WWOZ will be video streaming (web only) from the annual Bill Russell Lecture at the Historic New Orleans Collection.

The Historic New Orleans Collection will present the 17th annual Bill Russell Lecture on Wednesday, April 6, at the institution’s Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street. This year’s program, “100 years of New Orleans String Bands (1849–1949),” will feature commentary from jazz guitarist, banjoist, and music historian Seva Venet and performances from the Storyville Stringband of New Orleans.

Providing insights into the string band music tradition in New Orleans, Venet’s talk will explore the evolution of New Orleans string bands from Civil War–era Eurocentric dance bands through the development of ragtime, tango, and jazz. His discussion will draw upon first-hand testimonies of dancers and musicians, as well as related documents focusing on the instrumentation, repertoire, and style that characterized these groups. Performing with the Storyville Stringband of New Orleans will be Venet, guitar/banjo; John Parker, guitar; Sammy Rimington, mandolin; James Evans, clarinet; Matt Rhody, violin; and Kerry Lewis, bass.

Venet moved to New Orleans in 1999 from Los Angeles, where he studied guitar with Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) and Ted Greene, to learn more about American roots music and jazz. He now performs locally with the Storyville Stringband, Dr. Michael White, Tremé Brass Band, Shannon Powell, Clive Wilson and many more.

The Bill Russell Lecture is an annual event at The Historic New Orleans Collection and focuses on New Orleans jazz. The Collection houses the William Russell Jazz Collection, which documents Russell’s lifetime of studying New Orleans jazz and related musical forms such as brass bands, ragtime, and gospel music. Born Russell William Wagner (1905–1992), William Russell was a jazz historian and collector who focused on traditional New Orleans-style jazz. He amassed an extensive collection of jazz memorabilia, including musical instruments, records, piano rolls, sheet music, photographs, books, and periodicals. His collection traces the development of jazz in New Orleans and follows the movement of musicians to New York, Chicago, California, and beyond. It encompasses notes from Russell’s research, audiotapes, programs, posters, correspondence, films, business cards, notes, clippings, and scrapbooks.

Watch the live video stream here on Wednesday, April 6 starting at 6:30p.