Named for the National Park Service's arrowhead emblem, the Arrowhead Jazz Band is the musical arm of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park — an ever-changing lineup of musical park rangers and local musicians. They play traditional New Orleans jazz, blues, gospel and original compositions, most often in free concerts at the New Orleans Jazz Museum's third-floor performance space and the French Quarter visitor center at 419 Decatur Street.
The band is led by Jade Perdue, an interpretive ranger who goes by the informal title 'jazz ranger' — a versatile pianist, vocalist and instrumentalist who has played Jazz Fest's Gospel Tent and Lagniappe Stage for years. The lineup has included rangers like drummer Hunter Miles Davis and New Orleans-born bassist Kerry Lewis, a veteran who also plays Preservation Hall, alongside local players like guitarist Max Bronstein and vocalist Saskia Walker. Every ranger in the band has to be a musician: 'you have to audition and pass your music interview,' Perdue says.
A typical set mixes standards like Fats Domino's 'Walking to New Orleans' with Ellis Marsalis's 'Swinging at the Haven,' then pauses for a 15-minute audience Q&A — interpretation is the park's whole mission. And the gigs move records: the park's gift shop stocks CDs starring the band.
