Drummer Herlin Riley Kicks off Spring Season of Jazz at the Sandbar

Drummer Herlin Riley kicks off the 2023 spring season of Jazz at the Sandbar on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. on the campus of the University of New Orleans. Riley is the first of eight performers who will continue this New Orleans tradition of Wednesday night gigs that was started more than three decades ago.

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 at the Sandbar, located inside The Cove.

Since coming of age in the nurturing environment of a musical family and as part of a distinguished line of New Orleans drummers, Riley emerged to enliven the ensembles of such influential and demanding improvisers as pianist Ahmad Jamal and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. His authoritative style of melodic percussion, while deeply representative of the rhythms of Crescent City, encompasses the entire length and breadth of America’s ongoing musical journey.

Other highlights of the spring 2023 season include internationally renowned bassist and Mack Avenue recording artist Rodney Whitaker, who will serve as this semester’s Artist-in-Residence and perform with student ensembles under the direction of Victor Atkins and Amina Scott on March 29.

The performances are free to UNO students and employees, as well as students from any school with a student ID. For anyone else, suggested admission is $10.

Here is the full spring 2023 lineup:

•    March 22 - Drummer Herlin Riley •    March 29 - Bassist & Artist-in-Residence Rodney Whitaker •    April 5 - Faculty Showcase: Pianist Victor Atkins •    April 12 - Drummer Leon Anderson •    April 19 - Vocalist Cindy Scott •    April 26 - Trumpeter Maurice Brown •    May 3 - Saxophonist Nicole Glover •    May 10 - Graduate Recitals