The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra will play a variety of music tomorrow at the Byham Theater.

By Nate Guidry
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Directing a big band during these difficult musical times is a monumental task. Directing an orchestra in post-Katrina New Orleans, well, that seems practically impossible.

		Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra When and where: Irvin Mayfield and Sean Jones at 8 tonight at the Backstage Bar, the Cabaret at Theater Square; the full orchestra at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Byham Theater, Downtown. Tickets: Free at the Backstage Bar; $20.50-$32.50 at the Byham, 412-456-6666 or www.pgharts.org.

But Irvin Mayfield, the indefatigable, eternally optimistic trumpeter, is going about it and having a lot of fun in the process.

Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra will perform at the Byham Theater tomorrow night. But first, at 8 tonight, Mayfield will team with fellow trumpeter Sean Jones for some spicy pyrotechnics at the Backstage Bar.

"It think the folks in Pittsburgh are going to be in for a treat," said Mayfield from his home in New Orleans.

"This is probably the best band we've had. The group has matured together and have a variety of different music under our belts."

NOJO isn't a revival group, or one preserving what already has been fossilized.

"We formed the NOJO as a way to celebrate and protect our music," said Mayfield. "We are not here to preserve the music, because it's alive."

Mayfield said the concert will focus on music and styles unique to New Orleans, as well as new pieces from commissions that he has written.

Among the songs is "Rising Tide," about Katrina, and likely the most dramatic work of the evening, "May His Soul Rest in Peace," a song Mayfield wrote after learning that his father, Irvin Mayfield Sr., drowned during the hurricane. The elder Mayfield's body was discovered three months later.

"One of the big issues we had in New Orleans was we were unable to give people the proper burials we were accustomed to, because of the way the bodies were found and how long it took to recover the bodies," Mayfield said.

"This song is about all of the souls of New Orleans reaching their final resting place."

He said it has been difficult coping with the loss of his father.

"It's hard to find the words to express how deep the pain is. But jazz music has given me and others in the band a kind of road map to deal with it. Those experiences have helped the orchestra because it's a constant reminder to us that we are representing our city."

Mayfield formed the NOJO in 2002, shortly after starting Dillard University's Institute of Jazz Culture.

"When I came along there was no system in place in New Orleans to project jazz," said Mayfield. "At Dillard, we were studying all the elements of jazz, including literature and poetry." The institute also examined the social and cultural issues that make jazz what it is.

"After we formed the NOJO organization, one of the first goals was to make sure jazz was played at the highest level at all times," he said. "We also made sure there was a support structure that ensured musicians were paid well. We had to create the infrastructure."

Since Hurricane Katrina inundated New Orleans, Mayfield's role as the state's cultural ambassador and chairman of the city's public library system has expanded.

"Before Katrina, it was much more about the music and exporting it," said Mayfield. "Now, it's much more official. I have to deal with more specific areas of rebuilding. Hurricane Katrina has taught America that New Orleans is not a Louisiana city but an American city. New Orleans is an American culture that has to be protected."

In his role with the public library, Mayfield is responsible for some important archives.

"Documents from the Louisiana Purchase are under my stewardship and it was luck that they didn't flood," said Mayfield. "We have to move them before the next hurricane season. This is the place where Louis Armstrong created what he created. We have archives from Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton. Those things are important and priceless, but the most important thing I wrestle with is, how do we keep musicians thriving? How do I keep those Wynton Marsalises and Harry Connick Jr.'s coming? How do I keep the legacy of Mahalia Jackson alive?

"The answer is, I'm committed to New Orleans, America and jazz music."