Happy Birthday, Harry Connick, Jr!

Harry (Joseph Harry Fowler) Connick Jr. was born on September 11, 1967, in New Orleans. Connick is a Grammy and Emmy-award winning American singer, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States. He has had seven top 20 US albums, and ten number-one US jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in US jazz chart history. Happy Birthday, Harry!

By bg_nh2014 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42602732

Maggie Koerner at the Bootleg Theater on 9/12/19

Maggie Koerner describes herself as a Shreveport bred, New Orleans fed singer, songwriter & touring woman who enjoys good coffee and long walks with Tom (the tour dog). She is that and much, much more. She is a rare talent whose stage presence is only surpassed by her musicianship and powerful vocals. Even if Tom the tour dog isn’t with you, I recommend taking a long walk and listening to her recent release “If I Die”, or her EP “Dig Down Deep”, or her LP’s “Neutral Ground” and “Quarter Life”, or her work on Galactic’s “Dolla Diva”. Better yet, listen to them all while enjoying some good coffee. Just be sure not to miss Maggie at the Bootleg Theater!

Maggie Koerner, taken from “Quarter Life”

Happy Birthday, Ivan Neville!

Ivan Neville was born in New Orleans on August 19, 1959, to one of the great musical families of the Big Easy. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers, and has clearly inherited the family’s legendary musical talent. He is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who has been performing in bands since 1977. Ivan has joined his father and uncles in The Neville Brothers, was a member of Bonnie Raitt’s band in the 1980’s, was a member of Keith Richards’ X-Pensive Winos tour, and has played with numerous musical luminaries including the Rolling Stones, Don Henley, Robbie Robertson, Delbert McClinton and Rufus. Neville and his cousin, Ian Neville (son of Art Neville) formed Dumpstaphunk in the early 2000s and play their own incomparable brand of funk and jazz. Neville is also a member of JazzFest phenom Dragon Smoke, along with Eric Lindell, Rob Mercurios and Stanton Moore. No matter who he is playing with, never miss an opportunity to see Ivan Neville perform! Happy Birthday to NOLA musical royalty!

Photo by Newber Machado

Eric Lindell & Special Guests at The Mint on 8/22/19

Eric Lindell brings his unique style of soul, blues, roots-rock, and New Orleans funk to The Mint on 8/22, and he’s not alone. Special guests Anson Funderburgh and Peter Joseph Burtt will join Eric to help bring his captivating New Orleans sound to The Mint for one very special night! If you haven’t already, you will fall in love with Eric’s music, and trust me, this love is going to last!

Photo by L. D’Ableaux

Happy Birthday, Jon Cleary!

Jon Cleary was born on August 11, 1962, in Cranbrook, Kent, England, but for at least the past 20 years he has been a student of New Orleans life and musical culture. Based in New Orleans, Cleary is an accomplished pianist, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He has performed with numerous music luminaries including B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Eric Burdon. Be sure to catch Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen when they perform their brand of funk and R&B … you will be happy you did!

Photo by Masahiro Sumori

Happy Birthday, Louis Armstrong!

Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo, Satch, and Pops, was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. He is the most famous and influential jazz musician of all time, and was a beloved American icon and cultural ambassador. He was born into poverty, learned to play the coronet at the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys in 1913, and emerged as a trumpet virtuoso whose highly inventive, improvised solos transformed jazz. His distinctive, gravelly voice and charismatic stage presence propelled him to great popularity, both at home and internationally, and not just with his musical recordings, but on radio, films and television. He has innumerable popular songs, but he is best known for the heartwarming “What A Wonderful World” and the cheerful “Hello Dolly”, for which he won a Grammy in 1964. Armstrong passed away in his sleep from a heart attack, a month before his 70th birthday, on July 6, 1971. A 12-foot statue of Armstrong, trumpet in hand, is located in Louis Armstrong Park, located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, just across from the French Quarter.

Satchmo Summerfest is the premier American festival dedicated to the life, legacy, and music of New Orleans' native son, Louis Armstrong, and it takes place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the U.S. Mint on August 2–4, 2019.