Winter in New Jersey rarely sounds like Bourbon Street, but for one electric night in February, the rhythms, colors, and unstoppable joy of New Orleans arrive in Morristown as Thaddeus Exposé returns to the stage with a full-scale Mardi Gras celebration that promises to turn a concert hall into a living, breathing Second Line parade.

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., audiences will experience far more than a standard jazz performance. This is a high-energy cultural tribute led by a true New Orleans native whose life and career have been shaped by the music, movement, and traditions of the Crescent City. For fans who follow New Jersey’s ever-expanding live performance scene through Explore New Jersey’s music coverage, this concert stands out as one of the most immersive and culturally rich events of the winter season.

Thaddeus Exposé does not simply perform New Orleans music. He embodies it.

Raised in the neighborhoods and rhythms of New Orleans, Exposé grew up inside the traditions that gave the world early jazz, brass bands, parade culture, and the unmistakable groove of the Second Line. His musical journey echoes the historic path taken by many of the genre’s legends, moving from New Orleans to Chicago and eventually into New York’s fiercely creative jazz community. Along the way, he absorbed modern influences while staying fiercely loyal to the spirit and storytelling of his hometown.

That balance between tradition and evolution defines his work today. As a bassist, bandleader, and cultural ambassador, Exposé has built a reputation for concerts that feel less like formal recitals and more like neighborhood celebrations. His performances invite audiences into the heart of Mardi Gras culture, where music is participatory, communal, and designed to lift the entire room.

This Morristown appearance brings together an exceptional ensemble of artists whose collective experience spans traditional jazz, contemporary improvisation, and soul-infused vocal performance. The band features Evan Christopher on clarinet, Marty Eigen on saxophone, Wallace Roney Jr. on trumpet, Peter Lin on trombone, Bernard Elliott on piano, Gordon Lane on drums, Thaddeus Exposé on bass, and the dynamic Ayana Lowe on vocals.

Together, they create the layered sound that defines authentic New Orleans performance. Clarinet and horn lines weave through rolling rhythmic patterns, trombone accents punch through the groove, and piano fills give the music harmonic lift and emotional shading. The rhythm section anchors everything with a deep, danceable pulse that makes standing still nearly impossible.

At the center of the experience is the unmistakable energy of the Second Line.

In New Orleans, a Second Line is more than a rhythm or dance style. It is a living tradition tied to social clubs, neighborhood parades, and community gatherings that celebrate both life and remembrance. It is joyful, defiant, expressive, and deeply rooted in shared experience. Thaddeus Exposé has built his concerts around that spirit, encouraging audiences to clap, move, respond, and fully engage with the performance rather than observe it from a distance.

Vocalist Ayana Lowe brings a powerful emotional dimension to the evening. Her delivery bridges classic jazz phrasing with contemporary soul expression, allowing the program to move fluidly between exuberant dance numbers and more reflective moments that honor the deeper emotional threads of New Orleans music. Her presence helps turn the concert into a true narrative journey, rather than a collection of standalone songs.

Exposé’s leadership is subtle but unmistakable. From his place on bass, he controls the flow and pacing of the ensemble, creating space for extended improvisation while keeping the groove anchored in the traditions that define the city’s sound. His musical direction ensures that every solo, every call-and-response phrase, and every rhythmic shift serves the larger story being told on stage.

That story is one of heritage.

New Orleans music is inseparable from its cultural history, and Exposé is known for honoring that lineage in performance. The concert draws inspiration from early jazz pioneers, street brass bands, rhythm-and-blues traditions, and the modern creative voices that continue to redefine the city’s sound today. What audiences hear is not nostalgia, but a living, evolving expression of a culture that has always thrived on reinvention.

For New Jersey audiences, the concert offers something rare. It delivers a deeply authentic regional tradition without diluting it for mainstream presentation. Instead, it invites listeners to experience the raw joy and collective energy that defines Mardi Gras at its core. Whether you arrive as a seasoned jazz enthusiast or someone discovering New Orleans music for the first time, the show is designed to be accessible, joyful, and unforgettable.

The performance also anchors a broader and remarkably diverse season of music, dance, and film programming at the Morris Museum, underscoring its growing role as one of northern New Jersey’s most important cultural hubs.

Following Thaddeus Exposé’s Mardi Gras celebration, audiences will find an ambitious lineup that reflects the museum’s commitment to presenting global culture, genre-spanning music, and visually compelling performance. Highlights in the coming weeks include a special documentary screening exploring the life and artistic legacy of Italian painter Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, an internationally acclaimed guitar duo from Australia, and the return of Nimbus Dance, known for its physically demanding and visually striking contemporary choreography.

The season continues with a jazz-age birthday tribute to pioneering cornetist and composer Bix Beiderbecke, a major exhibition-on-screen film celebrating the intertwined legacies of Turner and Constable, and a landmark collaboration between the Morris Museum and WBGO featuring the unmistakable tenor sound of Kirk Whalum in a special All That Jazz presentation.

Classical and chamber music take center stage later in the spring with appearances by the Galvin Cello Quartet, a performance by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra alongside celebrated pianist Jeremy Denk, and the Cerus Quartet, whose mission focuses on expanding the expressive possibilities of the modern saxophone quartet.

The museum’s film programming continues to anchor the visual arts portion of the season with screenings dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Claude Monet, and Frida Kahlo, offering audiences cinematic journeys into the lives and creative revolutions of some of the most influential artists of the last two centuries.

Local pride also plays a meaningful role when Morristown’s own Rio Clemente celebrates his 88th birthday with a performance of original compositions, followed by a special evening with Chris Martin IV of C.F. Martin & Co., sharing stories and music tied to one of the world’s most iconic guitar makers.

Against this expansive cultural backdrop, Thaddeus Exposé’s Mardi Gras concert stands out as a vibrant opening chapter—an event that immediately sets the tone for a season built on artistic excellence and meaningful cultural exchange.

For one winter night, the sounds of New Orleans will roll through Morristown like a parade down a narrow French Quarter street. Brass will rise, rhythms will pulse, voices will soar, and the unmistakable joy of Mardi Gras will take over the room.

The invitation is simple.

Come ready to listen. Come ready to move. And most of all, come ready to join the Second Line.