August 22, 2024
You are cordially invited to dance the night away at The New Orleans Jazz Museum on Saturday, Dec. 7, for the seventh annual Improvisations Gala, a fusion of the senses featuring cocktails, spectacular musical entertainment and fabulous food.
The gala evening takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. throughout the historic Museum complex with all proceeds supporting the Museum’s education center and programming. Attendees will be treated to performances by premier New Orleans musicians including Grammy-nominated Cimafunk headlining with high-energy Cuban and Afro-Caribbean vibes. The Jazz Museum is also excited to welcome Vincent Hsu, an award-winning Taiwanese bassist and composer. In collaboration with the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, Vincent Hsu and the Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band will perform at the gala as part of an ongoing partnership between the Jazz Museum, the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston. In addition to the gala performance, Vincent Hsu will lead a Latin jazz drumming workshop on Friday, Dec. 6, at the museum. This workshop will provide invaluable insights and inspiration to the participants.
Also performing will be local musicians including New Breed Brass Band, Jon Cleary and the Monster Gentlemen, Erica Falls, Brittney Chante’, Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans, Amina Scott, Detroit Brooks and the New Orleans Jazz Museum All-Stars, Kristen Diable and others, including scores of culture bearers.
Gala participants will want to visit the new exhibit, “It All Started on Jane Alley: Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.” This tribute to the city’s native son provides a fascinating dive into Louis’ early years growing up here as well as several of his return trips. Louis Armstrong will always be synonymous with New Orleans. He learned so much about people, music, racism, food and about life in the years he spent there. When he left in 1922 to conquer the world, he brought those New Orleans values everywhere he traveled. A day did not go by where Armstrong didn’t reflect on his beloved hometown. Via photos, artifacts, and writings, the exhibit shows how Armstrong lived in New Orleans and how it shaped him. There will be unlimited access to the Museum’s dynamic exhibit galleries throughout the evening. The exhibits show how music of the famous early jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Buddy Bolden and others has transitioned through time to music for a new generation and is perpetuated today by local artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty and Irma Thomas.
The Improvisations Gala, presented by the Herb Alpert Foundation, is the greatest celebration of the Jazz Museum’s mission. Greg Lambousy, Director of the Jazz Museum, said, “We are excited once again to have the Herb Alpert Foundation as the presenting sponsor of the Improvisations Gala. Herb Alpert and his team have enhanced and supported many educational programs around the county. We are immensely grateful to Herb for this year’s $100,000 matching grant and for his continued support with our capital campaign.”
Funding from the gala allows the Museum to engage in educational outreach at all levels including offering teacher training, providing space for student performances and implementing opportunities for professional development for musicians. This mission is carried out through classes, exhibitions, audio preservation and more. Proceeds will help the Jazz Museum to globally foster jazz as one of the most innovative and historically pivotal musical art forms. Through highly interactive exhibits, The New Orleans Jazz Museum pays tribute to the origins, evolution and continuing relevance of New Orleans’ jazz music and culture. Ticket purchases and donations to the Improvisations Gala directly benefits the Museum’s education programs as well as musicians, students and educators working together to share the history of jazz and to secure its future growth and development.
The Dec. 7 celebration of light and music will showcase this year’s theme of “Aquatic Gardens.” The Gala aims to celebrate the fluid and dynamic nature of jazz music by intertwining the themes of aquatic gardens, improvisations, rhythm and flow reflecting the harmony between nature and music, creating an immersive experience that evokes tranquility, creativity and the vibrant spirit of jazz. Patrons will enjoy illuminated installations, digital sculptures, video-mapping projections, art animated by technology and musical performances to engage and inspire audiences of all ages. New Orleans Jazz Museum’s historic architecture will be transformed into a playground of light, art and music with an aquatic garden theme!
In addition to general admission tickets, Improv 2024 will also feature an exclusive “Backstage Experience” with a dedicated viewing area and special seating adjacent to the main stage.
Please join in the celebration as the Jazz Museum encourages education and improvisation for a new generation of musicians. There will be an online auction and tickets will go on sale this fall. Subscribe to the museum’s newsletter for upcoming details at nolajazzmuseum.org and follow their social media @nolajazzmuseum.
About the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Housed in the historic old US Mint, strategically located at the intersection of the French Quarter and the Frenchmen Street live music corridor, the New Orleans Jazz Museum is in the heart of the city’s vibrant music scene and attracts over 150,000 visitors per year. Tickets are available for adults for $8, while students, senior citizens and active military are $6. Children six and under enter for free. The Jazz Museum presents live performances, dynamic interactive exhibits, research and educational programming that provide diverse resources for musicians and music lovers of all languages, nationalities and ages. Their dedication to the history of jazz continues through their programming, mentoring initiatives and community outreach. They catalog, preserve and exhibit over 25,000 artifacts in the museum’s collection.
The Jazz Museum enhances New Orleans’ ongoing cultural renaissance by providing diverse resources for musicians and music lovers of all languages and nationalities. It is a place to fully explore America’s quintessential musical art form in the city where jazz was born. Be sure to visit and check out their extensive collection which includes 12,000 historic photos, Louis Armstrong’s first cornet, a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording and the world's largest collection of instruments owned and played by iconic figures in jazz, among many other treasures.
