On Friday, July 30th, New Orleans launches its 15th year of celebrating Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong with Satchmo SummerFest 2015. The music will roll on through Sunday.
This popular festival provides a musical reprieve (or, at least, a distraction) from the dead heat of high summer while honoring some of our finest trumpet players. And other musicians, too.
Slated to perform this year are stars like premier trad-jazz band the New Orleans Jazz Vipers, Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Ellis Marsalis, iconic clarinetist Doreen “Lady Louis” Ketchens, and banjo maestro Seva Venet with his Storyville Stringband.
Photo by Kim Welsh
There will also be a special tribute to recently-deceased trumpeter Trumpet Black, featuring Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet. (Many of the Funktet are also part of the Heart Attacks, which Trumpet Black founded.)
For the complete music schedule, see below.
As OffBeat published earlier this summer, the festival also “showcases New Orleans’ indigenous traditions, such as a Sunday morning Jazz Mass at the historic St. Augustine Church in Treme; a traditional second line parade; and traditional jazz dance lessons. Other special events include an opening reception at the festival’s host hotel, the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel… The festival also features authentic Creole cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants to create ‘Red Bean Alley.’”
A few things are different this year, such as the $5 cover charge. On a brighter note, this year also welcomes the first “Spirit of Satch Awards,” honoring individuals in music, media, philanthropy, and education. Winners will be announced Friday, July 31st.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Katrina, a panel will discuss what has been learned since the flood. The fest will also honor those who worked ceaselessly to rebuild.
For more info on the Katrina memorial, as well as other details about Satcho SummerFest 2015, see our June OffBeat post here.
Photo by Elsa Hahne
Satchmo SummerFest speakers this year include Brynn White, OffBeat writer David Kunian, Big Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson (co-founder of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, you can read about their upcoming Hall of Fame Week here), and plenty more.
For the complete schedule of speakers, to view and/or purchase tickets for special events, and more, please visit fqfi.org/satchmo.)
Here’s full festival music schedule:
Friday, July 31
10:30 – 11:15 a.m. Opening Day Parade led by Storyville Stompers Brass Band
Red Beans & Ricely Yours Stage
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. PresHall Brass
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. The Palm Court Jazz All Stars
3:00 – 4:15 p.m. The New Orleans Jazz Vipers
4:30 – 5:45 p.m. Ellis Marsalis
6:00 – 7:15 p.m. Deacon John
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Rebirth Brass Band
Cornet Chop Suey Stage
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Dance
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Palmetto Bug Stompers
1:45 – 3:00 p.m. Sharon Martin
3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Dance
3:30 – 4:45 p.m. Doreen’s Jazz
5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Leah Chase
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. James Andrews
7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Donald Harrison’s All Star Louis Armstrong Tribute
Saturday, August 1
Red Beans & Ricely Yours Stage
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. Steve Pistorius and the Southern Syncopators
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Butch Thompson’s Goodtime Boys
3:00 – 4:15 p.m. Treme Brass Band
4:30 – 5:45 p.m. “Yoshio Toyama and the Dixie Saints”
6:00 – 7:15 p.m. Charmaine Neville
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Tribute to Trumpet Black featuring Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet
Cornet Chop Suey Stage
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Dance
12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Seva Venet and the Storyville Stringband
1:45 – 3:00 p.m. Jane Harvey Brown Trad Jazz Stars
3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Dance
3:30 – 4:45 p.m. Paulin Brothers Jazz Band
5:00 – 6:15 p.m. The Ella & Louie Tribute Band with special guest Jewel Brown
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Ecirb Müller’s Twisted Dixie
7:45 – 9:00 p.m. Bill Summers & Jazalsa
Sunday, August 2
Red Beans & Ricely Yours Stage
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Connie Jones and Tim Laughlin
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Jamil Sharif
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. New Birth Brass Band
3:45-4:45 Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns
5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Robin Barnes
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers
7:30 – 8:00 p.m. Trumpet Tribute to Louis Armstrong (with Kermit Ruffins)
Cornet Chop Suey Stage
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Dance
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Orleans Brass Band
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Kid Merv and All That Jazz
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Dance
3:00 – 4:00p.m. Don Vappie & The Creole Jazz Serenaders
4:15 – 5:15 p.m. Shannon Powell Traditional All-Star Band
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Jeremy Davenport
6:45 – 7:45 p.m. Free Agents Brass Band
