The historic Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall in Mandeville, built in 1895, is back this spring with a full season of concerts presenting traditional jazz and blues, funky swamp pop and Cajun music—with a few surprises along the way. For the six Saturday night evening concerts a variety of genres will be showcased by some of the region’s most notable musicians.
March 5 | Dr. Redwine’s Grape Stompers, led by acclaimed clarinetist Ben Redwine, will make their Dew Drop debut with a tribute to famed New Orleans clarinetist Barney Bigard, who toured for years with Louis Armstrong. Redwine and his band will recreate the music of the Dew Drop’s heyday and will be joined by several swing dancers who will kick off the season in a unique and joyful way.
March 19 | Jazz vocalist Ingrid Lucia and her all-star band will present a special evening of vintage jazz and blues, with music from the 1920s and 30s, along with new, original tunes. Lucia’s voice takes listeners back to a bygone era, while her distinct phrasing notes a more classic jazz ambience that is both appealing & enthusiastic.
April 2 | Camile Baudoin & Friends, reliving a few Radiators classics and new music too with celebrated musicians Reggie Scanlan, Frank Bua & John Fohl all together on one stage making this special concert one to remember for a long, long time!
April 16 | Gregg Stafford & His Jazz Hounds, led by renowned Preservation Hall musician and educator Gregg Stafford, will present a night deeply steeped in traditional New Orleans jazz.
May 14 | The unique jazz folk stylings define Sarah Quintana & Friends. A singer-songwriter from New Orleans with a background rich in jazz, folk and popular music, Quintana is a devoted guitarist with a voice that is instantly recognizable. Her versatility has led her from singing on the streets of Provence with a traveling circus to the stages of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and even New York’s Lincoln Center with a swing band.
May 21 | Two unique bands will perform one set each, starting with Doucet Frères, featuring the famed brother duo of Michael and David Doucet, of the Grammy-Award winning Cajun band, BeauSoleil. The Doucet family name is known for making Cajun music a popular genre within the world music scene. The second set will showcase Michael Doucet’s new Cajun dance band, Lâcher Prise Trio, with Doucet on fiddle, and both Sarah Quintana and Chad Viator on guitar. The name Lâcher Prise means to “let go” and blends Cajun, swamp soul, and Gypsy tunes that celebrate love and the simple joys of having a good time.
Presented by the Friends of the Dew Drop, these six Saturday evening concerts will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Food will be available for purchase by the Ladies of First Free Mission Baptist Church, located next door. Soft drinks, water, beer and wine will also be available for purchase. Admission for each concert is $10 cash per adult. Students and children may attend free of charge. No outside food, drinks or pets are allowed and lawn chairs may be used outside the hall on the grounds.
The history of the Dew Drop Inn begins in 1885 when a group of civic-minded African American residents of the Mandeville, led by the late Olivia Eunio, created the Dew Drop Social and Benevolent Association. A decade later, in 1895, the organization laid a cornerstone and constructed a small wooden building two and one-half blocks from Lake Pontchartrain on Lamarque Street.
The Association, like many created among African American residents following the Civil War, had chiefly benevolent goals—to care for the sick, provide help with funeral arrangements, food & temporary housing—all during a time when Black residents could not obtain various types of insurance. Today, known as one of the oldest, unaltered rural jazz halls in the U.S. the not-for-profit organization, Friends of the Dew Drop, schedules and manages the hall’s performances and educational activities. For more information, visit dewdropjazzhall.com.
