Doreen Ketchens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Doreen Ketchens
Ketchens performing at the French Quarter Jazz Festival in New Orleans, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Doreen Joseph
Also known as	"Lady Louis" "The Clarinet Queen" "Ms. New Orleans"
Born	(1966-10-03) October 3, 1966 (age 58) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Jazz Dixieland
Occupation(s)	Musician bandleader educator
Instruments	Clarinet
Labels	DJNO Records
Associated acts	Doreen's Jazz New Orleans

Doreen J. Ketchens (born October 3, 1966) is an American jazz clarinet player. She is famous for playing Dixieland and traditional jazz music. Doreen has performed in many concert halls and music festivals. She has also played for U.S. embassies around the world.

For decades, she has performed weekly on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. She plays with her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Doreen Ketchens has performed for four U.S. presidents: Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter. In 2012, a news site called Nola.com described her as a "cultural ambassador" for New Orleans. This means she helps share the city's unique culture with the world.

Doreen is nicknamed "Lady Louis." This is because she can hit and hold powerful high notes, much like the famous jazz musician Louis Armstrong. She also loves his performance style. She has played with many other well-known musicians. These include Ellis Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, and Al Hirt. She has also opened for artists like Macy Gray and Dr. John. Millions of people worldwide have seen her performances through videos shared online. She has appeared in many documentaries about New Orleans and its music. You might have also seen her on TV shows like HBO's Treme.

Early Life and Music Education

Lawrence and Doreen Ketchens performing in Jackson Square, New Orleans in the early 1990s

Like many musicians from New Orleans, Doreen Ketchens grew up in the Tremé neighborhood. She started learning the clarinet in elementary school. She was in fifth grade at Joseph Craig Elementary. She signed up for the band to get out of a pop quiz! Her first choice was the flute, but many girls picked that instrument. So, she chose the clarinet instead.

In junior high school, her band director, Donald Richardson, encouraged her to practice. She also wanted to impress a boy. When she finally started practicing, her amazing talent began to show. She played for John F. Kennedy High School in New Orleans. Later, she was accepted into NOCCA, Louisiana's Arts Conservatory in New Orleans. There, she studied with clarinetist Stanley Weinstein.

Doreen continued her studies at several colleges. These included Delgado Community College and Loyola University of New Orleans. She also attended Southern University in New Orleans. Thanks to scholarships, including one from the New York Philharmonic, she studied at the University of Hartford's The Hartt School in Connecticut. She learned from Henry Larsen there. She also had an internship with the symphony orchestra in Hartford.

While studying, she worked as a chef. She met her husband, Lawrence Ketchens (1963-2025), at Loyola. Lawrence was an arranger and played the sousaphone for Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Doreen found her love for jazz with Lawrence, and they often performed together.

Doreen's Music Career

Doreen Ketchens played her first jazz show with Lawrence in 1988. This was at the Republican National Convention. For a while, she ran a small restaurant called "Doreen's Sweets." But she and Lawrence often saw musicians playing on the streets of New Orleans. She realized they could earn money doing that too. So, the couple started performing on the streets of New Orleans in 1987.

She began playing in Jackson Square with her first band, the Jackson Square All-Stars. This band later became "Doreen's Jazz New Orleans." It was sometimes hard for them because traditional jazz clubs were not always welcoming to women. But they found a great way to perform and entertain crowds. They did street shows, played at jazz festivals, and sold their music and videos online.

Doreen has shared traditional American Jazz in many parts of the world. She has performed in Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, Russia, and the United States. Her band has performed in programs supported by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State.

Doreen's daughter, Dorian Ketchens-Dixon, started playing drums with the group. She first performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival when she was nine years old. Today, Dorian is one of the regular drummers for the band.

Doreen's group plays at jazz festivals in New Orleans and other music festivals worldwide. In 2006, she was part of a cultural exchange program in South Africa. This program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center. She has been featured in many documentaries about New Orleans and its music. WWOZ, New Orleans' jazz radio station, has done several profiles on her. She has also been in many articles in newspapers and magazines around the world.

Jazz and Music Festivals

Doreen Ketchens has performed at these jazz and music festivals:

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
• French Quarter Festival
• Satchmo SummerFest, New Orleans
• Iowa State Fair, Des Moines
• Dubuque Winter Jazz Festival, Dubuque, Iowa
• Modesto 11th Street Jazz Festival, Modesto, California
• 31st International Homecoming Festival, Calais, Maine

Awards and Honors

OffBeat Magazine's Best of The Beat Awards

Appearances in Film and Television

Millions of people worldwide have watched fan and media videos of Doreen's performances. These videos are on YouTube and other social media sites. One video on Facebook reached over 3.9 million people by October 2015. She has also appeared in professional films and television shows.

Television

Film

Videos

• This Train - New Orleans Calling, WWOZ.org

Discography

On Radio

See also

In Spanish: Doreen Ketchens para niños