New Orleans Jazz

Awen Robbe

Awen Robbe is a young trumpeter and ecletic composer from France. From an early age, he was immersed in music (especially in Jazz & Breton culture) thanks to his father Fabien Robbe, Jazz pianist & multi-instrumentalist. He began playing the trumpet at 7 at the "Maison of Arts" in Baud, with his first teacher, Guillaume St-Michel. He started young to perform on stage, playing his first professional concerts at the age of 12, between Fest-Noz and major Breton festivals.

Benoit LeBlanc

Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra

Active since: 2007

Uptown Jazz Orchestra’s mission is to promote the rich cultural legacy of American music through both entertaining and educational performances. Our educational shows are designed to give young people a greater awareness of important historical figures and musical traditions. All other shows are designed specifically with the intent of folks having a good time … hands clapping, toes tapping and rump shaking!

In 2007, NEA Jazz Master and Grammy Award winning trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra (UJO) for the purpose of keeping important jazz music traditions alive; such as riff-playing, spontaneous group improvisations, and collective New Orleans instrumental polyphony. At the time, Marsalis realized that the New Orleans music community was lacking the infusion of young homegrown talent outside of the great brass band tradition, and chose to form an orchestra that could present traditional, classic, and modern compositions with authenticity. Since that time, UJO has grown into one of the premier large ensembles in the world, releasing four CDs to critical acclaim, and touring locally, nationally, and internationally.

Delfeayo Marsalis

Born: July 28, 1965

Delfeayo Marsalis is one of the top trombonists, composers and producers in jazz today. Known for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor…”(Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times), he is “…one of the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” (Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner.) In January 2011, Delfeayo and the Marsalis family (father Ellis and brothers Branford, Wynton and Jason) earned the nation’s highest jazz honor" a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.

Born in New Orleans on July 28, 1965, Marsalis was destined to a life in music. “I remember my dad (Ellis Marsalis) playing piano at the house, and me laying underneath the piano as a child, listening to him play. After briefly trying bass and drums, in sixth grade I gravitated towards the trombone, which was an extension of my personality. Early on my influences and inspirations included J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Al Grey, Tyree Glenn and Tommy Dorsey.” Marsalis attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts high school, was classically trained at the Eastern Music Festival and Tanglewood Institute, and majored in both performance and audio production at the Berklee College of Music.

Kid Dutch

Cypress Creek Jazz Band

Active since: 2010

The Cypress Creek Jazz band is a 8 piece group of local musicians with strong roots in the Tampa music scene. We play HOT! New Orleans's style jazz, joyful Dixieland or Spiritual Dixieland Hymns and Old time gospel.

We have performed together for over 15 years all over the Tampa area at venues like the Straz Center, Carrollwood Cultural Center, New Tampa Performing Arts Center, Dade City Kumquat Festival as well as many others.

The Cypress Creek Jazz Band takes the soulful essence of New Orleans and the vibrant melodies of Dixieland music and melds them into a harmonious blend of musical mastery. With each note, we transport our audience to the lively streets of the French Quarter, invoking the spirit of jazz legends past and present.

Denise Mangiardi

Paul Tafoya

Born: June 3, 1990

Award winning trumpeter, composer, band-leader, and arranger.

Paul Tafoya is a talented trumpeter, composer, and bandleader with a decade of professional experience in the music industry. He developed a passion for music in his pre-teen years, later being awarded "Marine Musician of The Year" in the MARFORPAC band in the Marine Corps, where he honed his skills while travelling abroad performing. After his time in the military, Paul attended college and studied with some of the most renowned musicians in the industry, including Lew Soloff, Jeremy Pelt, Ralph Alessi, Ingrid Jensen, Jon-Erik Kellso, and more. 

Erica Grace

Erica Grace is a Philadelphia singer/songwriter and ukulele player performing ol' timey jazz, ragtime blues and Tin Pan Alley songs from the 1920's & 1930's. Her soulful and sultry voice is true to the era and gives new life to melodies that time has long forgotten. With a rotating cast of musicians and instrumentation, each performance is a unique experience.