NEW ORLEANS All-Star Swing featuring DUKE Heitger, JOE Goldberg, HAL Smith & KRIS Tokarski

Fri, May 23

Show Ticket $25 - $30 Dinner is required with all reservations. *6:30 PM SHOW - DINNER RESERVATIONS FROM 5:15 PM *9:00 PM SHOW - DINNER RESERVATIONS FROM 8:00 PM Trumpeter Duke Heitger came to New Orleans in 1991 to join Jacques Gauthe’s Creole Rice Jazz Band and since that time he has become one of the most sought after players on the international scene, performing and recording around the world with a diverse roster of musicians. Since arriving in New Orleans, Heitger has received international exposure leading to work with bands led by such classic jazz stalwarts as Dan Barrett, Engelbert Wrobel (Germany), Marty Gros, Dick Hyman, John Gill and Banu Gibson. He has made a number of guest appearances on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” with Butch Thompson, and has been featured numerous times on broadcasts by the Jim Cullum Jazz Band live from the riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. Heitger has been featured at the Hollywood Bowl, at New York’s 92nd St. Y, Lincoln Center’s “Midsummer’s Night Swing” series, and Orchestra Hall in Mineapolis, MN. Internationally, he has toured Europe extensively either as a bandleader or as a guest soloist with regular appearances at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Nairn International Jazz Festival, and the Ascona Jazz Festival. This summer he played the Caesarea Jazz Festival in Israel as a member of the Statesmen of Jazz which also included Warren Vache, John Allred, Howard Alden and Ken Peplowski. Hal Smith took up the drums in 1963, and became a full-time professional musician in 1978. He has played with many of the best Traditional Jazz and Swing bands including the Dukes of Dixieland, Jim Cullum’s Jazz Band, Butch Thompson Trio, Grand Dominion Jazz Band, Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band, Climax Jazz Band, Yerba Buena Stompers, the Fat Babies and many others. Hal has also played Western Swing (Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition; Jason Roberts Band); Rockabilly (Memphis Speed Kings, the Hayriders, Gino and the Lone Gunmen, Cash Kings, Big Rig Deluxe) and Blues (James Harman, Junior Watson, Nathan James/Ben Hernandez, Blue Largo, Johnny Rover, Billy Watson). Born and raised just outside of New York City, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Kris Tokarski was lucky enough to be exposed to classical music, jazz, and traditional Hungarian music from his family as a young child. In 2011, Tokarski moved to New Orleans to complete a master's degree at the University of New Orleans. Shortly after moving to the "Cradle of Jazz" he embraced the early piano traditions of the city as well as those of the early New York and Chicago masters. A keen interest in the music of Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson; combined with his bebop roots allowed Tokarski to develop an all encompassing voice of his own, deeply rooted in the jazz piano tradition. Clarinetist Joe Goldberg had the honor of being mentored by Legendary Jazz pianist Marcus Roberts. While studying under Roberts, Joe sharpened his skills on the alto saxophone while adding clarinet to his repertoire. In 2012, after performing the music of Jelly Roll Morton with Roberts at the Lincoln Center in New York, Joe became a full-time member of Roberts’ group, The Modern Jazz Generation. Joe has performed with the group both live and on record, including the critically acclaimed 2013 album Romance, Swing, and the Blues. From 2013-2020 Joe resided in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he had the chance to learn from and work with some of the best musicians in the city such as, Jason Marsalis, Wess “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Shannon Powell, Herlin Riley, Topsy Chapman, Lars Edegrin, Steve Pistorious . Joe regularly performs with his quartet and with his 7 piece swing band Joe Goldberg & the Function.