The Historic New Orleans Collection will present the 20th annual Bill Russell Lecture, “A Tribute to Manuel Manetta,” featuring the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra. The lecture will take place at the institution’s Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 from 6-7:30 pm.

Each year, THNOC hosts the Bill Russell Lecture to explore new topics on traditional jazz and expand a conversation about the artists contributing to it. This year’s event will focus on Manuel Manetta, the versatile jazz musician who played piano and violin as well as brass and reed instruments. With a career lasting over a 60-year span, Manetta performed with musicians such as Manuel Perez and Papa Celestin. With a foundation in the European classics, the native of Algiers, Louisiana went on the road with Kid Ory in 1919, and during the 1920s he was hired to perform on riverboats operated by Streckfus Steamers, the company that previously gave Louis Armstrong his first opportunity to tour outside of New Orleans. From the 1930s on, he concentrated on teaching more than performing, with students such as Henry “Red” Allen and Buddie Petit carrying his legacy forward. With an undeniable talent and legacy, Manuel Manetta is the perfect focus of this year’s Bill Russell Lecture.

THNOC’s annual Bill Russell Lecture honors jazz historian Russell William Wagner, who researched traditional New Orleans-style jazz and related musical forms such as brass band, ragtime and gospel music.
This year’s lecture is sponsored by the Derbes Family Foundation. Admission is $25 and seating is limited. Reservations are required and may be made online here or by calling (504) 598-7146.