to the music of the immortal New Orleans piano wizard Professor Longhair. With Tom Worrell on keys and featuring veterans of Fess’ 70s-era touring band including Alfred Uganda Roberts on percussion, this band plays the blues rhumba boogie created by the ultimate piano professor, Roeland “Professor Longhair” Byrd who is best known for his New Orleans classics “Tipitinas” and “Go to the Mardi Gras.” MOONLIGHT BENJAMIN OF HAITI A performer who crackles with energy, Moonlight Benjamin, hailing from Haiti and France, fuses traditional Caribbean voodoo melodies and rhythms with 1970s American blues rock. Boasting a powerful and rebellious voice and wielding an explosive guitar, she will pull you into a voodoo trance with a style all her own. MOTEL RADIO In 2014, while attending LSU, Texas native songwriting duo Ian Wellman and Winston Triolo met drummer Eric Lloyd and bassist Andrew Pancamo giving birth to the enthusiastic indie-americana group, Motel Radio. Since moving to New Orleans in 2015, the band has found a home in the colorful music scene. After adding keyboardist David Hart following the success of their EP, Motel Radio has hit their stride, gaining traction and fans around the country. MOUNT HERMON BAPTIST CHURCH PRAISE DELEGATION CHOIR Known for its versatility, the Mount Hermon Baptist Church Praise Delegation Choir is able to switch between gospel, spirituals, blues and R&B. Because of their incredible skill, this choir always delivers soulful gospel performances. MR. SIPP ”THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES CHILD” Mississippi-born Castro Coleman is “Mr. Sipp,” a blues singer who started playing the guitar at age six after being inspired by B.B. King. A former gospel singer, his selections include soulful ballads and fastpaced boogies backed by a horn section that electrifies audiences.
······· N ·······
NATHAN & THE ZYDECO CHA CHAS Nathan Williams is an accomplished accordion player who has been performing for over 30 years. The frontman plays fast and furious accordion-drenched, fiddle-driven zydeco, complete with a rub board. It all adds up
for a distinct and unique sound soaked in the swamps of his native South Louisiana.
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND PHOTO BY JACQUELINE MARQUE
NATIVE NATIONS INTERTRIBAL Native Nations Intertribal return to Jazz Fest to display traditional Native American performances by members of several regional tribes including United Houma Nation, Choctaw and the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. Year after year, this proves to be a culturally significant and edifying experience that teaches parents and kids about America’s indigenous culture, music and customs of the First Nation people. NATURALLY 7 Using an a capella style the group calls “Vocal Play,” the 7 singers that make up Naturally 7 are able to use their voices in unison to make instrument-like sounds along with rich harmonies, and they make “beatboxing look like child’s play.” Dubbed the best a cappela group in the world by Quincy Jones, Naturally 7 have travelled the world to standing ovations as they break down barriers of expectation in the jazz world with their unique and progressive sound. NAUGHTY PROFESSOR Formed at Loyola University in 2011, Naughty Professor is a mind-bending jazz fusion sextet that has gained quite the fanbase over the last few years. The band has toured and played with New Orleans jazz legends and was recently nominated “Best Band in New Orleans” by The Gambit Awards. With their technical mastery and their imaginative songwriting, Naughty Professor has rocked the foundation of the jazz-funk scene, selling out venues and earning a tremendous cult following. NEW BIRTH BRASS BAND The musicians that comprise New Birth Brass Band fuse hip-hop, Mardi Gras Indian chants, funk and modern jazz with the age-old traditional sounds from the streets and clubs of New Orleans. Led by Tanio Hingle on bass drum and Preservation Brass’ Kerry “Fatman” Hunter on snare, New Birth hosts a stellar line up of horn players, including William Smith on trumpet. NEW BREED BRASS BAND New Breed Brass Band infuses funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop into the second-line brass band tradition. Founded by five New Orleans natives — including yet another talented member of the
Andrews family, drummer Jenard Andrews — and with roots in performing at street parades, the band brings new interpretations of popular songs into their repetoire. NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH MASS CHOIR New Hope Baptist Church, under the direction of Kendall Smith, is a ministry in the 86-years-old church pastored by Rev. Jamaal Weathersby. The choir sings spirituals, anthems, hymns and gospel music. Their mission is to reach the lost at any cost, through outreach, evangelism and education. NEW LEVIATHAN ORIENTAL FOX-TROT ORCHESTRA This 18-piece orchestra plays period arrangements of popular music from 1890 through 1934, such as ragtime, with a particular emphasis on New Orleans composers. Founded in 1972, the ensemble has performed worldwide to much acclaim. NEW ORLEANS COTTONMOUTH KINGS The New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings are composed primarily of six former members of the oncepopular New Orleans Jazz Vipers. Known for their unamplified simplicity covering obscure and popular tunes alike, the Cottonmouth Kings continue to carry the torch, performing every Friday night at the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street and regularly throughout the clubs of New Orleans playing unapologetic, nononsense, traditional and modern New Orleans Jazz. NEW ORLEANS COUNCIL ON AGING COMMUNITY CHOIR The New Orleans Council on Aging brings together some of
their most skilled singers for this performance at Jazz Fest. Annual performers at the Gospel is Alive Workshop, the singers may be elderly, but the appeal of these talented performers is timeless. NEW ORLEANS GOSPEL SOUL CHILDREN 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH SPECIAL ALUMNI GUESTS This non-profit community group focuses on spreading the gospel through song, creating positive activities for youth and young adults, and facilitating the growth of a productive environment for all ages. With guests Jackie Tolbert, Chris Hagan, Caren Green, Veronica Downs and Davell Crawford, alumni re-join and rejoice with the choir as they celebrate 50 years of powerful music made by the the Gospel Soul Children. NEW ORLEANS SPIRITUALETTES The New Orleans Spiritualettes were formed in 1956 at the heart of a New Orleans gospel movement, and have performed at Jazz Fest since the early years. Members continue to rely on strong rhythms and heartfelt harmonies, evoking an old-school feel from this refined, city-based ensemble. NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS The New Orleans Suspects is a Crescent City funk-rock supergroup. Formed in 2011, the band has released a number of albums, each receiving more venerated reviews than the last. The group is comprised of New Orleans’ best, each musician having played with some of the most beloved artists in New Orleans and the world including James Brown, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Presented by Shell | Jazz Fest 2019
91