‘Oh yeah,’ if it’s August, it must be Satchmo Fest time!

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

New artists, old favorites, new venues, old standbys, much-anticipated events and the loss of certain, close-to-the-heart activities mark the 11th Annual Satchmo SummerFest, August 5 – 7, 2011. The festival takes place to honor New Orleans most internationally known and beloved trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong who, throughout his life declared his birthday as July 4, 1900. “I was a Southern Doodle Dandy born on the Fourth of July, 1900,” Armstrong was quoted in an interview that appeared as part of the legend’s 1971 obituary in the New York Times. So July 4th it is and always will be in the hearts of fans around the world. However, since the discovery of Armstrong’s baptismal papers in the 1980s that indicated his birthdate as August 4, 1901, scholars have revised the date and thus New Orleans celebrates the occasion in early August.

As it has since the festival’s onset, the Satchmo Club Strut kicks off the weekend’s musical calendar on Frenchmen Street that gets jumping early and keeps popping until late. The core of the event is the street itself with the Treme Brass Band blowing from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. as they traverse the thoroughfare with second liners in tow. In a sense, they escort the crowd to an array of participating venues that will be presenting a plethora of jazz including traditional, modern, funky and Latin styles. The hard-hitting Free Agents Brass Band, which makes its debut appearance at the Strut, picks up the beat at 9:30 p.m. and pumps it up until 1 a.m.

Free Agents Brass Band

Entrance into Frenchmen’s noted nightclubs like d.b.a., the Blue Nile, the Apple Barrel, the Spotted Cat and the Maison, plus spots not known as music venues including Bicycle Michael’s and Cafe Rose Nicaud, will require wristbands though participating restaurants such as Mojitos are exempt. The $30 charge benefits the New Orleans Jazz Celebration, an outreach organization that helps bring the community such favorites as the Nickel-A-Dance and the UNO Jazz at the Sandbar series as well as presenting important “informances” at area public schools. An $80 wristband also includes food and drinks at the Maison Penthouse.

A big “more for your money” plus at this year’s Club Strut is a new venue dubbed the “Red Stripe Stage in Jane Alley.” The area, a normally gated driveway next to the Spotted Cat, was dubbed Jane Alley for this occasion to pay tribute to the street where Armstrong was born and lived with his grandmother until 1906. This outdoor spot will boast beer and drink booths plus a stage manned with heavy-hitters, pianist/vocalist Davell Crawford and pianist Allen Toussaint & Jazzivity followed by saxophonist Donald Harrison blowing until 2 a.m.

Absent this year, will be music flowing from Frenchmen Street’s many balconies to the eager crowd below. The change, which will be bemoaned by many, was made to encourage folks to purchase wristbands and enjoy the diversity of great New Orleans artists like guitarist/banjoist Don Vappie and trumpeter Shamarr Allen at the Maison, guitarist/banjoist Detroit Brooks at Cafe Rose Nicaud and saxophonist Wess Anderson at the Blue Nile.

If you’re feeling a little short on cash, the good news is that the rest of the weekend’s Satchmo SummerFest activities, Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7, are free. Two stages, down from three in previous years, will flank the Old U.S. Mint with artists like the Jason Marsalis Quartet, the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers and Glen David Andrews. There is also a kids’ area and this year the Armstrong-related seminars will take place at the Maison on Frenchmen Street. The music starts at noon each day and ends, as always, with Sunday evening’s Trumpet Tribute and Louis Armstrong Birthday Celebration. This finale is always a lot of fun and filled with spirit as New Orleans trumpeters from up-and-comers to veterans lift their horns in praise of the genius.

Two uniquely New Orleans events take place on Sunday, August 7. The day begins with a jazz mass at 10 a.m. at the historic St. Augustine Church in the historic Treme neighborhood. The Treme Brass Band, led by snare drummer Benny Jones and featuring bass drummer/vocalist Uncle Lionel Batiste, both of whom grew up in the area, provides the musical accompaniment to the Catholic service. Following the mass, around 11:30 a.m., a second line takes off from in front of the church and heads to the festival grounds at the U.S. Mint. The heat of the two hot groups – the fiery To Be Continued (TBC) Brass Band and the sizzling Baby Boyz Brass Band – should equal the temperature of the day. Some of New Orleans finest, sharpest dressed and get-down buckjumpin-est social aid and pleasure clubs will splash the scene with color and style. This procession makes quite a spectacle as it heads down Esplanade Avenue and nears the Mint and the cry, “Let’s go get ‘em!” announces its arrival.

This article was originally published in the August 1, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper