This CD is a celebration of the centennial of New Orleans clarinetist George Lewis' birth on July 13, 1900. Among a long line of Crescent City clarinet legends. Lewis remains perhaps the Most widely imitated and influential one in the world today. In many ways, his life and music parallel those of other second generation jazz pioneers who remained in Louisiana during the 1920s while Armstrong, Oliver, Morton, and others moved on to fame outside of New Orleans.
Lewis began international travel in the late 1950s and became a regular performer at Preservation Hall since its opening in 1961. After having been sick for many years, Lewis died on December 31, 1968.
Many of the songs selected here are marches, hymns, blues, and pop songs

Dr. Michael White (clarinet) has been instrumental in keeping alive the New Orleans jazz tradition of his ancestors, some of whom were among the earliest jazz musicians. A professor of Spanish and Afro-American music at Xavier University, Dr. White has become well-known on the jazz scene through his performances, writings and lectures on the music. He is one of only a few currently practicing clarinetists seriously exploring the exciting New Orleans style. In addition to touring worldwide with his own groups at major concert halls and festivals, Dr. White has appeared in numerous television interviews, films, and documentaries. He has performed and/or recorded with such notable musicians as Wynton Marsalis, Lionel Hampton, and Marcus Roberts. Dr. White has released two critically-acclaimed albums under his own name, Crescent City Serenade and New Year's at the Village Vanguard. In 1992 and 1993 he was selected to the Down Beat magazine critics' poll in the clarinet category. In 1994, Dr. White was awarded the Royal Norwegian Musical Medal of Honor by King Garald VI of Norway.

Dr. White has appeared as musical director in several Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts centering around New Orleans jazz, including Blue Clarinet Stomp and Cornet Kings Before Armstrong. He has toured and recorded with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra