The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Mourns the Loss of Scott Aiges

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Scott Aiges, Director of Programs, Marketing, and Communications at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation from 2007 to 2019. Scott died Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at the age of 63 in White Plains, New York, following a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer.

Scott was an extraordinary force not only within the Jazz & Heritage community but across New Orleans and Louisiana. He cared deeply about the music, the culture, and the people who carry it, and that care was evident in everything he did.

During his time at the Foundation, Scott’s impact was both profound and far-reaching. As Director of Programs, Marketing, and Communications, he produced the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, and many other events that continue to thrive today. He launched the Sync Up music business conference and helped bring to life initiatives such as Class Got Brass, the Musicians Talent Exchange, and more. He also oversaw the construction of the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center on North Rampart Street, transforming a former funeral home into a cornerstone of the Foundation’s cultural programming.

Scott also oversaw the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music (HSM), where he was instrumental in introducing a free beginner music program that opened doors for our youngest musicians, the “Loan to Own” program for HSM beginners, and the integration of Alvin Batiste’s foundational roots rhythm curriculum into the school.

Scott played a pivotal role in establishing HSM’s audio tech program, a semester-long series of free, high-quality audio engineering and Pro Audio workshops for students ages 10–18, housed at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center. The program provides hands-on training in studio recording, Pro Tools, and live sound, led by industry professionals.

In addition, Scott launched the Foundation’s Catapult Fund, a dynamic and interactive weekly training program designed to help entrepreneurs develop and access growth opportunities, empowering them to take their businesses to the next level of success.

Scott worked closely with WWOZ to build and expand an ongoing collaboration with its new Video Department, amplifying and documenting the Foundation’s programming, from lecture series and the Sync Up conference to festivals and concerts at the Wein Center and beyond. Through this video streaming, hundreds of thousands of viewers, locally and around the world, have been able to experience, free of charge, a rich range of New Orleans culture they might not otherwise have accessed.

Outside of his professional work, Scott remained a musician at heart. He performed with Jamaican Me Breakfast Club, a band that reimagined 1980s New Wave hits as reggae songs. Their 2017 self-titled album featured reggae versions of “I Ran,” “Take On Me,” and “Whip It.”

Scott was raised in New Jersey and earned a degree in political science from Columbia University, where he met his future wife, Lisanne Brown. He spent time covering international news for local and regional newspapers before moving to Louisiana in 1988 to work in The Times-Picayune’s River Parishes bureau. Based in LaPlace while Lisanne pursued a master’s degree at Tulane University, he focused on reporting before becoming The Times-Picayune’s first full-time pop music critic.

His career in music extended beyond journalism. He moved into artist management, with the Continental Drifters as his first client. He also worked with Astral Project, the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, and other artists. When Alex McMurray recorded with a new band, Royal Fingerbowl, Scott helped connect them with industry contacts, leading to a deal with TVT Records and the national release of their 1997 album, Happy Birthday, Sabo!

Scott later shifted into public service, working on Ray Nagin’s first mayoral campaign and later supporting the local music industry through the city’s economic development department. After being laid off in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he joined the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation in 2007.

Beyond these many professional accomplishments, Scott was an incredible human being: a husband, father, son, friend, colleague, musician, and so much more. He helped shape how we tell our stories, honor our artists, and hold space for our culture in a way that feels true to New Orleans. His presence, his voice, and his perspective made a lasting impact on so many.

He is survived by his wife, Lisanne Brown, and their adult children, Ella Aiges and Ben Aiges.

We are deeply grateful for the time, the work, and the energy he poured into New Orleans, the Foundation, and this community. He will be sorely missed.

Rock on, Scott. 🖤

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation