| Birth place | Pacifica, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Instrument | Saxophone · vocals · clarinet · accordion |
| Current member of |
|
Aurora Nealand is an American multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, clarinet, accordion), singer and composer.[1] Among her many musical endeavors, she leads her own traditional jazz band, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses.[2]
Early life and education
Nealand was born the youngest of four children in Pacifica, California,[2] to parents she calls "hippies".[3] In 2001, Nealand earned a degree in music composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,[4] where she created her own major in music composition.[1] While studying at Oberlin, Nealand spent eight months in New York City where she learned about Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno and Philip Glass.[3] She also studied at the Jacques Lecoq School of Physical Theatre in Paris, France.[5]
Nealand moved to New Orleans in 2004.[3]
Career
Nealand embarked on a cross country bicycle trip, during which she interviewed rural Americans and compiled their stories into a musical piece titled "American Dreams". The trip concluded in New Orleans, where she began playing traditional jazz, much of which she had grown up listening to in California. Nealand formed The Royal Roses in 2011 for a tribute concert to Sidney Bechet at Preservation Hall in New Orleans.[6] Along with the Royal Roses, Nealand also performs as a member of the rockabilly band Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers and solo under the name The Monocle. In 2019, Nealand, under the name Monocle, brought her project "KindHumanKind" to the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center,[7] receiving a positive review from OffBeat magazine.[8] Nealand began playing musical scores to the silent films of comedian Buster Keaton.[3] She frequently performs in a duo with New Orleans pianist and singer Tom McDermott. As of 2023, her latest project is Aurora Nealand and the Reed Minders.
Over the course of her career, Nealand has performed with artists as diverse as Pauline Oliveros, Jonathan Hart Makwaia, Preservation Hall Allstars, Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, James Singleton, Arto Lindsey, Germaine Bazzle, John Boutté, and Johnny Vidacovich, among many others.[1]
Nealand has performed as a featured artist at many venues and festivals worldwide, including Montreal International Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Big Ears Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, MPB Jazz Festival in Brazil, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, SummerStage in New York City, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.[1]
She has worked as a musical facilitator with Found Sound Nation, an organization which facilitates international musical collaboration. She has been a teacher and performer with the Walden School for Young Composers for 20 years. Additionally, she is the co-founder of SONO (Sound Observatory New Orleans), which facilitates workshops of new music in the New Orleans region.[1]
Nealand was voted "Best Female Performer" by the 2016 Gambit awards, and her band was named "Best Traditional Jazz Band" in the 2015 and 2017 Big Easy Awards. She was named one of DownBeat magazine's "Rising Stars" on both soprano saxophone and clarinet in 2017, 2018, and 2020.[9]
Awards and honors
- 2021: South Arts: Jazz Road Creative Residencies grant recipient[9][10]
- 2020: Downbeat Rising Star: Soprano Saxophone; Clarinet[9]
- 2019: OffBeat Best of the Beat Award: Best Saxophonist[11]
- 2018: Offbeat Best of the Beat Award: Best Saxophonist[11]
- 2018: Gambit Big Easy Awards: Best Traditional Jazz Band[12]
- 2018: Downbeat Rising Star: Soprano Saxophone; Clarinet[9]
- 2018: Pivot Arts Incubator residency, Chicago[13]
- 2017: Downbeat Rising Star: Soprano Saxophone; Clarinet[9]
- 2017: Gambit Big Easy Awards: Best Traditional Jazz Band[9]
- 2016: Gambit Big Easy Awards: Best Female Performer[9]
- 2015: Gambit Big Easy Awards: Best Traditional Jazz Band[9]
- 2014: Offbeat Best of the Beat Award: Best Saxophonist[11]
- 2014: Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans) residency[9][14]
- 2013: MacDowell residency[13]
- 2013: OneBeat Music Fellow (U.S.)[15]
- Atlantic Center for the Arts residency[9]
Discography
Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses
| Title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Tribute To Sidney Bechet - Live in New Orleans | April 29, 2011 | Independent |
| Lookback Transmission | April 24, 2014 | Independent |
| Comeback Children | April 11, 2016 | Independent |
Aurora Nealand and Tom McDermott
| Title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| City of Timbres | May 8, 2015 | Independent |
| Live at Luthjen's | March 2, 2020 | CD Baby |
With the Panorama Jazz Band
| Title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Best of the Good | April 11, 2016 | CD Baby |
| The Next One | April 18, 2017 | Independent |
Guest appearances
| Album title | Song title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? (eponymous album) | – | 2007 | Nola Records |
| What's in the Bag?: New Orleans and Beyond (with Seva Venet) | – | 2007 | Independent |
| Lucky Devil (with Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns) | – | 2010 | Independent |
| Treme: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 2 | "Ferry Man" (with the Royal Roses) | 2012 | Rounder |
| Ingrid Lucia Presents New Orleans Nightengale Revue | "Ne me quitte pas" | 2012 | American Brat Collaboration |
| Gordon Webster Live in Rochester | – | 2012 | Gordon Webster Swings |
| Bamboula | "Opulence" (with Tom McDermott) | 2013 | Minky Records |
| WWOZ on CD: And We Just Keep Groovin' | "Ti Ralph" (with the Royal Roses) | 2013 | Friends of WWOZ |
| Riverboat Jazz Festival 2014: Classic Jazz in Danish Design | "I Cover the Waterfront" (as Aurora Nealand New Orleans Group) | 2014 | Riverboat Jazz Festival |
| I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in Evangeline Country | "Rory O'Moore" (with Wilson Savoy, Joel Savoy and Joshua Caffery) | 2015 | Valcour Records |
| Kicks (with Rickie Lee Jones) | – | 2019 | The Other Side Of Desire |
| Letters to George (with George, Canadian band) | – | 2023 | Out Of Your Head Records |
| Oceans and (with Tim Berne and others) | – | 2023 | Intakt Records |
| Doubles (with Basher) | – | 2022 | Sinking City Records |
| Byron Asher's Skrontch Music: Lord, When You Send in the Rain | – | 2024 | Sinking City Records |
References
- ^ "Aurora Nealand". OneBeat. U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- ^ Lucido Johnson, Sophie (December 2015). "The Gospel According to Aurora Nealand". Antigravity. Retrieved 2026-04-26.
- ^ Thomkins, Gwen. "Aurora Nealand - New Orleans multi-instrumentalist". Music Inside Out. WWNO. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "Alumni and Faculty Notes". Oberlin Conservatory Magazine. 2013. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ "Aurora Nealand". NewOrleans.com. 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ "American Routes Shortcuts: Aurora Nealand". WWNO. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
- ^ "Aurora Nealand at CAC". Country Roads Magazine. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ Odell, Jennifer (2017-06-26). "The Monocle (Aurora Nealand), "KindHumanKind" (Independent)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ "Aurora Nealand". South Arts. 2021. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ "South Arts Awards $2 Million in Grants to Jazz Musicians". Downbeat. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ "Best Of The Beat Award Winners: Complete List". OffBeat. 2023. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ Coviello, Will & Gerber, Cheryl (April 24, 2018). "Musicians and stage artists honored at 30th annual Big Easy Awards". Gambit
- ^ "Aurora Nealand: News". AuroraNealand.com. 2018. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
- ^ "Live Theater Events (Sept. 15 - 21, 2014)". Gambit. 2014-09-15.
- ^ "OneBeat 2013". OneBeat. United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
External links
- Official website
- Aurora Nealand at IMDb
- Aurora Nealand at Nolamusic.net