One thing that can be guaranteed at the New Orleans Jazz Museum Improvisations Gala is it will showcase an amazing line-up of performers. And this year didn’t disappoint, of course.
The gala, presented by the Herb Alpert Foundation on Dec. 2, was themed “Blastoff! A Futuristic Flashback,” and featured 14 bands (eight were brass bands) across three stages, opening with The Dixie Cups with James Andrews & The Crescent City All-Stars and ending the night with the Jason Neville Funky Soul Band and special guest George Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) fame. Dance troupes and musicians performed, some onstage, others roving, inside and out of the New Orleans Jazz Museum complex.
Guests could also enjoy food from Messina’s Catering; exhibitions, including the Mothership Gallery featuring art by George Clinton; an online auction with more than 100 items and the “Treasure Chest,” which included 14 kt. white gold pavé diamond earrings valued at $4,250 donated by Adler’s. Only 100 keys were available for a $50 chance to unlock the chest.
The auction offered artwork, jewelry, private tours and unique experiences, including a dinner at Dickie Brennan’s home with Marcia Ball performing and Dickie as chef.
Event co-chairs were Dr. and Mrs. Thomas LaViest, James Douglas Hislop and Valerie Landry. Honorary co-chairs included Herb Alpert, Jon Batiste, Randy Fertel, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Dan Pritzker. Greg Lambousy is the museum’s executive director.
Proceeds from the gala help support the museum’s Education Center and related programming.
Fun Fact: Gallatin Street Records, a component of the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Education Center, was formed in 2014 as a project directed towards the continued preservation and promotion of New Orleans music, art and culture. The record label provides a way to publish the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s vintage recordings, as well as those made at the Museum’s current performance center.
