Tauck to Host Jazz Event in New Orleans

A major new five-day tour event in New Orleans exploring the birth and evolution of jazz—a product of a partnership between tour operator Tauck and documentary filmmaker Ken Burns—is scheduled for October 5-9.

“Jazz and New Orleans are inseparable, “said Burns. “You can’t fully tell the story of one without telling the story of the other. The best way to understand and appreciate this uniquely American art form is to explore it and experience it surrounded by the actual places, the history and the culture that gave birth to it.”

To take full advantage of the event’s New Orleans location, Tauck has arranged a number of exclusive insider experiences at area sites and enlisted local musicians and other experts to help with the tour, according to Tauck CEO Dan Mahar.

“For 86 years, Tauck has specialized in delivering experiences that our guests can’t get on their own,” said Mahar. “The line-up we’ve put together with Ken makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone interested in jazz, from the casual listener to the hard-core fanatic.”

Mahar added that capacity is limited to 300 attendees, and that the event is expected to sell out quickly. Earlier this spring, Tauck announced a similarly crafted, five-day Ken Burns event exploring the Civil War in Washington, D.C., which  sold out completely in just 10 days.

Burns’ whose 10-part film “Jazz” was honored with the 2001 Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement, worked closely with Tauck in crafting the itinerary and will deliver the keynote address at the event.

Guests attending the Burns-Tauck jazz event will be treated to private, closed performances by renowned musician Ellis Marsalis at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts; by saxophonist, singer and composer Donald Harrison at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans; and by a local jazz combo at the iconic, historic Preservation Hall.

Along with Burns’ keynote address, other presentations will be offered by curator Bruce Boyd Raeburn at Tulane’s Hogan Jazz Archive; by Charles Chamberlain, music historian for the Louisiana State Museum; by National Park Service ranger and musician Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes; and by writer and documentary film producer Lolis Eric Elie.

Each full day of the itinerary will examine a different facet of jazz, with the event’s 300 attendees splitting into small groups of 30 to experience a series of private, interactive, guided sightseeing modules, each related to a central daily theme. One themed module, “Jazz & the Story of Survival Today,” will explore the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans’ music scene in the historic Treme neighborhood as well as music’s subsequent role in New Orleans’ recovery.

Guests attending the Tauck-Ken Burns jazz event will enjoy accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans. Prices for the event start at $3,490 per person, based on double occupancy, plus airfare, and include admission to all daytime sightseeing and evening events, all entertainment, most meals, luggage handling, hotel transfers in New Orleans and more.

Visit www.tauck.com.