Today, a lecture on James Brown at Octavia Books, Kermit holds it down at Bullet’s, the second season of the web documentary Black Folk Don’t screens at Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Van Halen ends their tour in New Orleans, and Rory Danger & the Danger Dangers do rockabilly at Allways Lounge. On this day in history, soul singer Brenton Wood was born in Shreveport, LA (1941), funk singer Eldridge Holmes was born in Violet, LA (1941), and fans began leaving the Celebration of Life Festival in Point Coupee Parish, LA, due to heat and a lack of facilities, food, water and music (1971).

by Jeffrey Hill

For the past two years, Fringe-goers got a chance to sneak a peak at the architectural grandeur of the former Holy Trinity Catholic Church at 725 St. Ferdinand St. in the Marigny. As of Friday, however, you won't need to be in the mood only for zombie musicals or abstract dance pieces to see the building's stately inner sanctum. The venue will be called The Marigny Opera House, and it's hosting its first show this Friday, which will featre a candelight concert with performances by cellist Helen Gillet, mult-instrumentalist Aurora Nealand and accordionist Mark Growden and Friends.

Today, John Besh reads and signs at Octavia Books, The Mudlark presents a tri-accordion attack, and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad squat at the House of Blues. Avant cette aujourd’hui, the U.S. introduced an income tax (1913), when Washington D.C. residents were able to vote in a presidential election for the first time (1964), Walker Evans was born (1903), Annie Oakley (1926), Salvador Allende was inaugurated as president of Chile (1970), Henri Matisse (1954), Solomon R. Guggenheim (1949), and Mary Martin (1990) died.

April 27th, a day to remember. Trumpeter Al "Jumbo" Hirt, a Louisiana Music Hall of Famer who died on this day in 1999 at the age of 77. Born and raised in New Orleans, Hirt’s father was a police officer, an officer who handed his son a trumpet at the age of six, only to change his life, as well as the world’s. Hirt was playing professionally before college, until moving to Ohio to study at the Cinciniatti Conservatory of Music. Ten years (and a whole lot of swing dancing) later, the trumpeter returned home to lead Dixieland groups, win a Grammy, record the theme song for "The Green Hornet," open his own club on Rue Bourbon, and manage to get injured while performing on a float during Mardi Gras in 1970. Hirt is buried in Metarie Cemetary.

Down on Port St., there's a very special event happening tonight that we failed to include in today's rundown. Ever hear of the Dirty Projectors? Well, Solange Knowles like’s ‘em so much, she covered their ‘Stillness is the Move’ (and then they all performed it live, together!). That being said, the group's bassist, Nat Baldwin, is in town to perform original music in the utmost intimate setting of the Mudlark Public Theatre, starting at 9 p.m. Baldwin has a solo output that's moving in its own right. The man uses an upright bass in ways even Mingus would likely appreciate.

Hola Nola- and Hola Aurora Nealand, leader of her own Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, member of Panorama Jazz Band, Panorama Brass Band, Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship, Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, and The Brian Coogan Band.

Sure, we sent them the horns and the swing. The funk and the kings (of the street). But this year, NOLA exported some seriously diverse music from the provinces to the nation.