Brass & Jazz in the Park Brings New Orleans Traditions, Dallas Legacy to West Dallas

West Dallas will once again move to the sounds of brass bands, the rhythm of New Orleans Second Lines and the rich cultural traditions of Black America when the AT&T Performing Arts Center presents its sixth annual Brass & Jazz in the Park on Saturday, Nov. 7.

From 12:30 to 4 p.m., Mattie Nash-Myrtle Davis Park will transform into a gathering place for music, movement and community, bringing together Louisiana traditions and Dallas talent for a free, family-friendly celebration of Black culture and history.

Curated by New Orleans native Michelle N. Gibson, a cultural preservationist and Second Line Grand Marshal, this year’s festival honors two influential figures whose legacies connect artistic expression with community empowerment: Dallas-raised, two-time Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and the late Jerome “Big Duck” Smith, a New Orleans civil rights leader, Freedom Rider and mentor to generations of young people.

The celebration will also feature the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Jazz Band, continuing the connection between Hargrove’s hometown roots and the next generation of musicians.

For Gibson, the festival represents something larger than an afternoon of live performances. It is an opportunity to preserve Black cultural traditions, give young people access to artistic excellence and ensure communities remain the authors of their own stories.

“Jazz is part of the lived experience of us,” Gibson said.

That experience, she believes, belongs to the people who carry it forward.

Honoring a Dallas Original

Before Roy Hargrove became an internationally celebrated jazz musician, he was a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. His journey from a local classroom to the global stage remains a powerful example of the heights Black American youth can reach when their talent is nurtured.

For Brass & Jazz in the Park, honoring Hargrove brings the festival’s mission full circle. His story demonstrates that world-class artistry can begin in a neighborhood school, develop through community support and ultimately influence music around the world.

Gibson said she knew about Hargrove’s impact long before working with students at Booker T. Washington. The school made his contributions to jazz part of its educational experience, reinforcing the importance of understanding the artists who came before its students.

When Hargrove died in 2018, the school invited Gibson to perform as a Grand Marshal in his honor, in front of his family and prominent Dallas performers, including Erykah Badu.

That experience deepened her understanding of the connection between Dallas and New Orleans through jazz, particularly as a means of recognizing Black artistic achievement across the South.

Hargrove’s legacy, Gibson explained, offers young people an opportunity to see what is possible when they pursue their creative ambitions while remaining connected to their origins.

His story also speaks to the importance of documenting and celebrating Black excellence close to home. Too often, young artists encounter celebrated figures only after those artists have achieved national or international recognition. Hargrove’s connection to Booker T. Washington makes his accomplishments tangible for students who are still developing their own artistic identities.

This year’s festival will carry that connection forward by featuring the Booker T. Washington HSPVA Jazz Band alongside established artists, including Terence Bradford and Congo Square and The Thaddeus Ford Band.

The goal is not simply to remember a Dallas legend. It is to help young musicians recognize that they, too, can contribute to the city’s cultural legacy.

Where Dallas Meets New Orleans

Dallas and New Orleans share distinct but deeply connected cultural histories shaped by Black music, artistic expression and community storytelling. Brass & Jazz in the Park brings those connections to life by pairing local performers with the brass bands, Black Mardi Gras Indian traditions and Second Lines that remain central to New Orleans culture.

For Gibson, preserving those traditions is personal.

“I’m all about preservation,” she said.

Her work reflects a belief that Black cultural traditions must be experienced, taught and carried forward by the people who know them best. Jazz, in particular, offers a connection that extends beyond geography, linking Black communities through shared histories and musical expression.

“Jazz is part of the lived experience of us,” Gibson said, describing how the music connects communities whether its rhythms are heard in New Orleans or Dallas.

The festival’s New Orleans influence will be especially visible through the Wild Apache Black Mardi Gras Indians, whose intricate ceremonial attire, craftsmanship and performances reflect generations of African American cultural history. Brass bands and the Second Line procession will bring another dimension of the city’s traditions to West Dallas, inviting audiences to participate in the celebration.

These practices are not simply entertainment. They preserve stories, identities and cultural knowledge that have been passed between generations.

For Gibson, the people responsible for carrying those traditions must also have the authority to tell their stories.

“What’s better than for the people themselves to be their own voice?” she asked.

