The second year of the Annapolis Jazz & Roots Festival blasts off with an unforgettable concert of New Orleans jazz and swing by Halley’s Hot Gumbo Swingtet. You’ll love the hip location: the historic Peerless Rens Club in Eastport – a great spot for listening and dancing!

Bandleader Halley Shoenberg has been a dynamic presence in and around the nation’s capital for decades. Hotly in demand, she performs and records with numerous ensembles on saxophone, clarinet and flute. She’s led concerts at Blues Alley and Strathmore, appeared at Carlyle Club and The Kennedy Center and entertained huge crowds of swing dancers at Glen Echo, Mobtown Ballroom and Potomac River Jazz Club events. Her numerous U.S. festival appearances include dates in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and she’s ready to bring that awesome vibe to Annapolis on Opening Night.

Musical highlights include 1918 classic, “Clarinet Marmalade,” written by Larry Shields and Henry Ragas of the Original Dixieland Jass Band and “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,” penned by Lil Hardin Armstrong in 1927. (Trumpet/cornet player David Erickson will lend some of his own modern lyrics on that tune.)

Before the night is over, Shoenberg will share her 2022 original, ’Melting Pot Gumbo.” Written with a Latin/Carribean feel, it reflects many cultures present in early 1900s New Orleans – the birthplace of jazz. French, Spanish, English, Native American, African American, Caribbean and South American people inhabited this shipping hub at the mouth of the Great Mississippi River. Music lovers will enjoy discovering the different elements.

The six piece band includes some of the hottest names in the region:

Halley Shoenberg – clarinet/saxophone/vocals

David Erickson – trumpet/cornet/vocals

Brian Priebe – trombone

Craig Gildner – piano (keyboard)/vocals

Willie Clark – tuba

Alan Dale – drums

This evening marks the beginning of two weekends of music from many countries and cultures. International recording and performing stars will join top notch regional artists at multiple venues in Eastport, a hip and historic part of the Maryland capital. Visit our website and join our mailing list to learn more!

* Those interested are welcome to make a donation to the Annapolis Jazz & Roots Festival in addition to purchasing tickets. Thank you.

::festival, Peerless Rens Club::In-person