Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra brought a taste of Mardi Gras and New Orleans to Opelika on Sunday, Feb. 8, as part of The Arts Association of East Alabama's Jubilee weekend event.
The Jubilee, which took place at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts from Feb. 7-8, celebrated 50 years of The Arts Association of East Alabama.
The jazz performance concluded the weekend celebration, which also featured a performance from The Knights and award-winning banjoist Bela Fleck on Saturday, Feb. 7.
"I thought it was totally fun," said Irvin Mayfield, jazz trumpeter and director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. "It was a blast. I think the band had even more fun than the audience."
In addition to directing the jazz orchestra, Mayfield is a Grammy and Billboard Award-winning artist, director of the New Orleans Jazz Institute, professor at the University of New Orleans and creator of Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse.
The band played several jazz pieces throughout the night, with a majority of the members performing solos. When he wasn't directing the band or bringing his humor and energy to the stage, Mayfield had a few solos of his own.
Some members sang in addition to playing their instruments. Trumpeter Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown sang Frank Sinatra's "I've Got the World on a String," trombonist Michael Watson sang Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" and sousaphone player James Williams sang Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me."
The day of the performance also happened to be the birthday of Victor "Red" Atkins, the band's piano player. The crowd joined the band in singing him "Happy Birthday." Atkins is from Selma and is one of the few Alabama natives in the band.
Mayfield and NOJO closed the night with "May His Soul Rest In Peace." Mayfield dedicated the song to his father, and he said he wanted the audience to feel the souls and spirits of lost ones with them as they listened to the song.
Following the last song of the performance, the band made their grand exit, playing the classic "When the Saints Go Marching In" as they marched in single file out of the music hall with the crowd clapping along.
A few of the band's members came out after the performance to greet family members and attendees.
"All of our performances are really fun, but every crowd brings a different environment for us to respond to," said Emily Fredrickson, trombone player for the jazz orchestra and the band's first female member.
Fredrickson said the crowd in Opelika was great and it was at a nice place with a full house.
"It was amazing because we got to play so much for the band's family, so it was really emotional to see all the guys play for their family," Fredrickson said. "It made it a really unique night."
Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra's performance in Opelika was the third stop on their 12-city 2015 Spring East Coast Tour. More information on Mayfield and NOJO can be found by visiting thenojo.com.
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