She said cultural traditions can be misinterpreted when they travel too far from their roots or are presented without the perspectives of the communities that sustain them.

Gibson saw the importance of that community connection in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when African American communities displaced by the disaster came together across Mississippi, Alabama and Dallas. Shared experiences of loss and displacement created opportunities for people to unite, recognize common histories and speak collectively.

Brass & Jazz in the Park creates a similar opportunity through celebration. By bringing New Orleans traditions into a Dallas neighborhood while centering the people who preserve them, the festival allows audiences to experience Black cultural expression within its broader historical and communal context.

Music, Memory and the Fight for Justice

This year’s Second Line will also honor Jerome “Big Duck” Smith, whose life as a civil rights leader, Freedom Rider and community mentor connected cultural pride with the struggle for racial justice.

For Gibson, Smith was more than a historical figure. She first encountered him as an elementary school student in New Orleans, where his speeches made young people feel connected to their community and its history.

“He stood for everything and fell for nothing,” Gibson said.

Smith’s influence extended across generations of young Black New Orleanians. As a Freedom Rider and founder of Tambourine and Fan, one of the early Black youth organizations established in the Tremé neighborhood in the late 1960s, he challenged racial segregation through sit-ins and helped children understand civil rights, community responsibility and the importance of taking pride in their heritage.

Tremé, one of the nation’s historically significant African American neighborhoods, provided a setting for Smith’s work with young people. Through his advocacy, he helped students understand that their neighborhood’s history was worth knowing and protecting.

Gibson described Smith as a “Baba,” or father figure, to his community and a steadfast advocate for young people. His message of Black pride reached children throughout the New Orleans school system, encouraging them to see themselves as participants in history rather than bystanders.

That legacy makes his recognition at Brass & Jazz in the Park especially meaningful.

Across New Orleans and the South, Black musical traditions have served as expressions of resilience, solidarity and liberation. Second Lines, with their brass music, dancing and collective movement, offer communities a way to celebrate life while remaining connected to the people and histories that shaped them.

Honoring Smith through a Second Line brings those ideas together. The procession becomes both a celebration of his life and a reminder of the work that continues beyond it.

Gibson pointed to the scale of Smith’s funeral, which lasted three days and drew one of the largest Second Lines in New Orleans, as a testament to his influence.

In New Orleans, funeral processions can extend beyond a single day, reflecting the significance of collective mourning and the preservation of cultural traditions. Smith’s homegoing drew people together to recognize a life devoted to his community.

Brass & Jazz in the Park continues that spirit by carrying his legacy into another gathering of music, memory and shared purpose.

For Gibson, the festival is a way to ensure Smith’s contributions remain visible to people who may not have known him personally. His story demonstrates that cultural celebration and social justice are not separate pursuits. Both require communities to remember their histories, support their young people and remain committed to one another.

Investing in the Next Generation

The presence of the Booker T. Washington HSPVA Jazz Band reinforces the festival’s commitment to connecting young musicians with professional artists and the cultural traditions that inform their work.

Performing alongside established musicians gives students an opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom while experiencing the expectations, collaboration and creative exchange of a professional performance environment.

For Gibson, these opportunities should extend beyond traditional educational settings.

“That is what we’re supposed to be doing,” she said, referring to the importance of bringing young musicians into spaces where they can learn through lived experiences.

“Bringing them outside of the traditional spaces of education to learning through lived experiences,” she added.

Gibson understands the value of that approach through her own artistic background. She and Thaddeus Ford, leader of The Thaddeus Ford Band, are both products of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, a specialized arts school that has helped develop generations of performers.

Their experiences reflect how arts education can help young people envision careers in creative fields while learning from professionals who have already navigated those paths.

Gibson believes established artists have a responsibility to make those pathways accessible.

“We shouldn’t be untouchable to young artists,” she said.

She added that she intends to continue creating opportunities for young people to encounter excellence firsthand and remain connected to their beginnings.

“I will continue to make pathways for young people to touch greatness, and to never forget their origins,” Gibson said.

The festival’s tribute to Hargrove makes that commitment especially relevant. Students from the same school he attended will have the opportunity to perform within a celebration of the traditions that helped shape his career.

Rather than presenting Hargrove’s accomplishments as an exceptional story removed from their own lives, the festival allows students to see his legacy as something they can study, learn from and help extend.

