Liberal arts faculty member Fred Bouchard shares his impressions of Berklee’s January trip to a big national conference for people in the jazz field.
Risen from the ashes of IAJE under the auspices and hard work of Dr. Lou Fischer and Mary Jo Papich and their loyal board, the St. Louis-based Jazz Education Network hosted well over 2000 attendees in the Crescent City over winter break. The venue was the historic Hotel Roosevelt, which, sore-hit by Hurricane Katrina, had been smartly refurbished to its former glittery art deco glory. Attendance topped 2000, an encouraging feat, even if attendees from Europe were off. Soon came the first jam at Sazerac Bar, named for Cocktail #1 invented there.