New Orleans Jazz Orchestra partners with French Consulate to support local musicians
24th May 2021 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) and the Consulate General of France in Louisiana recently announced a two-year partnership to encourage international collaborations between New Orleans and French artists, universities, cultural operators and cities.
“This partnership is an expression of our commitment to preserving and promoting the culture of jazz, and it also represents a concrete opportunity to produce international collaborations while working with an institution that is emblematic of the local community here in New Orleans,” said Consul General of France Vincent Sciama.
Sciama said he first met with NOJO Artistic Director Adonis Rose in February and the two quickly realized their institutions had common goals and objectives regarding shared art and culture.
Rose collaborated with French singer and New Orleans resident Cyrille Aimee on the album “Petite Fleur,” which is expected to be released in August. Songs on the album include works from Sidney Bechet and Jelly Roll Morton as well as one of Aimee’s original works. Aimee headlined the last in-person NOJO concert before the pandemic-related shutdowns.
The partnership will not just promote creative collaborations between musicians and festivals, but also educational opportunities for area youth. The goal is to have students from local French immersion schools meet and learn from the NOJO.
The biggest challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra was keeping their concert venue, the New Orleans Jazz Market on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., open despite not earning any revenue from shows during that time period. Rose said they kept the venue, the city’s only stand-alone facility dedicated specifically to jazz, afloat due to donations from individual donors and grants from organizations like the NEA and the Bloomberg Foundation.
The French Consul was happy to partner with NOJO after such a challenging year.
“As we re-emerge into a world where we can experience music again, it is important that we continue to form strong alliances in the cultural sector to provide educational and artistic opportunities for our communities,” Sciama said.
While conditions regarding COVID-19 restrictions are subject to change, Rose said the NOJO hopes to reopen the Jazz Market in mid-August. By September, they hope to resume their concert season. The concerts will include monthly shows featuring the orchestra, as well as smaller scale performances. In addition to this, Rose said there are plans to have a concert promoting “Petite Fleur” during Jazz Fest weekend in October.
Next year, the NOJO and Consulate General hope to host a fundraiser in Paris, which would give many local artists the chance to travel to Europe. There are also plans to have a yearly concert at the consulate’s mansion in France.
“I want to be able to provide new experiences for New Orleans artists,” said Rose, who added that many members of the orchestra have never been to Paris.
Rose also hopes to partner NOJO with other organizations, including the mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy, to give local musicians more opportunities to travel. He also wants to send artists, including Mardi Gras Indians, to the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2022.
“It’s important for us to develop these kinds of relationships,” Rose said.
This article originally published in the May 24, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
