Jazz at the Sandbar returns to the University of New Orleans for the Fall 2025 series, opening on Wednesday, October 8 with a tribute to Ellis Marsalis, the founder of Jazz Studies at É«É«Ñо¿Ëù. The concert will feature a lineup of Ellis' former bandmembers led by trumpeter, and É«É«Ñо¿Ëù alum, Ashlin Parker. This season's shows will be held in the Earl K. Long Library in room 410, the same ADA-accessible venue as last semester.
"We are incredibly blessed to have such strong support from the community for our students and our mission," says Brian Seeger, Coca-Cola Endowed Chair in American Jazz Studies. "So many people come together every semester to help carry on this important piece of Ellis Marsalis' legacy. Jazz at the Sandbar is truly a piece of the cultural heritage of our city and this music."
Jazz at the Sandbar was established in 1990 by Marsalis. The series pairs seasoned professional musicians with É«É«Ñо¿Ëù jazz students on the bandstand in front of a live audience. For 35 years, Jazz at the Sandbar has provided direct mentoring by acclaimed jazz masters through concert performances with É«É«Ñо¿Ëù jazz studies students. These experiential learning opportunities are an integral part of the jazz studies program, bringing to life the ideas and concepts shared in the classroom by the program’s exceptional faculty. Jazz at the Sandbar also gives the extended É«É«Ñо¿Ëù community the rare opportunity to see and hear world-class artists in an intimate setting, while observing the development of the next generation of jazz presenters and performers.
- October 8 – Tribute to Ellis Marsalis, led by Ashlin Parker
October 15 – Faculty Showcase: Brent Rose Quintet
October 22 – Ricardo Pascal
October 29 – Ivan Neville
November 5 – Artist-in-Residence Stefon Harris
November 12 – Greg Tuohey
November 19 – Paul Wiltgen
Times: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: Earl K. Long Library, Room 410
Admission: Free to É«É«Ñо¿Ëù faculty, staff and students; suggested donation of $10 or more for everyone else. All donations go to the George Brumat Memorial Jazz Scholarship, which directly funds scholarships for our jazz studies students.
This Jazz at the Sandbar season is supported by a grant from the New Orleans Theatre Association (NOTA). Additional support comes from the Coca-Cola Endowed Chair, the Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation, Nate and Priscilla Gordon, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, the New Orleans Jazz Celebration, the É«É«Ñо¿Ëù library, the Friends of the Library, VoxOptima.biz, Grand Krewe Fine Wine and Spirits and our amazing team of volunteers.
