A New Orleans native, White was first inspired by his aunt, a clarinet player who encouraged him to pick up the instrument. He carried his interest into the St. Augustine Marching Band and continued to pursue his passion in several musical groups before eventually founding his own — the Original Liberty Jazz Band — in 1981. White still leads this band today, with special appearances yearly at Tulane’s Convocation and Commencement ceremonies.
“I was blessed to be born in a city with such a rich cultural heritage and into a family that contributed to the birth of New Orleans’ most important creation: jazz,” White said. “I am often asked how I became successful and developed a distinctive persona in the rich, crowded and competitive local musical landscape. My answer always draws puzzling looks: ‘It is simple. I went to Tulane and earned a doctorate in Spanish.’”
While pursuing his degree, White often frequented the university’s Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz, where he said he “listened to obscure recordings, read interviews and books, and learned many things about early jazz history that were unobtainable elsewhere.”
Curated by jazz pianist and music professor Jesse McBride, each installment of the Dr. Michael White Thursday Jazz Series features accomplished New Orleans musicians, jazz legends and visiting artists, as well as students and faculty from the Black American Music Program.
“It is deeply fitting to honor Dr. Michael White’s legacy by naming the Thursday Jazz Series after him,” said Brian T. Edwards, dean and professor in the School of Liberal Arts. “While he did the intense research and writing that was required to earn his PhD in Spanish, he took study breaks in the Hogan Jazz Archive. Those were fortuitous wanderings, not only in allowing him to learn more about jazz history, but in establishing a relationship between apparently disparate practices — which he so brilliantly brings together in his performances.”
