As the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military continues into its third week, more than one million people have been displaced from their homes. Ordinary citizens are in dire need as they seek to flee their homes. In an effort to alleviate mass suffering, the live music venue d.b.a. will host a benefit concert on Tuesday, March 15, to aid war refugees.
The musical lineup for the benefit concert will feature the following acts:
Tuba Skinny is a traditional jazz street band whose instrumentation includes cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, tenor banjo, guitar, frottoir and vocals. The ensemble draws its inspiration from the early jazz, ragtime, and blues music of the 1920s and 1930s.
Founded in 1995 as a trio, the Panorama Jazz Band gradually evolved by 2006 to include seven players (clarinet, alto saxophone, trombone, accordion, banjo, tuba and drums). The original concept was to perform New Orleans traditional jazz and drop in an occasional number from the Caribbean or Eastern Europe. Before long, however, the musicians in the band gradually became more fascinated by Jewish klezmer, the Creole biguines of Martinique, and folk music from the Balkans and Latin America, occasionally dropping in music by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Professor Longhair or Fats Domino to remind listeners of the band’s hometown.
Blato Zlato (“Swamp Gold” in Bulgarian) is a New Orleans-based Balkan band featuring dreamy three-part vocal harmonies and hard-hitting instrumentals. Formed in 2015, the band performs folk and composed music from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Bulgarian songs and dark, improvisational arrangements. Their debut album, Swamp Gold, was released in early 2017 and features traditional folk melodies interspersed with languid, dark arrangements, improvisational continuous transitions, and the sounds of the Louisiana swamp.
Trendafilka presents a modern exploration of European polyphonic traditions. Founded in New Orleans in 2016, the group grew out of a common desire for group singing as well as a collective fascination of culture and ancient traditions. Trendafilka, named after the Balkan wild rose, draws repertoire from areas of Eastern Europe—the Balkans, the Baltics, the Caucasus, and the Eurasian Steppe—that hold rich cultural traditions of polyphonic singing.
The New Orleans-based Kumasi Afrobeat Orchestra is rooted in the sound created by Nigerian musicians Fela Kuti and Tony Allen. The band recently released their third album, Live at Marigny Studios. The 14-piece orchestra plays Fela tunes and Afro-funk from Ghana and Benin, but the majority of the group’s music is original, stemming from West African traditions.
All funds raised from the benefit concert will go toward medical aid, resistance supplies, aid to refugees, the queer feminist community in Ukraine, and aid to BIPOC foreigners trying to flee Ukraine. Proceeds from drink specials will be donated to the cause as well as sales of T-Shirts and art prints. Located at 618 Frenchmen Street, the d.b.a. concert will begin at 6 p.m. For more information, visit here.
