Hosted by Downtown Lesli Brown of KMEZ 102.9 - Music starts @ 12 Noon with DJ Captain Charles
let’s celebrate culture, tradition, and sundays at the congo!
Uptown Jazz Orchestra hosts Jazz at Congo Square, an Inaugural Celebration of Music & Culture
NEW ORLEANS - On August 8, 2021, from 1-7 p.m. at Congo Square, Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra will host the Inaugural Jazz at Congo Square, a FREE celebration of New Orleans music, culture and traditions (VIP Tickets Available). The festival will feature a variety of artists who have contributed tremendously to our city’s local scene and the international music community at- large. Jazz at Congo Square was created to promote and maintain the significance of Congo Square, while highlighting why the space is and should remain a historical landmark in New Orleans. The festival will also feature local art and merchandise vendors, food from local restaurants, chefs and purveyors, and will offer space to nonprofit organizations who share a similar mission of preserving New Orleans. Sponsorship opportunities are available!
“In this past year and a half, musicians around the world have faced and conquered what seemed like insurmountable circumstances,” says founder Delfeayo Marsalis. “Now, we’re looking to the future, which means celebrating the past, embracing the present and focusing on building sustainable futures for New Orleans culture bearers. As we grow the festival and create new touch-points, we expect to create a movement that both honors Congo Square and supports the New Orleans talent pool.”
Proceeds from Jazz at Congo Square will benefit two other community-based organizations founded by Marsalis: the Uptown Music Theatre—an award-winning organization that empowers youth through musical theatre training; and Keep NOLA Music Alive (KNOMA)—founded in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic for the purpose of providing emergency relief to native New Orleans culture bearers. Make a donation.
This year’s Jazz at Congo Square festivities will kick-off with a VIP Patron Party at Gallier Hall (Tickets Available) on Friday, August 6, with a private and exclusive performance by Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra at the Ty Tracy Theater inside Gallier Hall. VIP guests can bid on the original artwork created for the official festival poster and other items. The Sunday festival lineup will begin at 1:00PM with a call to the ancestors led by the Congo Square Preservation Society Drum Circle and master percussionist Luther Gray, and feature poetry by acclaimed activist Sunni Patterson, and music by the Vegas Cola Band, Kyle Roussel, Mykia Jovan, Tonya Boyd Cannon (from the hit TV show The Voice), Stooges Brass Band, and a performance by Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra featuring music from their Best of the Beat award-winning cd Jazz Party. The festival will open with a call to the ancestors led by the Congo Square Society Drum Circle and culminate with a jam Learn more about the artists and the festival festival lineup now!
Uptown Jazz Orchestra (UJO) was formed in 2008 by trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis for the primary purpose of maintaining and creating jazz traditions such as blues expression, riff playing, spontaneous arrangements, and New Orleans polyphony (brass band 2nd line style). Specializing in the music of Basie, Ellington, the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Band, UJO has released two award-winning cd’s to critical acclaim. During the pandemic, they expanded their reach by presenting first-class livestreams and witty video shorts that showcased the band’s tributes to Jazz Fest, Christmas, Mardi Gras. UJO consists of New Orleans’ most celebrated musicians including Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Roderick Paulin, Andrew Baham and Dr. Brice Miller. Their repertoire ranges from the controversial Make America Great Again! to the laid back easy going Jazz Party.
vendor opportunities
Vendor opportunities are available for local creators, artists, and retail stores.
10x10 and 10x20 spaces available. All interested vendors are required to have the proper licensing required to operate in the City of New Orleans and sell products and goods. Vendors should bring tables/tents/chairs for setup. For more information on obtaining vendor licenses with the City of New Orleans, please visit www.CityofNola.gov/onestop/. Nonprofit organization are invited to setup free non-seller booths if the organization provides volunteers to work the festival. Reserve your space now!
Come enjoy the cool Jazz sounds of Uptown Jazz Orchestra and various New Orleans artists while supporting music education for Greater New Orleans kids and native New Orleans Musicians.
(Board of Directors: Delfeayo Marsalis, President; David Pulphus, Executive VP; Amy Kirk Duvoisin, Secretary; Robert Stickney, Treasurer; Allison Reinhardt, Community Liaison, Paul Fisher; Gina Monette, Member. Advisory Board: Branford Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Roger Lewis.)