Spread The Jam Foundation

One contract with a 501(c)(3) — simplified booking. Your organization contracts directly with Spread The Jam Foundation. No separate artist agreements, no multiple vendors.

Draws from two budget lines. The education component qualifies for community engagement and education budgets. The concert qualifies for performance programming budgets. Many presenting organizations find this structure unlocks funding that a straight concert booking cannot access.

Supports your community outreach and grant reporting goals. A residency that includes documented, NAfME-aligned student programming strengthens your case for arts education grants and demonstrates community impact to your board and funders.

Authentic content with a strong cultural narrative. This isn't a generic jazz concert. A Taste of New Orleans is built around the specific traditions, stories, and piano heritage of one of America's most culturally significant cities — content that resonates with audiences and students alike.

Professional musicians with deep roots in the tradition. The Foundation's ensemble isn't a pickup band — it's built around musicians who have spent careers inside the New Orleans jazz tradition, studying under its masters, performing alongside its living legends, and carrying that lineage into the classroom. All three founding musicians bring both competitive performance credentials and serious music education backgrounds, giving every residency the rare combination of authentic artistic authority and genuine teaching skill.

Everything you need to bring to your board or programming committee — program overview, fee schedule, residency structure, and contact information — in a single PDF.

How far in advance do we need to book? It depends on your timeline and we're flexible. We can pull together a strong program with as little as 2–3 weeks notice for local and regional dates, though availability of specific ensemble members isn't guaranteed on a short turnaround. Three to six months is our sweet spot — it gives us time to confirm the full band and produce short promotional videos you can use to market the event to your audience. If you're planning a full season, 9–12 months out works perfectly; performing arts centers often book us that far in advance and we're comfortable working on that timeline. Reach out whenever you're ready and we'll tell you what's possible.

What happens after you submit an inquiry? We typically respond within 48 hours to discuss availability, logistics, and how to structure the program for your organization

Can the masterclass happen without the concert? Yes, though the fee is nearly the same as the full residency. Bringing professional musicians in for a standalone masterclass still requires compensating the ensemble for their time, preparation, and travel — the same costs exist whether or not the evening concert takes place. For most presenting organizations, the full residency is the better value: you get both events for only a modest difference in cost.

That said, if you're bringing an ensemble to New Orleans and want to experience the workshop on our home turf, we'd love to make that happen. There's something special about learning this music in the city where it lives — reach out and we'll put something together.

How long is the masterclass? The standard masterclass runs 75 minutes. We can discuss adjustments based on your schedule, the size of the student group, and what you want students to walk away with.

Not sure how to fund this? Residency programs like ours are exactly what many arts education grants are designed to support. Because our program is delivered through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with documented NAfME alignment, your organization is well-positioned to apply for funding that a standard concert booking wouldn't qualify for.

Types of funding that commonly support programs like ours include state arts council grants, National Endowment for the Arts grants, community foundation arts education funds, and school or district arts enrichment budgets. If your organization has a community engagement mandate or education outreach goals, this residency strengthens that case considerably.

We're happy to provide documentation, program descriptions, or letters of support to assist with your grant application. Just ask.

Program Description for Grant Applications — feel free to use this language directly. Spread The Jam Foundation Jazz Education Residency is a two-part program pairing a 75-minute student masterclass with an evening public concert featuring New Orleans pianist and bandleader Big Joe Kennedy. Led by a Louisiana state-licensed K–12 Instrumental Music educator and aligned with NAfME National Standards for Music Education, the program gives student musicians hands-on experience performing alongside professional jazz artists while providing the broader community with an authentic New Orleans jazz concert experience. The residency is delivered through Spread The Jam Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 39-2225415).

What are your technical requirements? Download the Big Joe Kennedy ~ A Taste of New Orleans Tech Rider