Conrad “Connie” R. Jones’s traditional New Orleans sounds may no longer ring from his own cornet, but his 60-year long career lives on through the Connie Jones Legacy Band, set to play Loyola University’s Nunemaker Auditorium on Sept. 19. 

Jones was introduced to music at age five. He grew up listening to Western swing and became accustomed to jazz frequenting the Parisian Room; here, Jones would watch his next-door neighbor, New Orleans jazz player Tony Almerico, play. Out of high school, Jones played as part of the Basin Street Six with New Orleans clarinetist Pete Fountain. 

Prior to forming his own bands — The Crescent City Jazz Band and the Connie Jones All-Stars, known for opening French Quarter Festival —  Jones played with esteemed jazz musicians like trombonist Santo Pecora of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and pianist Billy Maxted. 

Jones gave notable performances throughout his career at the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Satchmo Summerfest. 

Phyllis Conces — Connie and Elaine Jones’s daughter — and Guy Conces, gifted Loyola a $1 million endowment to host a traditional jazz concert series taking place each fall and spring semester. The endowment also funded renovations to Loyola’s band room and an adjunct professor to teach a traditional jazz combo each semester. 

Loyola is home to the city’s largest collegiate Jazz Studies program, and the Jones endowment helps to educate students in the kind of traditional New Orleans jazz — also known as Dixieland Jazz — that Jones was famous for. Loyola awarded Jones with an honorary doctorate in 2012.

The concert is scheduled for this Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Loyola’s Nunemaker Auditorium, located in the Monroe Science Complex at 6363 St. Charles Ave. 

The Connie Jones Legacy Band features David Boeddinghaus on piano, Tom Fischer on tenor sax, Charlie Halloran on trombone, Duke Heitger on trumpet, Tim Laughlin on clarinet, Pete Siers on the drums and Ed Wise, Loyola faculty member, on bass leading the ensemble. All musicians featured played with Jones at one point in their careers.

The band will perform classics including “Jazz Me Blues,” “Original Dixieland One Step” and “Do You Know What It Means (To Miss New Orleans).” 

Tickets start at $8 and can be purchased using this link.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Connie and Elaine Jones gifted Loyola University with a $1 million endowment. It has been updated to reflect that Phyllis and Guy Conces were the benefactors of the endowment.