When Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews snagged the closing slot at the Acura Stage at Jazz Fest in 2013, it signaled an apex of sorts for his career, putting him in the same echelon of musicians as the traditional mainstage closers, the Neville Brothers.
Three years later, Andrews’ star continues to rise – as evidenced by his busy Jazz Fest schedule.
This week, Andrews closes out Acura again on the festival’s last day. Only this time, his former employer and mentor, Lenny Kravitz, plays before him (and most likely, as a guest during his set).
On Saturday, Andrews headlined the Saenger Theater for the first time with his band Orleans Avenue on a “Threauxdown” bill that included Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins, Ivan Neville, Mystikal and New Breed Brass Band. And on Thursday, Andrews hosts the third annual Shorty Fest, a benefit for the Trombone Shorty Foundation’s music education programs.
“We want to see the event become more and more focused on the future, so we showcase younger bands that will be taking our music in new, exciting directions,” Andrews said in an email. “For our city’s culture to remain strong, the music has to grow, change, and reinvent itself.”
The lineups at both the Saenger and Shorty Fest reflect Andrews’ mission of maintaining a connection between the city’s younger musicians and its elder statesmen. New Breed has been an increasingly popular fixture on Sunday second lines.
On Saturday at the Saenger, their opening slot gave them the chance to play for a largely out-of-town audience at one of the most prestigious theaters in New Orleans.
They’ll return to Andrews’ stage at Thursday’s Shorty Fest, along with the Trombone Shorty Music Academy students, Sweet Crude, John Boutte, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet, Tank and the Bangas, TYSSON, Monk Boudreaux and more local artists.
“I’m very connected to the brass band tradition. It’s at the heart of what I do. So the New Breed to me are the next in a long line of great brass bands that take what’s come before and make it their own. By doing that, the music stays fresh and the tradition remains strong. The torch is in their hands now,” Andrews said.
Now in its third year, Shorty Fest also focuses on passing the proverbial torch to a new generation of musicians. The three-stage event benefits the Trombone Shorty Music Academy and Fredman Music Business Institute, both of which provide training and mentoring for young players in New Orleans.
“As we look to define Shorty Fest and its personality and mission, the focus is becoming about the future of our music,” Bill Taylor, the executive director of Andrews’ foundation, said. “[These are] some of the bands that are helping to push it forward, change it, grow it, define it and keep it fresh. Shorty Fest allows us to give those bands an opportunity to play in front a large crowd during Jazz Fest and showcase where the music is heading.”
Andrews, meanwhile, remains proud of the students studying at his academy, resolved in the notion that he’s giving back to a community that supported him when he was coming up.
“Watching them go off to college, form their own bands, and start to see that there’s a bigger world out there,” he mused. “Music did that for me, and I see myself in them. We’re all part of the same tradition.”
Shorty Fest kicks off Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at Generations Hall. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue perform at Jazz Fest Sunday, May 3, at 5:45 p.m. at the Acura Stage.
