Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band

Join us on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 8:00pm for Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center (1225 N. Rampart Street) to kick off the 2025 Congo Square Rhythms Festival.

Tickets are $10. Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins promptly at 8pm. Seating is limited, so please register in advance. All proceeds from this concert series directly support efforts of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

The concert will be livestreamed: jazzandheritage.org/live

About Dr. Michael White

Dr. White is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities and culture-bearers of traditional New Orleans jazz music. In 2015, he produced and performed on the album "New Orleans Brass Bands: Through the Streets of the City" for the Smithsonian Institution. Additionally, he has served as a guest director for various Jazz at Lincoln Center programs. Currently, he holds the position of senior professor of African American music at Xavier University. With a career spanning over three decades, Dr. White has toured internationally and collaborated with renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Paul Simon, and Marianne Faithfull. He has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious rank of Chevalier of Arts for his contributions to traditional and folk arts. In 2010, he was honored as Humanist of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and has been recognized as Clarinetist of the Year by Offbeat Magazine multiple times in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

About the 2025 Congo Square Rhythms Festival:

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival pays homage to New Orleans traditions rooted in the African diaspora, particularly significant as it takes place in Congo Square, a historic site where enslaved Africans and free people of color gathered to uphold their cultural practices of music, dance, and camaraderie. This free festival promises a beautiful celebration showcasing local cuisine, African dance and drumming, live music, and an arts market, inviting all to join in the festivities and embrace the enduring legacy of these cultural expressions.

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival features dance and musical traditions of Africa, the Caribbean, the American Gulf South and beyond in this two-day, family-friendly festival. Another free event brought to you by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

Learn more on congosquarerhythms.com

About the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation:

The Congo Square Rhythms Festival is a program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other raised funds, for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural enrichment.

For more on what we do, please visit us online at jazzandheritage.org

Host or Publisher New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation