(New Orleans, LA) The New Orleans Alumni Chapter of Xavier 

University will honor local alumni members and local jazz legends 

at the annual Jazz Round-Up event, Sunday June 14, 3:00pm-

6:00pm in the McCaffrey Ballroom of the University Center

on the Xavier campus. Admission is free.

The afternoon of jazz and fun will feature live music by the

Xavier University Jazz Band and Dwight and Connie Fitch.

The New Orleans Alumni Chapter, also known as Club #1

and the Hometeam, will honor three fellow Xavierites and

two local jazz legends.

Alumni honorees include Rita Tregre Barre’57, Sophie Watts

Amburo ’51 and Doris Sullivan ’49.   

New Orleans area Jazz Legends to be honored include Peter

“Chuck” Badie Jr. and Wardell Quezerque.

Badie is a bassist who has toured and recorded with R&B

singer Sam Cooke.  He is known for his "romping" style on

such R&B hits as Jessie Hill’s Ooh Poo Poo Pa Doo, Ernie

K-Doe’s Mother-In-Law, Barbara George’s I Know and Chris

Kenner’s Something You Got.

He was a part of the American Jazz Quintet around 1957, which

consisted of Nat Perrilliat, Alvin Batiste, Ellis Marsalis and Ed

Blackwell. He also did session work with Allen Toussaint,

which produced the hits Mother-In-Law, Ooh Poo Poo Pa Doo

and Something You Got.

Wardell Quezergue is an arranger, composer, and bandleader.

He was born into a musical New Orleans family. His father

Sidney was a guitar player. His brothers Leo and Alden were

also jazz musicians.  Quezergue played with Dave Bartholomew’s

band from the late 1940’s and was the bandleader of his own Royal

Dukes of Rhythm. He has worked with numerous New Orleans

musicians including Professor Longhair and Fats Domino.

In 1964 he formed NOLA Records and was associated with popular

artists and hit records such as ‘Barefootin’ and ‘Mr. Big Stuff’. He

also produced and arranged the Grammy Award winning Dr. John

album ‘Goin’ Back to New Orleans’ in 1992.