BILL EVANS JAZZ FEST - APRIL 15 - 20

Jazz comes alive in Hammond at the Bill Evans Jazz Festival.

The event is put on annually by Southeastern Louisiana University, with the help of generous community sponsors. This year, the 23rd Annual Bill Evans Jazz Festival takes place April 15 - 20, 2024, at the Columbia Theatre in downtown Hammond.

Who Was Bill Evans?

Back in September 1946, Evans began his post-secondary education at Southeastern Louisiana University. He entered on a flute scholarship, but the piano was his true love. He graduated in 1950 with a double bachelor's degree in music (piano) and music education. The work Evans did on theory assignments as an SLU undergrad became part of his tune “Very Early,” a classic jazz standard.

Start of a Festival

In 2002, a former Southeastern Music Department head got a small grant to fund the first jazz festival honoring Evans and his contributions to the genre. The goal was to engage with musicians who had played with Evans and offer concerts here in Hammond with the artists. Unfortunately, that approach wasn’t financially sustainable.

In 2016, Mr. Michael Brothers joined SLUs’ music department as the head of Jazz and Percussion Studies. By now, the festival was hanging on by a thread. Brothers, serving as a judge for high school musicians competing in the festival, decided to revamp it.

Once given the go-ahead to seek additional funding, Brothers turned to community sponsors to enhance and fund the festival. There are now five solid sponsors for the annual jazz festival:

Holly & Smith Architects

North Oaks Health System

Rotary Club of Hammond

Rocker Family Foundation

Tangi Meats

The sponsors’ generous financial contributions stabilized the festival’s presence and made it more affordable for music students at schools in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to participate. Now, the Bill Evans Jazz Fest is second only to Loyola for longevity, as it has been up and running for 23 years.

Goals of Sponsorship

Sponsor support is vital because it defrays the costs of jazz artists — like this year’s guest artist, Laura Dreyer. It also offsets competition costs for student participants from 24 schools.

Sponsorship also makes the festival more of a community event, especially since the event is held entirely at the Columbia Theatre. The festival has become so popular with school music programs that there’s now a waiting list — and they’re considering adding another day for next year’s festival.

What to Expect

The student competitions will be judged during the daytime on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Monday night, the University Lab Jazz Band and Jazz Combo will play in a studio designed to resemble a jazz club. Wednesday night brings the much-anticipated return of the SLU Alumni Jazz Ensemble. On Friday, the jazz faculty will jam with guest artists, and on Saturday evening, the University Jazz Ensemble will perform a concert with the guest artists.

Tickets On Sale Now

Ready for some cool jazz? Contact the Columbia Theatre box office to get your tickets (and season ticket holders have access to the festival as well).