05/27/2026
About Justin Pierce Music for COFFEE ART JAZZ! These musicians will be set up in the Beauregard Museum Courtyard area. Our event, from 5-8 PM Friday evening, is free!
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Justin Pierce is a jazz saxophonist and bandleader from the Texas β Louisiana Gulf Coast known for bringing the spirit of New Orleans and classic jazz traditions to audiences across the South. Blending soulful improvisation, swinging standards, and Gulf Coast influences, his performances create a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for festivals, community events, and live music gatherings.
Over the course of his career, Pierce has performed with artists including The Temptations, Arturo Sandoval, Doc Severinsen, The OβJays, and The Glenn Miller Orchestra. He currently leads the Justin Pierce Jazz Group and is based in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Guitarist Jeff Simonβs pursuit of music started at the age of eight with guitar instruction from his father, Lynn Simon. Lynn introduced Jeff to the clarinet the following year. The third year of his music education would include the intense study of chord progressions under the leadership of his grandfather, Leo Simon. Jeff also credits his mother, Carolyn Harden Simon, as an integral part of his music education. Carolyn, although not a musician, exposed Jeff, and his sister, LaRita, to everything from Beethoven to Sam Cooke. His school years, under the direction of Willie C. Sennette, and Gerald Stewart, spawned a life long love of woodwind instruments, particularly the tenor saxophone. Though enamored with the saxophone, his father, and his teachers encouraged him to focus on the guitar as his principal instrument.
Jeffβs career as a professional guitarist began in the spring of 1979 with Beaumontβs own national recording artist, Barbara Lynn, followed by The Jazz Innovators, The Lawrence Daniels Quartet, The Jimmy Simmons Orchestra, Derwin Daniels and Full Circle, The Ed Dix Quartet, and many others. Jeffβs recorded works include the genres of Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, and Rap.
As a 1982 graduate of Beaumont-Charlton-Pollard High School, and aware of the uncertainties of the music business, Jeff enrolled at Lamar University, where he earned a degree in Electrical Technology, followed by certification from the Federal Communications Commission. Jeff is employed in the field of telecommunications, where he provides services for the local petrochemical industry. Jeff continued his music studies on a self-paced basis through various books, transcriptions, recordings, master classes with guitar maestro Ted Dunbar, and the bandstands of the Gulf Coast region.
While managing the busy schedule of two careers, Jeff enjoys family life with his wife, Valerie, and children, Ashley, and Evan.
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Mason Feduccia is a guitarist and bassist who has been a performer and music educator for the last 15 years. His broad range of musical interests and experience are evident in the many recordings to which he has made important contributions, yet jazz remains the primary focus of his efforts. While studying at the University of New Orleans, he was privileged to share the stage with many of the areaβs local legends, and it was those experiences that inspired him to begin the lifelong pursuit of achieving a true and complete understanding of this music. He holds a masterβs degree in jazz studies and finds immense joy and purpose in playing a small role in keeping this uniquely American art form alive. Mason has taught for many years in Calcasieu Parish schools and currently teaches guitar and bass at McNeese State University.
