Media Contacts:
Stephanie Mayne
Stephanie@theNOJO.com
504.377.7403

 

NEW ORLEANS - September 18, 2014 - On November 16, 2014, Grammy-winning trumpeter Irvin Mayfield will host a concert titled "From the Bayou to the Bay" for one night only at Cal Performances' Zellerbach Hall at the University of California, Berkeley. The performance will feature a special presentation of NOJO favorites and New Orleans classics performed by Mayfield, the NOJO Big Band and special guests.

NOJO's sponsor for the 2014 National Gala is the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. Partners include New Orleans' own WWOZ 90.7-FM community radio station and the University of New Orleans (UNO). UNO will host a workshop featuring Mayfield and NOJO for middle and high school students during the trip.

"NOJO is coming to San Francisco, and we are bringing the entire city of New Orleans with us. We have selected November 16 at Berkeley as our Fall National Gala because we want to celebrate with each of you - because Zellerbach is an incredible venue, the people of the Bay Area are always a good time, and we are personally proud and excited about what this area has accomplished with Jazz," said NOJO Artistic Director Irvin Mayfield.

"Jazz is the soul of New Orleans, and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra encompasses the authentic spirit of the city," said Stephen Perry, President & CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We are excited to share such an intrinsic part of our culture with the Bay Area this November."

Tickets range from $30.00 - $64.00 and are available now via www.calperformances.org. The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. PST and will be broadcast live on WWOZ 90.7-FM New Orleans community radio station; listeners from around the world can tune in online at wwoz.org or via their radios to hear the iconic performance.

NOJO enjoys a proud tradition of hosting a National Gala each year in distinct cities and historic venues across the United States. In 2012, NOJO's 10th Anniversary was celebrated at New York City's legendary Carnegie Hall with special guests Aaron Neville, Branford Marsalis and Dee Dee Bridgewater. In 2013, the entire NOJO Big Band and staff followed in the footsteps of Louis Armstrong and traveled via The City of New Orleans train from New Orleans to Chicago to perform at The Chicago Theatre with special guests Allen Toussaint, Kurt Elling and Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

In an effort to preserve the historic legacy of Jazz in New Orleans and to ensure the continued teaching of this music in the city where it was born and across the globe, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is building the New Orleans Jazz Market, opening in March 2015 in Central City New Orleans. A portion of the proceeds from the Berkeley concert will be donated to this endeavor.

In addition to the Berkeley Gala, Mayfield and NOJO will perform in the following locations during the fall:
11/8/14: New York, NY | Apollo Theatre, Apollo Main Stage
11/18/14: Davis, CA | Mondavi Center for the Arts, Jackson Hall
11/21/14: Lancaster, CA | Lancaster Performing Arts Center, Main Stage
11/22/14: Northridge, CA | Valley Performing Arts Center, Great Hall
11/23/14: San Diego, CA | San Diego Symphony, Copley Symphony Hall

About the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra:
NOJO creates Jazz to enhance life, transform place and elevate spirit through the tenets of beauty, truth and love. Founded in 2002 by trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader Irvin Mayfield, NOJO's goal is to strengthen the business of Jazz through performances, tours, recordings, education, and media platforms. For more information, please visit www.thenojo.com.

NOJO's first building project, The New Orleans Jazz Market, will open in Spring 2015 as a performing arts venue and Jazz community center in Central City New Orleans. The Jazz Market will feature music education experiences for all ages, a New Orleans Jazz Archive, tributes to current and past Jazz Masters, and performances by Irvin Mayfield, NOJO and other renowned musicians. Partners for and supporters of the project include Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group, The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Chevron North America, IberiaBank, the Goldring Family Foundation, Peoples Health, and the Keller Family Foundation.

About the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau:
The Bureau is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago and four foreign countries. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 54th anniversary in 2014. For more information, please visit www.neworleanscvb.com; www.facebook.com/neworleans; www.twitter.com/neworleans.

About Cal Performances:
Cal Performances is the performing arts presenter of the University of California, Berkeley, fulfilling its mission by presenting, producing and commissioning renowned and emerging artists in music, dance, and theater. Under the leadership of Matías Tarnopolsky, the organization reaches over 250,000 people annually through concerts, campus and community events, including talks, symposia, lecture demonstrations, and academic courses based on Cal Performances' season. Artists include Yo-Yo Ma, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Group, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Takács Quartet, Mavis Staples, The Australian Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, among others.


ABOUT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IRVIN MAYFIELD
Irvin Mayfield, 36, is a Grammy and Billboard Award-winning artist with 15 albums to his credit. Mayfield is the founding Artistic Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and currently serves as Artistic Director of Jazz at the Minnesota Orchestra. He is a professor at the University of New Orleans, where he also serves as Director of the New Orleans Jazz Institute. In 2009, Mayfield entered into a historic partnership with the Royal Sonesta Hotel and created Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse, which brought "Jazz back to Bourbon Street" in the historic French Quarter. Mayfield was nominated to the National Council on the Arts by President George W. Bush and was subsequently appointed to the post by President Barack Obama in 2010. Mayfield also received The Chancellor's Award from the University of New Orleans (the highest ranking award given to a professor) in 2010 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Dillard University in 2011. A passionate advocate for New Orleans and for the arts, Mayfield is Chairman of the Board for the Soledad O'Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation, as well as the New Orleans African American Museum of Art, Culture and History. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the New Orleans Public Library and serves on the boards of Louisiana State University's Department of Psychiatry and Health Science, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, Tulane University's School of Architecture, Unity of Greater New Orleans, the Urban Libraries Council, and the Youth Rescue Initiative.

 

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