BC’s Renegade Jazz Combo Performs in New Orleans
Wednesday, January 29, 2026
Recently, the Bakersfield College Renegade Jazz Combo traveled to New Orleans to perform at the JENerations Jazz Festival at the 17th Annual Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference. The group performed a set of original songs to a panel that consisted of professional artists and educators and received critique and feedback. During the four-day conference, the students also participated in various clinics, concerts, jam sessions, networking opportunities, and more.
Kris Tiner, Music Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at BC, was instrumental in coordinating the trip and getting the musicians ready to perform. “The Renegade Jazz Combo is the top jazz group at BC,” said Tiner, “and each year we try to take the group to a festival. The (JEN Conference) is a four-day conference and they perform a set of their original music, and they get a clinic following the performance from two professional jazz artists.” The conference represented a large part of their trip, but the students also got to experience other aspects of New Orleans. “We got to visit the French Quarter to hear some local music a few times,” said Tiner, “I wanted to take the students to Preservation Hall, because that is where the local musicians present their music. We started off at the gumbo shop to eat some local food and then we visited Preservation Hall – it was amazing.”
Alejandro Andrade, guitarist for the Renegade Jazz Combo, was excited to share details about the trip. “It’s cool to see people come together from around the country and hear them perform,” said Andrade, “there are some really good players out there – and to seem play live was amazing.” Andrade is also the composer of two of the songs that the group played for the panel. When asked about that experience, he said “It was kind of scary,” he said “it’s really personal, you know, and presenting those completed works to judges was nerve-racking. But, it was fun, and they gave a lot of good pointers - I am really happy we played them.”
Carlos Cardenas, drummer for the Renegade Jazz Combo, talked about some of the highlights of the trip. “One of the highlights was getting to see professional groups that did the Latin styles very well,” said Cardenas, “It was so cool to hear that music played proper by real professionals. Another highlight was going to see gigs in town – that was really special to me.” When asked about their performance for the panelists, he said, “It was a little nerve-racking. It was different than playing in front of a typical audience – you’re playing for people that are meant to critique you. It’s a little scary but cool.”
We are so excited that BC’s Renegade Jazz Combo had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to New Orleans and perform in the birthplace of jazz. We hope that this trip inspires you in the musicianship and future endeavors. Thank you to everyone who played a role in making this trip possible for our students.
