17th Annual Satchmo SummerFest Presented By Chevron To Offer Three Full Days Of Fest At New Orleans Jazz Museum

NEW ORLEANS – The 17th anniversary Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron takes place this weekend, Friday, Aug. 4 – Sunday, Aug. 6, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint, 400 Esplanade Ave.

         Produced by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI), Satchmo SummerFest is an unparalleled celebration of the life, legacy and music of New Orleans' native son, Louis Armstrong, FQFI reps said. The event brings performances from New Orleans' most talented musicians, with a focus on traditional and contemporary jazz and brass bands. The Back o' Town Stage, Satchmo Symposium, Pops' Playhouse for Kids and Women of Note – a new exhibit by the New Orleans Jazz Museum – are scheduled inside the air-conditioned Mint. The nominal daily admission of $5 (children 12 and under are free) helps support local musicians and pay for the event, FQFI reps said.

 

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Kickoff Party and 'Spirit of Satchmo' Awards

         On Thursday, Aug. 3, Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron will kick off with a fundraiser to benefit French Quarter Festivals, Inc. The party will take place from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. Guests will enjoy a performance by Germaine Bazzle, with special guest Dee Dee Bridgewater. The 'Spirit of Satchmo' Awards Ceremony will take place during the party; the annual awards are given to individuals and/or organizations that champion New Orleans music and culture and help keep Armstrong's legacy alive. The 2017 recipients are James Andrews, Germaine Bazzle, and David Kunian. 

 

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Live, Local Music on Three Stages plus Free Dance Lessons

         Grammy-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton makes his Satchmo SummerFest debut on Friday, Aug. 4. Payton, widely considered one of the greatest artists of our time, began his professional career at the age of 10 as a member of James Andrews' All-Star Brass; he was given his first steady gig by guitarist Danny Barker at The Famous Door on Bourbon Street. Payton's 2017 release, “Afro Caribbean Mixtape,” fuses the traditions New Orleans with modern jazz, hip-hop, mixtape and spoken-word. Other 2017 Satchmo SummerFest debuts include: Stephanie Jordan, Quiana Lynell, David L. Harris, Pin Stripe Brass Band, and Ashlin Parker Trumpet Mafia.

         In addition to returning to its original location at the Mint, Satchmo SummerFest brings back the indoor Back o' Town stage, which will be located on the second floor of the museum. The stage will feature a dance floor, dance instruction by NOLA Jitterbugs, and live dance music on Saturday and Sunday. Outside, two tented stages will provide three days of musical performances. The full festival lineup includes Hot 8 Brass Band, Catherine Russell, New Orleans Swamp Donkeys, Bill Summers & Jazalsa, Kermit Ruffins, John Boutté, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, Jeremy Davenport, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs, Evan Christopher's Clarinet Road, Ellis Marsalis, Wendell Brunious, Charmaine Neville, and a Trumpet Tribute to Louis Armstrong featuring Kermit Ruffins, James Andrews and the Crescent City All-Stars.

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         View the full music schedule here

 

Satchmo Symposium: Three Days of Fascinating Speakers and Discussions

         Fascinating lectures and discussions about Louis Armstrong and the history and influence of jazz in New Orleans will also take place inside the museum, FQFI reps said. Curated by Fred Kasten and Dr. Connie Atkinson, the lecture series attracts the highest caliber of speakers and jazz historians. The 2017 lineup includes Ricky Riccardi, director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House and Museum, famous jazz writer and multi-Grammy winner Dan Morgenstern, singer Daryl Sherman, David Sager, trombonist and curator for the Library of Congress' National Jukebox, author and educator Mick Carlon, Dr. Bruce Boyd Raeburn, curator of Tulane University's Hogan Jazz Archive, music writer John Swenson, clarinetist Evan Christopher, Tulane University Professor Courtney Bryan and more.

         View the full schedule here

 

New Eats and Drinks

         Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron will feature cuisine from a dozen of New Orleans' favorite restaurants, including four new vendors: Blue Runner Foods, Café Dauphine, The Company Burger and New Orleans Ice Cream. Festival favorites returning for 2017 include Crepes a la Cart, Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant, Palmer's Cuisine, The Praline Connection, Rib Room, Royal House, and Vaucresson Sausage Co. The options include many traditional New Orleans dishes like Louis Armstrong's favorite meal, red beans and rice with sausage, which will be offered by Blue Runner Foods; Café Dauphine will serve Creole shrimp and grits, and the Rib Room brings back its popular and decadent prime rib debris po-boy. Satchmo SummerFest also brings a range of refreshing summer dishes like Ajun Cajun's seaweed and cucumber salad, Crepes a la Carte's bacon and Nutella crepes, New Orleans Ice Cream's Café Bar, Plum Street Snowballs, and Royal House's chopped salad with fried oysters.

