JULY 15, 2022 | Beat Café is a weekly program that explores the music scene in New Orleans and the broader reach of Louisiana hosted by David Johnson, digital media editor for OffBeat magazine. The program is broadcast on WHIV 102.3 FM every Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. Central.

This week’s episode features Shaka Zulu, Big Chief of the Golden Feather Hunters tribe of Black Masking Indians. Zulu is also a renowned stilt dancer and drummer. He was named a 2022 National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor in folk and traditional arts in the US.

The second half hour of the program includes a conversation with Jeremy Williams, director of the Marrero Middle School Mustang Band who also leads the Next Generation Jazz Band, a group comprised of student musicians from across metro New Orleans. Williams discusses his efforts to resurrect the Marrero band in the wake of devastation following Hurricane Ida and his goals for the Next Generation Jazz Band with help from revered jazz musicians from across the city who are mentoring the students. The student group recently recorded an album at the New Orleans Jazz Museum and a portion of a track is included in this podcast.

BONUS: Listen to the full track of “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” by the Next Generation Jazz Band.