Orleans arts and culture internationally. Encompassing a broad range of global partnerships spanning Europe, East Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Jazz International fosters intercultural exchange and supports the cultural economy of in New Orleans by showcasing the city’s rich jazz legacy and cultural heritage. Jazz International implements its mission through five overarching strategies outlined below: music missions, educational programming, traveling exhibits, historical research, and Gallatin Street Records. Each new partnership with Jazz International can be customized to include one or more of these strategies depending on partner needs, goals, and resources.

Music Missions

Jazz International engages in diverse musical exchanges with our partner sites by both hosting musicians from around the world in New Orleans, as well as sending delegations of New Orleans culture bearers to destinations around the globe. From France to Hong Kong to the Dominican Republic, esteemed artists such as Herlin Riley, Dr. Michael White, James Andrews, and Gregg Stafford have shared and educated global audiences about the music and culture of New Orleans.

Educational Programming

Jazz Ambassadors

The New Orleans Jazz Ambassadors Program is a partnership between the New Orleans Jazz Museum and local universities that grants a rotating roster of New Orleans music students an opportunity to perform abroad and serve as ambassadors for the city.

Culinary Lectures and Demonstrations

Jazz International partners with Dillard University’s Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture, whose mission is to research, document, disseminate, preserve, and celebrate African-American culture and foodways in the South. Together, they offer lectures and demonstrations on New Orleans traditional cuisine for international audiences, highlighting the process of Creolization of the various cultural influences that converged in New Orleans over the course of three centuries.

Dance Education

Jazz International partners with culture bearers to bring traditional New Orleans second line footwork demonstrations to global communities.

Support for Educational Materials

Jazz International proudly supports select primary education facilities to provide art and music supplies to under-served student populations.

Traveling Exhibits

Through the Jazz International initiative, traveling exhibits from the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s collection can be customized to suit the specific needs and size limitations of host galleries. Below are exhibits that are currently in international circulation:

Drumsville: Evolution of the New Orleans Beat celebrates the development of the drum kit in New Orleans and the ongoing evolution of rich local drumming traditions.
The Wildest! Louis Prima Comes Home explores the life of New Orleans trumpeter, singer, songwriter, and performer Louis Prima.
Women of Note highlights the role of women in the evolution of New Orleans Jazz from its beginnings in the early 20th century to today’s vibrant music scene.
From the Fat Man to Mahalia: Paintings by James Michalopoulos is a retrospective of James Michalopoulos, among New Orleans’ most recognized living artists.

Historical Research

Jazz International supports cultural exchange in the form of archival materials, focusing on but not limited to Atlantic world studies, with the aim to locate historical connections between New Orleans and places of commonality.
Jazz International also partners with and conducts research in international archives.
Through the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s online collections, Jazz International offers free and open access to researchers worldwide.

Gallatin Records

Gallatin Street Records is a project directed towards the continued preservation and evolution of New Orleans music, art, and culture. It provides a way to publish the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s vintage recordings, as well as those made of performances at the museum’s current performance center. Visit our website to learn more.