         Abita Brewing Company's To-Gose, the local brewery's take on a traditional Gose beer's slightly salty and sour style, will make its debut in 2017, joining returning favorites Amber, The Boot, Big Easy IPA, Purple Haze, and Blueberry. Luzianne Iced Tea also makes a debut, serving fresh brewed iced tea. Other beverages include Finlandia Vodka's Bloody Mary, Jack Daniel's Lynchburg Lemonade, and fresh squeezed juices from Cool Fruit Sensations.

 

Family Fun at Pops' Playhouse

         Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, children and parents can relax in air-conditioning on the second floor of the museum and enjoy an array of educational, entertaining family activities, movies and exhibits. Pops' Playhouse for Kids features a variety of activities that teach the next generation about New Orleans traditions. Children can make crafts like second line umbrellas, homemade instruments, and Zulu coconuts. Other activities include Pops' Puppets with Andrea North, which will tell the story of the relationship between Louis Armstrong and Joe "King" Oliver; after the show, kids will get the chance to make their own Armstrong puppet. Trumpet Tips from Tips presented by the Tipitina's Foundation will give children an opportunity to learn from band leader, singer, percussionist, songwriter, and trumpeter, Desmian Barnes, and his son Ian Barnes.

 

Jazz Mass, and other Special Events Planned

         In addition to a weekend full of great music, food, seminars, movies and children's activities, Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron features an array of special events including the annual Jazz Mass at the historic St. Augustine Church in Treme, a traditional second line parade led by Treme Brass Band, and the annual Trumpet Tribute, which closes the festival Sunday night with a Satchmo birthday party.

 

Title Sponsor, Sponsors and Community Partners

         Abita Brewing Company, Amtrak, Aunt Sally's Pralines, Bayou Rum, The Berger Company, Bevelo Gas & Electric Lights, Biz New Orleans, Blue Runner Foods, Brown-Forman, Title Sponsor Chevron Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, Creole Queen, Cumulus New Orleans, Downbeat Magazine, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, ESPN New Orleans, The Fertel Foundation, Finlandia, French Market Corporation, Hard Rock Cafe, Harrah's New Orleans, Harrelson Trumpets, In the NOLA, Jack Daniel's, JAX Parking, Korbel, Joseph K. & Inez Eichenbaum Foundation, Laurel Communications, Limousine Livery, Louisiana Cookin', Louisiana Cultural Vistas, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Luzianne Tea, Nash 106.1, New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans Original Daiquiris, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, NOLA.com/Times-Picayune, NOLA Jitterbugs, OffBeat Magazine, Old School 106.7, Omni Royal Orleans, Pepsi, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Rhodes Funeral Home, Rouses, Sonoma Cutrer, St. Charles Avenue Magazine, State Farm, Tequila Herradura, Tour Louisiana, Touro Infirmary, TravelHost Magazine, Uptown Messenger, Vinyl District, WBOK, Westin Canal Place, WHERE Magazine, Windsor Court Hotel, WRNO 99.5, WWL Channel 4, WWNO 89.9 FM, WWOZ, WYLD FM98, Zapp's Potato Chips, and Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

 

Happy Birthday, Satchmo!

         Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron is scheduled annually to coincide with Louis Armstrong's birthday on Aug. 4.  The artist often stated in public interviews that he was born on July 4, 1900 (Independence Day), a date that has been noted in many biographies. Armstrong died in 1971 and his true birthdate, Aug. 4, 1901, was not discovered until the mid-1980s. Louis Armstrong was raised in a poor section of New Orleans known as Jane Alley. Throughout his career, he entertained millions – from heads of state and royalty to the neighborhood kids on his stoop in Corona, NY. Despite his fame, he lived a simple life in a working-class neighborhood.

         The man known around the world as "Satchmo," short for Satchelmouth, was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz – a unique American art form. In 1932, Melody Maker magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted Armstrong in London with "Hello, Satchmo!" and the nickname stuck. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today.

 

         For more information

 

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