The gala evening takes place from 7 to 11 p.m. throughout the historic Museum complex with all proceeds supporting the Museum’s education center and programming. Attendees will be treated to performances by premier New Orleans musicians including Grammy-nominated Cimafunk headlining with high-energy Cuban and Afro-Caribbean vibes. The Jazz Museum is also excited to welcome Vincent Hsu, an award-winning Taiwanese bassist and composer. In collaboration with the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, Vincent Hsu and the Soy La Ley Afro-Cuban Jazz Band will perform at the gala as part of an ongoing partnership between the Jazz Museum, the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston. In addition to the gala performance, Vincent Hsu will lead a Latin jazz drumming workshop on Friday, Dec. 6, at the museum. This workshop will provide invaluable insights and inspiration to the participants.
Also performing will be local musicians including New Breed Brass Band, Jon Cleary and the Monster Gentlemen, Erica Falls, Brittney Chante’, Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans, Amina Scott, Detroit Brooks and the New Orleans Jazz Museum All-Stars, Kristen Diable and others, including scores of culture bearers.
Gala participants will want to visit the new exhibit, “It All Started on Jane Alley: Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.” This tribute to the city’s native son provides a fascinating dive into Louis’ early years growing up here as well as several of his return trips. Louis Armstrong will always be synonymous with New Orleans. He learned so much about people, music, racism, food and about life in the years he spent there. When he left in 1922 to conquer the world, he brought those New Orleans values everywhere he traveled. A day did not go by where Armstrong didn’t reflect on his beloved hometown. Via photos, artifacts, and writings, the exhibit shows how Armstrong lived in New Orleans and how it shaped him. There will be unlimited access to the Museum’s dynamic exhibit galleries throughout the evening. The exhibits show how music of the famous early jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Buddy Bolden and others has transitioned through time to music for a new generation and is perpetuated today by local artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty and Irma Thomas.
The Improvisations Gala, presented by the Herb Alpert Foundation, is the greatest celebration of the Jazz Museum’s mission. Greg Lambousy, Director of the Jazz Museum, said, “We are excited once again to have the Herb Alpert Foundation as the presenting sponsor of the Improvisations Gala. Herb Alpert and his team have enhanced and supported many educational programs around the county. We are immensely grateful to Herb for this year’s $100,000 matching grant and for his continued support with our capital campaign.”
Funding from the gala allows the Museum to engage in educational outreach at all levels including offering teacher training, providing space for student performances and implementing opportunities for professional development for musicians. This mission is carried out through classes, exhibitions, audio preservation and more. Proceeds will help the Jazz Museum to globally foster jazz as one of the most innovative and historically pivotal musical art forms. Through highly interactive exhibits, The New Orleans Jazz Museum pays tribute to the origins, evolution and continuing relevance of New Orleans’ jazz music and culture. Ticket purchases and donations to the Improvisations Gala directly benefits the Museum’s education programs as well as musicians, students and educators working together to share the history of jazz and to secure its future growth and development.
The Dec. 7 celebration of light and music will showcase this year’s theme of “Aquatic Gardens.” The Gala aims to celebrate the fluid and dynamic nature of jazz music by intertwining the themes of aquatic gardens, improvisations, rhythm and flow reflecting the harmony between nature and music, creating an immersive experience that evokes tranquility, creativity and the vibrant spirit of jazz. Patrons will enjoy illuminated installations, digital sculptures, video-mapping projections, art animated by technology and musical performances to engage and inspire audiences of all ages. New Orleans Jazz Museum’s historic architecture will be transformed into a playground of light, art and music with an aquatic garden theme!
In addition to general admission tickets, Improv 2024 will also feature an exclusive “Backstage Experience” with a dedicated viewing area and special seating adjacent to the main stage.
Please join in the celebration as the Jazz Museum encourages education and improvisation for a new generation of musicians. There will be an online auction and tickets will go on sale this fall. Subscribe to the museum’s newsletter for upcoming details at nolajazzmuseum.org and follow their social media @nolajazzmuseum.
About the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Housed in the historic old US Mint, strategically located at the intersection of the French Quarter and the Frenchmen Street live music corridor, the New Orleans Jazz Museum is in the heart of the city’s vibrant music scene and attracts over 150,000 visitors per year. Tickets are available for adults for $8, while students, senior citizens and active military are $6. Children six and under enter for free. The Jazz Museum presents live performances, dynamic interactive exhibits, research and educational programming that provide diverse resources for musicians and music lovers of all languages, nationalities and ages. Their dedication to the history of jazz continues through their programming, mentoring initiatives and community outreach. They catalog, preserve and exhibit over 25,000 artifacts in the museum’s collection.
The Jazz Museum enhances New Orleans’ ongoing cultural renaissance by providing diverse resources for musicians and music lovers of all languages and nationalities. It is a place to fully explore America’s quintessential musical art form in the city where jazz was born. Be sure to visit and check out their extensive collection which includes 12,000 historic photos, Louis Armstrong’s first cornet, a 1917 disc of the first jazz recording and the world's largest collection of instruments owned and played by iconic figures in jazz, among many other treasures.
