World-class New Orleans jazz superstars will be performing at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz in August. This is a culmination of an ambitious project that has been in the offing for a long time.
Performing at the festival is the acclaimed Satchmo Trumpet Summit featuring James Andrews, Kid Merv and Marlon Jordan as well as Father & Sons of the New Millennium with members of the world famous Batiste music family – David and his sons Damon, Ryan and Jamal.
The New Orleans contingent will be performing at The Dance Factory in Newtown and sharing the stage with a powerhouse of South African female performers, namely Swazi Dlamini, Asanda Bam, Nokukhanya Dlamini and Mimi.
This pioneering venture means that the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz now has in total nine performance venues in the Newtown precinct.
Plans are underway to galvanise resources to ensure that South African artists, still to be named, will perform at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival next year. It is endorsed by the mayors of both cities – Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu and the Johannesburg Executive Mayor Parks Tau. This jazz collaboration is part of a cultural exchange programme which will see the sharing of musical talent between South Africa and the US.
The Satchmo Trumpet Summit features James Andrews, Kid Merv and Marlon Jordan. Trumpeter extraordinaire James Andrews has earned the nickname “Satchmo of the Ghetto” while Marlon Jordan has been called “the best trumpeter of his generation”.
Mervin “Kid Merv” Campbell’s great uncle, Kid Rena, was a New Orleans star during the infancy of jazz in the early 20th century, a rival of Louis Armstrong’s who replaced Satchmo in Kid Ory’s band in 1919. But Merv is also close to the source in the 21st century as a member of the Treme Brass Band and protégé of that group’s lead singer and bass drummer, the late “Uncle” Lionel Batiste.
The Batiste family is a musical legend in New Orleans and holds the title of “Louisiana’s largest musical family” with performances sometimes featuring nearly 25 family members. Four members of this prestigious family will be appearing in Father & Sons of the New Millennium featuring David Batiste and his sons Damon, Ryan and Jamal Batiste.
Said Peter Tladi of T Musicman, the promoters of Standard Bank Joy of Jazz: “The exchange will greatly aid the development of the arts in both countries; promote cultural tourism and, most importantly, provide artists with an exposure they wouldn’t otherwise have had. It will also ultimately benefit South African audiences who will be exposed to wonderful New Orleans sounds.”
