NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The Jazz Generations Initiative will introduce its inaugural Jazz Cohort with a debut concert, “ANCIENT ENTRY,” during New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival week on Tuesday, April 28, at the modern jazz club Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro.
The JGI New Orleans Jazz Cohort is a collective of New Orleans musicians invited annually by Jazz Generations Initiative (JGI) co-founder Dr. Courtney Bryan to collaborate around the multigenerational and interdisciplinary aspects of jazz in curating, producing and composing work that honors the opportunity to converse intentionally around a wide variety of topics spanning: healing, democracy, creolité, and more.
On Tuesday, April 28, JGI introduces its 2026 New Orleans Jazz Cohort fellows as they time-travel through “ANCIENT ENTRY” – a portal to ancestral rhythms, familiar melodies and curious new textures alike, in a collaborative evening of music traversing multiple generations, including compositions of their own, and improvisations featuring a handful of special guests to be announced. This concert is the first in a new series presented by the 2026 Cohort.
The 2026 Jazz Generations Initiative New Orleans Jazz Cohort features:
Tonya Boyd-Cannon – vocals
Steve Lands – trumpet
Aurora Nealand – saxophones, accordion, vocals
Victor Campbell – piano
Max Moran – bass
The cohort will explore songs, rhythms and responses from previous and current generations that have influenced the music we call “jazz,” and the music they themselves are creating now. Across diasporas and eras, threading the connectivity among genres, styles, cultural traditions, and future visions. This April 28 journey through the Ancient Entry portal is ushered alongside collaborations with a number of multigenerational and interdisciplinary special guests.
Special Guests featured at this edition of ANCIENT ENTRY include:
Ms. Germaine Bazzle, New Orleans’ 1st Lady of Jazz – vocals
Vanito Brown, Cuban music impresario – guitar, vocals
Alfred Jordan Jr. – drums
Weedie Braimah – percussion, sacred drums
Cheeky Blakk – bounce artist
+ MORE TBA
The collective will present two sets; one at 7:30 p.m. and another at 9:30 p.m., both at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, located at 626 Frenchmen Street. Tickets and details available at SnugJazz.com.
