“Music is a way of life in New Orleans. Known as the birthplace of jazz, the Crescent City uses music to celebrate, mourn, and make history. New Orleans’ most influential musicians span multiple decades and genres, from the jazz artists of the 1920s to modern hip hop icons. Soul, R&B, and rock and roll are some of the most popular musical styles still playing at clubs and dance halls around the city, thanks to famous musicians and singers like Fats Domino and Ernie K-Doe.” (nolaactivities.com)

Jazz at Lincoln Center, founded in 1987 by the great trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, last appeared on the Wheaton College Artist Series during the 1995-96 season. With their return 30 years later, we hope to once again celebrate this uniquely American musical dialect that has given birth to so many other dialects.

In programming a New Orleans Songbook, expect to hear some of the most winsome and endearing music of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Ellis Marsalis!