The New Orleans Classic Big Band, James Williams

The Birth of Jazz from Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington! Featuring The New Orleans Classic Big Band! With special guests, New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jazz Band, Soul Brass Band, David L Harris Quartet and Ingrid Lucia.

A joyous celebration of the early years of Jazz. Jazz was born in New Orleans and this Centenary gala concert brings the best musicians from New Orleans to celebrate everything from the traditional Bourbon Street of Louis Armstrong and King Oliver to the sophistication of Duke Ellington. The New Orleans Classic Big Band features some of the finest Jazz musicians from New Orleans, and we hear short sets tonight from many of the smaller New Orleans groups playing the Festival. The evening is compared by the charismatic trumpeter and singer, James Williams.