Jazz at the Sandbar pairs seasoned professional musicians with UNO jazz students on the bandstand in front of a live audience.

Jazz at the Sandbar returns to the University of New Orleans for the spring 2025 series, opening on Wednesday, March 12 with local drumming icon Herlin Riley. The shows will be held in the Earl K. Long Library in room 410, the same ADA-accessible venue as last semester.

“The gift of art, creation, and community brings strength to us and clarifies our purpose,” said Brian Seeger, professor of music. “As an important part of the cultural heritage of New Orleans, we are doubling down on our commitment to provide incredible opportunities to our students for growth as artists and people.”

Jazz at the Sandbar, established in 1990 by the late music faculty member Ellis Marsalis, pairs seasoned professional musicians with UNO 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 UNO 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 UNO 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.

March 12 – Herlin Riley
March 19 – Gregory Tardy
March 26 – Gabrielle Cavassa
April 2 – Artist-in-Residence Jason Palmer
April 9 – Gray Sargent
April 16 – Amina Figarova
April 23 – Roland Guerin
April 30 – UNO Jazz Faculty & Special Guests

Times: 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: Earl K. Long Library, Room 410
Admission: Free to UNO 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.

Jazz at the Sandbar is presented by UNO jazz studies with support from the New Orleans Theater Association, Nate and Priscilla Gordon, the Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, the Coca-Cola Endowed Chair, the New Orleans Jazz Celebration, and O'Malley and Associates.