Loyola’s 43rd Annual Jazz Festival to Feature Ed Neumeister

The 43^rd Annual Jazz Festival at Loyola University New Orleans presents world-renowned trombonist Ed Neumeister in a one-night-only concert with the Loyola Jazz Band on Saturday, March 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall. The two-day festival, presented by Loyola's Jazz Studies Program, also includes a performance by the Loyola Faculty Jazz Ensemble, masterclasses with Neumeister and other acclaimed jazz musicians and performances by high school jazz bands and combos from across the country.

As a trombonist, Neumeister performed for 19 years with the Mel Lewis Big Band and for 15 years in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington. As a composer, he has received commissions from all over the world, including the Hamburg Radio Big Band in Germany, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra in New York and the SophisticatEd Ellington Project in Tokyo, among others. He has recorded seven albums as a leader, including modern big band, trombone quartet, chamber trio, jazz quartet and quintet, as well as concerto for cello and big band.

Saturday's concert includes the premiere of Neumeister's "A Magical Place," a new work commissioned for the festival by John Mahoney, Loyola's coordinator of jazz studies.

Tickets for Neumeister's performance are $10 for general admission and $5 for students, faculty and staff. For tickets and information, visit montage.loyno.edu or call 504-865-2074. Free parking is available in the West Road Garage, which is accessible from St. Charles Avenue. 

In addition to Saturday's concert, the Loyola Faculty Jazz Ensemble presents a free concert on Friday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. in Roussel Hall. Free masterclasses will also be held on Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10, at 12:30 p.m. in the Communications/Music Complex. The concert and masterclasses are open to the public. 

At least two dozen high school jazz bands and combos will perform for adjudication throughout the weekend in Roussel Hall. Bands will perform every half hour until 4:30 p.m., with breaks each day for the 12:30 p.m. masterclasses. These sessions are free and open to the public.

According to Mahoney, the festival focuses on education as opposed to competition. "Loyola's Jazz Festival is about what you can learn from being here and the inspiration that you can get from listening to your peers," Mahoney said. "It's a great event to be a part of because the musicians get pumped up about music and all of its possibilities." 

Two weeks prior to the festival, the Loyola Jazz Band will go on a six-day tour, performing at a college jazz festival in Chicago, Ill. and six high schools in Memphis, Tenn. and St. Louis, Mo.

The concert and masterclasses with Neumeister are made possible through support from the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. In addition, the Foundation provided support for scholarships to the Loyola Summer Jazz Band Camp and the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp.

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