Jesse McBride is an exciting and adventurous pianist and bandleader; the Tulane professor brings the legacies of jazz fathers Ellis Marsalis and Harold Battiste to his own thoughtful and forward-moving piano style and is committed to developing the next generation of jazz musicians.

McBride was raised in Houston; his mother was a band director and his aunt a violinist and conductor. He started playing the violin at age four, and won numerous competitions. He began on the piano while attending the Houston High School for the Performing Arts. In the 1990s he moved to New Orleans to attend the University of New Orleans, where he earned both a BA and a Master of Music.

At UNO, McBride studied jazz piano with Ellis Marsalis, and developed a special relationship with the legendary producer, performer, and educator Harold Battiste. “Mr. Batt” encouraged McBride to develop his own sound and to continue the tradition of helping younger musicians find their own personal voices. McBride took up Battiste’s “Next Generation” project, and has carried the torch ever since the elder statesman’s death in 2015.

McBride and Next Generation perform around New Orleans, at WWOZ’s Piano Night, and at festivals, including headlining at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He is on the Jazz Studies faculty at Tulane University, and teaches master classes across the city. He also founded and produces Tulane’s Jazz at the Rat performance series.