DIMANCHE

by Cate Czarnecki

Hear ye, hear ye. This weekend brings the 12th annual Satchmo SummerFest back to the grounds of the Old U.S. Mint for one the country’s only festivals dedicated exclusively to traditional jazz music. For attendees in possession of the self-discipline to pull themselves away from the live music outside (which includes Kermit Ruffins, Stooges Brass Band, Jeremy Davenport, and the Original Pinnettes Brass Band among others), French Quarter Festivals Inc. sponsors a marquee lineup of seminars featuring some of the country’s most prominent Satchmo scholars. Click through for some of the highlights of the seminar series this year, which will all be held in the third floor auditorium of the Old U.S. Mint at 400 Esplanade Ave.

Friday, August 3rd 

The series kicks things off on Friday with a full afternoon of speakers and films exploring different elements of traditional jazz history. Some of the day’s highlights include “My Friend Satchmo – Part 1” at 1pm, in which historian, musician and educator David Ostwald will converse with NEA Jazz Master Dan Morganstern about his longtime friendship with Louis Armstrong. At 3pm, “Gleanings from the Groove: The Exciting Music of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band” will feature jazz trombonist and Library of Congress archivist David Sager as he presents a multi media presentation on the contributions of the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band (of which Louis Armstrong was a member) to the evolution of modern American jazz.

Saturday, August 4th

While Saturday marks the start of the live music component of the festival, take a break from the heat (or depending on the weather, one of the summer’s notorious intermittent rain storms) and check out the second half of the “My Friend Satchmo” lecture, which will feature Louis Armstrong House Museum Director Michael Cogselle interviewing Armstrong House Museum Board Member Stephen Maitland-Lewis about his relationship with Satchmo. Also on Saturday, the film portion of the seminar series “Cinematic Satch with Richy Riccardi” will screen some of Armstrong’s performances in Europe from the 30’s through ’60s.

Sunday, August 5th

The last day of the seminar series will end on a high note with some of the seminal Louis Armstrong and jazz scholars of the day. At 2 pm, Tulane University Director of Special Collections and Hogan Jazz Archive Curator Bruce Raeburn will discuss his latest book “New Orleans Style and the Writing of American Jazz History” with radio producer Fred Kasten. Directly following Raeburn will be “Recording Satchmo”, an interview with NEA Jazz Master and producer George Avakian in which he will discuss his experiences recording Armstrong in the studio.