There’s much for jazz fans in New Orleans to look forward to in September. Not only is there the highly anticipated weekend of the 24th and 25th, when Gilberto Gil and Sonny Rollins headline House of Blues respectively, and a wide array of appealing shows at other clubs around town, but there’s a new jazz venue to investigate as well: Sweet Lorraine’s.

The club, located at 1931 St. Claude Avenue and owned by Paul Sylvester, has actually existed for over 20 years as Lorraine’s Dugout (The Dugout), but the newly christened establishment is going in another direction, featuring live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. There are plans to expand to Thursdays and Sundays and also bring in national jazz talent occasionally, but, as Bernard Johnson of Ovation Entertainment, the company responsible for booking the club, puts it, "We’re going to start slow and build it, let the word get out. You know, a couple of folks jumped out too quick and went down like Icarus."

Hopefully, this long-term thinking, along with a good dose of support from local jazz lovers, will enable Sweet Lorraine’s to survive and join the ranks of clubs like Snug Harbor, Funky Butt, Donna’s, Preservation Hall, Palm Court, Storyville, Jazz Meridien, Vaughan’s, Mermaid Lounge, Red Room and others which have persevered as vital New Orleans jazz venues.

As for the improved decor and atmosphere of the club, Johnson preferred to keep things mysterious, saying that the owner insisted on making it a surprise for those that attend. "You have to see the place to understand. It’s going to be different," Johnson said. The music at Sweet Lorraine’s kicks off with a "Labor Day Celebration" beginning Friday, September 3rd from 6pm until midnight featuring Germaine Bazzle, Wanda Rouzan, George French, James Rivers, Philip Manuel, Bill Solley & Kim Prevost, Clarence Johnson III and others. The next night features the extraordinarily gifted trumpeter Nicholas Payton, followed by a party on Sunday the 5th welcoming the 6th Annual Black Men of Labor Parade (one of the most popular and enjoyable second line functions). For the other weekend shows, see the OffBeat club listings or call 504-945-9654.

More good news on the club scene: Snug Harbor, the city’s longest standing haven for modern jazz, has introduced a new discount policy. With proper identification, students get half price admission to all weekday shows and 11pm sets on weekends. Local residents with Louisiana diver’s licenses pay half price to all 11pm sets except on Fridays and Saturdays.

On August 2nd an official lease signing ceremony marked the city’s agreement to turn over responsibility of a cluster of buildings in Armstrong Park to the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (part of the National Park Service). The four buildings, Perseverance Hall No. 4, Rabassa House, Reimann House and the Elevator Tower form a "jazz complex" which will be developed into a visitor center, administrative offices and education buildings for the new park. Work has begun on the complex, but no firm completion date has been announced.

"This lease signing is very important to the National Park Service," says Gayle Hazelwood, Superintendent of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, "because it allows us to move forward and create physical space to serve our visitors and get the important message of this music out to not only people here in New Orleans and within the U.S., but also outside of this country."

She added, "Many different communities are concerned that the park headquarters is going into Armstrong Park. Some people wrongly believe that this means we think that Treme was the birthplace of jazz. That has nothing to do with it. That site was chosen because of its ease of access to visitors, it provided enough physical space for the administrative space, the visitor center, education space and parking was available… We still will work with other communities, be it Uptown, be it across the river, to present the story of jazz in those different communities and their contribution to the development and evolution of New Orleans jazz."

Each Saturday since June 12th, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park has presented free, family oriented outdoor jazz concerts at various parks around town. The "End of Summer Jazz Jamboree," the last concert in this year’s summertime series (more are planned for next year), will take place September 4th at Armstrong Park from 10am to 5pm. Call 504-589-4806 for more info.

"Inner City Blues" became a reality for rising star saxophonist Rebecca Barry, whose Uptown apartment was robbed last month. Fortunately, she wasn’t there at the time and no one was hurt, but she did lose a great deal, most importantly her saxophones, one of which was given to her by Ed Peterson and was irreplaceable. If anyone sees these saxes at area pawnshops, a Keilwerth tenor with black lacquer and gold keys (serial #93834), a Dave Guardala tenor with black lacquer and silver keys (serial #006504) and a gold lacquered Yamaha Soprano Sax (serial #yss-62 5710) or any of her over 1200 jazz CDs, labeled "R. Barry," being sold at area record shops, please contact this writer immediately at OffBeat: 504-944-4300.

Barry admits that at first she was really shaken up, and that she even thought about leaving town and forgetting about jazz altogether, but she says that support and encouragement from the music community has helped her want to stay in the game. The saxophonist, who in the last year has emerged as an important new voice on the scene, will headline the Funky Butt on September 4th, Storyville on the 6th and 7th and Snug Harbor on the 8th (with bassist Bill Huntington and drummer Johnny Vidacovich).

Those who dig jazz vocals may not be aware of New Orleans native Cherie Mannino, a remarkably diverse singer who has been performing professionally for over 17 years. She’s shared the stage with the likes of Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli, and during a 5-year Los Angeles stint she sang back-up for Rosemary Clooney and Linda Ronstadt (and these influences come across in her singing), but she’s only recently started to make waves locally. Mannino headlined Snug Harbor for only the second time on August 26, but her regular Friday night gig at The Steak Knife in Lakeview often features some of New Orleans’ finest players, such as saxophonist Ed Peterson, guitarist Steve Masakowski and bassist Bill Huntington. Mannino has a wide repertoire and her voice is vibrant and agile, controlled, yet it retains the ability to surprise. Jazz fans can catch her at The Steak Knife in September on the 10th, 17th and 24th.

There’s a new band emerging on the electric fusion scene: Afroskull. With influences ranging from Charles Mingus to Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix, this band combines a New Orleans funk sensibility with an aggressive New York attitude. With three horns, guitars, keys, bass and drums, Afroskull presents a unique mingling of funk, contemporary composition, jazz/fusion and Black Sabbath-style heavy metal riffing which sets them apart from the increasingly monotonous instrumental jam band genre. Afroskull appears in September at The Howlin’ Wolf on the 2nd and Funky Butt on the 11th. A studio album is in the works for later this year.

The fall semester UNO Sandbar Jazz Concert Series will kick off again September 15 and run each Wednesday from 8-11pm through November 17th. The concerts, which join talented student players with accomplished professionals, take place in "The Sandbar" on UNO’s campus and are open to the public for only $5; UNO students/faculty, free with proper identification. The talent line-up is not available at press time; call 504-280-6039 for more information.