As a kick-off to the second annual Mississippi River 9th Ward Film and Arts Festival, the New Orleans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival (NOAFEST) is honoring musician, producer, and educator Harold Battiste at its annual gala on Thursday, October 6 at Galvez Restaurant. Kicking off at 6 p.m. with a prelude of kora, sax and drums on the levee behind the restaurant, the gala begins at 7 p.m. and includes a performance of a Battiste jazz composition by the Molto Chamber Orchestra, dinner, a short video tribute to Battiste, testimony from Dr. Michael White, and a performance by Jesse McBride Presents the Next Generation.

Harold Battiste. Photo by Greg Miles.

Battiste, who is now 80, will receive the Toni Cade Bambara Award for Cultural Leadership in recognition of his career in music. The award, given for the first time last year, was named for Toni Cade Bambara, a prolific artist, filmmaker, educator, and community activist. Eileen Julien, co-founder of NOAFEST, says, “We select the recipient of the award to be someone who works within culture and the arts and contains a deep sense of community within their character. Not only someone who holds a high quality of performance and art, but also cares deeply for community and its well-being. We also try to select someone who we feel has not been adequately recognized for their work.”

Over the course of his career, Battiste has worked with musicians such as Sam Cooke, Sonny and Cher, Dr. John, and Tom Waits, as well as many of New Orleans’ finest artists. Perhaps his most important role was as co-founder of AFO (All For One) Records, the first African-American-owned record label in New Orleans.

Tickets to the gala are available for $75, or $135 for two. For more information about the Mississippi River 9th Ward Film and Arts Festival, including a full schedule of films and other events, visit neworleansafrikanfilmfest.org.