Virtuoso modern jazz clarinetist, composer, recording artist, and educator, Alvin Batiste made his greatest impact as a beloved mentor to generations of jazz musicians. He founded and led the Jazz Institute at Southern University in Baton Rouge and helped create the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).

Many of the students Batiste taught during his more than 30 years at Southern University became major figures in music, including Branford Marsalis, Randy Jackson, Herlin Riley, Henry Butler, Donald Harrison Jr, Roland Guerin, Max Moran and Gregory Agid. Branford Marsalis expressed his esteem for “Mr. Bat,” as Batiste was known, by producing the clarinetist’s 2007 album, Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste, and releasing the recording through his Marsalis Music label.

Busy with his music education work, Batiste recorded only a handful of albums as a leader, including 1988’s Bayou Magic, 1999’s Songs,Words and Messages, Connections, and the major label debut he released at sixty years old via Columbia Records, 1993’s Late.Though Batiste was an adventurous modern jazz master and composer, he played the clarinet in the vocal-oriented style of traditional jazz clarinetists in New Orleans. A continuously searching artist, he practiced daily into his seventies. “There’s no static condition in aesthetic expression,” Batiste was known to say.Bat passed away not long after Hurricane Katrina, in 2007.


Tonight's Annual Birthday Tribute to Bat features the Wess Anderson Quintet:

Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson is a celebrated classic swing saxophonist known for his big sound and irresistible charm. After beginning saxophone at age 14 and studying with jazz greats Frank Wess, Frank Foster, and Charles Davis, Anderson attended Southern University, where he studied with legendary New Orleans clarinetist and educator Alvin Batiste. In 1988, Anderson joined Wynton Marsalis’ Septet, touring and recording with the group for 20 years. He also performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and released four solo albums. Tonight, Anderson pays tribute to his former mentor, Alvin Batiste, celebrating what would have been the pioneering musician’s 93rd birthday and honoring his lasting influence on New Orleans jazz.

‍

Shows at 7:00pm & 9:00pm  
Doors at 6:30pm & 8:30pm

Restaurant is Open 5pm - 10pm for dinner before or after your showtime:

‍Advance Ticket Holders can now automatically make dinner table reservations for the Dining Room online via OpenTable.com