This year's European journey started on a bus filled with musicians from the JazzAscona Festival in the Ticino region of Switzerland, one day before the festival in Ascona began. We traveled south along the shore of Lake Maggiore, crossed the border into Italy, & pulled into the lakeside town of Stresa. The streets were filled with people ready to enjoy the evening's concert, Stresa for New Orleans, presented by JazzAscona in cooperation with the city of Stresa.

 The ReGeneration Brass Band of New Orleans, returning to JazzAscona from 2011, second lined down the cobblestone streets, from a boat at the landing dock by the lake, to the town center.

 The Mark Brooks Quartet ( Mark Brooks on upright bass, Mike Esneault on piano,  Brent Rose on sax, and Simon Lott on drums), featured the debut performances of the New Orleans Ladies, vocalists Germaine Bazzle and Anais St. John, in Europe.

 Rounding out the evening of music was Aussie Trad band The Australians, featuring Emma Pask, and the Champian Fulton Trio. Champian, leading her band on piano and vocals, played at Snug Harbor on Frenchman Street in New Orleans, and at the Columbia Theater for Performing Arts in Hammond, Louisiana in January 2012.