Doreen Ketchens

Doreen J. Ketchens (born October 3, 1966) is an American jazz clarinetist who performs Dixieland and trad jazz. She has performed at concert halls, music festivals, and U.S. embassies, as well as in decades of weekly performances in Dixieland's tradition in the Royal Street Performing Arts Zone in the French Quarter of New Orleans with her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans. Ketchens has performed for four U.S. presidents– Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter – and was described by Nola.com in 2012 as a cultural ambassador of New Orleans.

Nicknamed "Lady Louis" because of her ability to hit and hold powerful high notes, and her love of Louis Armstrong's performance style, she has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Trombone Shorty, Al Hirt, Dorothy Donegan, the Black Crowes, and Jennifer Warnes, opened for Macy Gray and Dr. John, and has been seen around the world by millions of people via media and fan videos of her performances. She has been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its music, and its heritage, and she has been seen on television in shows like HBO's Treme.

Origins and education

Like many of New Orleans' musicians, Ketchens grew up in the Tremé. She studied clarinet in elementary school, beginning as a fifth-grader at Joseph Craig Elementary. To get out of a pop quiz, she responded to an announcement asking interested students to come and sign up for the band. Her first choice was flute, but most of the girls picked that instrument, so she opted for the clarinet. In junior high school, her band director, Donald Richardson, encouraged her to practice. Concurrently, there was a boy that she was trying to impress. When she finally did practice, her talent began to emerge.

She has been featured in numerous documentaries about New Orleans, its heritage, and its music, including several profiles by WWOZ, New Orleans' Jazz radio station including a video profiles and audio programs, and dozens of articles from major newspapers and magazines around the world.

Jazz and music festivals Jazz & Music festivals Doreen Ketchens has performed at: 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's Best of The Beat Awards + Year Category Result Ref. 2016 Best Clarinetist 2023 Best Clarinetist Professional performances and performances in feature films and television programs include:

Television Year Episode Program Network Role 2013 "Civil Dysfunction Meets Civil Disobedience" Treme HBO Herself 2013 "Yes, Yes We Can" Treme HBO Herself 2024 "The Sweet Life" Queer Eye Netflix Herself

Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 "Doreen's Jazz New Orleans Live in Korea 2006" Herself DVD 2013 Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor Singer 2015 Doreen's Jazz New Orleans Live in New Orleans 2015 Herself

Videos This Train - New Orleans Calling, WWOZ.org

Discography

On radio Year Episode Program Station/Network Format 2015 On Jackson Square and Royal Street New Orleans Calling WWOZ FM Radio