Enjoy the parade -- and Bill Evans Fest concert too
Contact: Christina Chapple
2/20/06
HAMMOND -- The Krewe of Omega Mardi Gras parade may be on the same night as the grand finale concert of Southeastern Louisiana University's annual Bill Evans Festival, but parade traffic and concert traffic shouldn't clash.
Since Hammond's Mardi Gras parade starts at 6 p.m. at the University Center and Bill Evans Festival concert by the Andy LaVerne Duo starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium, concert patrons will be able to avoid parade traffic if they approach campus from the west, university officials said.
To avoid traffic associated with the Mardi Gras parade, those attending the concert are advised to reach the Pottle Music Building Auditorium by taking I-55 to the University Avenue exit (Exit 32), then turn right off University Ave. onto General Pershing, and left onto Western Ave. (Friendship Circle).
The parade will leave the University Center at 6 p.m. It will travel eastward on West University Avenue and south onto North General Pershing Street before turning east on West Dakota. The parade will then head south on North Magnolia, east on West Thomas Street, north on Northwest Railroad and merge onto North Oak Street where it will turn west on University Avenue and disband at the University Center.
According to University Police Department most of the streets to the south and west should be open by around 7 p.m.
In another parade-related note, the Southeastern Gospel Music Ensemble concert, originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 23) at Greenfield Baptist Church in Hammond, has been postponed and will be rescheduled so as not to conflict with the Krewe of Omega, said choir Director Kenya Lawrence Jackson.
In addition to the Andy LaVerne Duo, the four-day Bill Evans Festival, which began Feb. 20, also features concerts by the Leon Anderson Trio (Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.), and the Southeastern Faculty and Guests Jazz Quartet (Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m.), as well as a variety of afternoon concerts by faculty and student ensembles, said David Evenson, head of the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts.
All festival events are free and will take place in Southeasterns Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
Andy Laverne studied privately with jazz icon and Southeastern alumnus Bill Evans. He also studied at Julliard, Berklee, and the New England Conservatory. Guitarist John Abercrombie, who has recorded with Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri, Barry Miles, Jack DeJohnette; bassist Dave Holland and many other artists, joins him for this performance.
The concert of the Andy LaVerne Duo is made possible by funds from the Louisiana State Arts Council and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, and by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge through the Decentralized Arts Funding Program. Additional funds provided by Southeastern Lyceum Arts and Lectures, and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
For additional information about the Bill Evans Festival, call the Southeastern Department of Music and Dramatic Arts, (985) 549-2341 or visit the link on Southeastern's home page, www.selu.edu.
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