River City Jazz Masters Turns 20

Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge marks two decades of world-class jazz at the Manship Theatre with a four-concert anniversary season

BATON ROUGE, La. — Twenty years ago, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge set out to bring world-class jazz to the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. Two decades later, that idea has become one of the region's defining cultural traditions. Today the Arts Council announced the 20th anniversary season of River City Jazz Masters— four performances at the Manship Theatre that, together, celebrate every corner of this great American art form.

From an Afro-Cuban piano virtuoso to a New Orleans trumpet legend, from one of the most honored voices in vocal jazz to a Grammy-winning ambassador of the New Orleans sound, the 2027–28 season is a full celebration of all corners of jazz — and a fitting way to mark 20 years of music in this intimate downtown room.

The 20th Anniversary Season

Alfredo Rodríguez Band feat. Pedrito Martinez — Wednesday, October 7, 2026 The season opens with one of the most electrifying pianists in jazz today. As a boy in Havana, Alfredo Rodríguez was so determined to play that he practiced on piano keys painted onto his family's dinner table. Years later, the legendary Quincy Jones heard him perform and changed the course of his life, becoming his mentor and producer. Now a Grammy-nominated artist, Rodríguez fuses Afro-Cuban rhythm, classical training, and contemporary fire into a sound that has captivated audiences around the world. He opens our anniversary season — fittingly, on his own birthday.

Wendell Brunious & The New Orleans Legends — Wednesday, November 11, 2026 This one is close to home. A New Orleans trumpeter, vocalist, and bandleader born into a storied Creole musical family, Wendell Brunious was once the youngest bandleader Preservation Hall had ever known — and in 2023 became the first musical director in the Hall's entire history. He carries the living tradition of New Orleans jazz in everything he plays. Warm, joyful, and rooted in Louisiana, this is a night of the real thing from one of its truest keepers.

The Tierney Sutton Band — Thursday, January 14, 2027

A nine-time Grammy nominee and one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz, Tierney Sutton is often called "the musician's singer" for the way she treats her voice as an instrument. A masterful interpreter of the Great American Songbook who has headlined Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center — and lent her voice to Clint Eastwood's film Sully — Sutton brings elegance and emotional depth to the Manship stage in a special co-production with the Manship Theatre.

Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra — Wednesday, April 7, 2027 We close the season in true New Orleans style. A member of the legendary Marsalis family, an NEA Jazz Master, and a Grammy-winning trombonist, composer, and producer, Delfeayo Marsalis has earned a reputation as "a merchant of joy." His performances are a celebration — exuberant, deeply rooted in the New Orleans tradition, and impossible to sit still through. It's the perfect way to send off our 20th year.

Tickets, member savings, and the season pass

Full-season passes go on sale Friday, July 3, with individual show tickets following on Thursday, July 16. Buying the full-season pass is the best value of the year — it secures all four concerts at a savings over purchasing each show individually, and it locks in seats before single tickets are released to the public.

Arts Council members save an additional 20% on tickets this season. To apply the 20% member discount to a season subscription, members can call the Manship Theatre box office at (225) 344-0334. Tickets are available at manshiptheatre.org or by calling the box office; for season and membership information, contact the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 344-8558 or visit artsbr.org.

Bringing jazz to the next generation

River City Jazz Masters lives well beyond the stage. Each season, our visiting artists bring their talents directly into classrooms and schools across the Greater Baton Rouge area, giving K–12 students a rare chance to learn from world-class musicians up close. Through school visits, workshops, and masterclasses, students don't just hear jazz — they experience it. They ask questions, try instruments, and connect with the artists who carry forward one of America's greatest art forms. This is how jazz survives: not just on stage, but in the hands and ears of the next generation.

Become a sponsor

Sponsorship opportunities supporting world-class jazz and jazz education in Greater Baton Rouge are available now. To learn more, contact Lindi Spalatin at lspalatin@artsbr.orgor (225) 344-8558 ext. 206.

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