It also reinforces the importance of exposing young people to the cultural histories behind their art. Jazz is not simply a musical discipline. It is part of a larger Black American story shaped by creativity, experimentation, migration and generations of artistic innovation.

When students encounter that history through live performances and direct engagement with experienced artists, the learning becomes more immediate. They can hear the music, witness its traditions and begin to understand their own place within its future.

A Free Festival With a Lasting Community Impact

Now in its sixth year at Mattie Nash-Myrtle Davis Park, Brass & Jazz in the Park has become a gathering place for West Dallas residents to experience high-quality arts programming within their own neighborhood.

Supported by the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s ArtsBridge program and donors such as The Addy Foundation, the festival remains free to attend, helping ensure that families can participate regardless of their ability to pay.

For Gibson, hosting the event in West Dallas is central to its purpose.

“Hosting this festival in West Dallas is the most honorable thing to do,” she said.

As a single mother of four, Gibson understands the challenges families can face when trying to access cultural events across the city. Traveling to the Dallas Arts District is not always practical, particularly for parents balancing time, transportation and other expenses.

Bringing the arts directly into a neighborhood removes some of those barriers and sends a message to residents that their community deserves access to meaningful cultural experiences.

For Gibson, that message is simple: “I see you, I want to connect to you, and I want to celebrate with you.”

She said residents regularly thank her for bringing Brass & Jazz in the Park to the “hood,” reflecting the value of having an event that feels connected to the neighborhood rather than separate from it.

Some residents enjoy the festival from their front porches. Others make a day of it at the park, including elders and alumni of West Dallas’ Dr. L. G. Pinkston Sr. High School, who set up domino tables and coolers to watch the performances.

Those everyday details help define the event’s community impact. The festival is not only about bringing artists to a stage. It is about creating a gathering where neighbors can connect, families can participate and longtime residents can see their community celebrated.

“It’s about giving access to the community, and I don’t think I will ever not have it in a community center,” Gibson said.

The free admission policy also reflects the importance of equitable access to the arts. Live music, cultural education and opportunities to engage with professional artists should not be limited to people who can afford expensive tickets or travel to venues outside their neighborhoods.

By hosting the festival in West Dallas, the Center and its supporters help create a space where residents can experience cultural programming without having to leave their community.

For children, it can be an introduction to musical traditions they may not have encountered before. For young musicians, it can be an opportunity to imagine new possibilities. For longtime residents, it can be a chance to celebrate the neighborhood and the cultural connections that extend beyond it.

That combination of access, representation and shared experience is what allows the festival to function as more than an annual event.

An Invitation to Move With the Music

For anyone who has never experienced a New Orleans Second Line, seen the artistry of the Black Mardi Gras Indians up close or heard a brass band fill an open-air park, Brass & Jazz in the Park offers an opportunity to experience these traditions firsthand.

The afternoon will feature music, movement, cultural performances, food vendors and a children’s crafting tent. Audiences can watch the Wild Apache Black Mardi Gras Indians, enjoy live brass and take part in the energy of the Second Line procession.

Gibson describes the festival as a cultural tradition with spiritual significance for Black Dallasites and New Orleanians, while welcoming people of every race, gender and creed who are willing to engage with the history and meaning behind the experience.

The music, she said, has a way of moving people regardless of their familiarity with the traditions.

“Culture will make you want to move, even if you don’t have rhythm,” Gibson said.

She encouraged Dallas residents to experience the festival for themselves and connect with the collective energy that links generations through music, movement and ancestral memory.

“So, everyone should come out and experience this collective ancestral energy, this lifeforce that moves through our bodies for themselves,” Gibson said.

Brass & Jazz in the Park takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 12:30 to 4 p.m. at Mattie Nash-Myrtle Davis Park in West Dallas. Admission is free.

Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket, invite their families and friends, and spend the afternoon experiencing the traditions connecting Dallas and New Orleans.

As the festival honors Roy Hargrove, remembers Jerome “Big Duck” Smith and introduces younger generations to the traditions that continue to shape Black cultural life, it offers Dallas an opportunity to celebrate more than a lineup of performers.

It is a reminder that Black music carries history, that cultural preservation belongs to the communities that sustain it, and that investing in young people is essential to keeping those traditions alive.

On Nov. 7, West Dallas will have an opportunity to experience that legacy together, one brass note, one procession and one shared moment at a time.