Tented stages, extended hours, new food and beverage offerings, and exciting new programming will enhance festival goers experience at the 2011 Satchmo SummerFest.

The Experience

Satchmo SummerFest has extended its hours from noon to 8 pm on Saturday, August 6^th and Sunday, August 7^th.  For the first time, fans will enjoy ‘Satchmo in the Shade’ – musical performances under completely tented areas. The new 40-by-80-foot tents will cover stage areas and provide relief from the August heat.  In addition, picnic table dining areas on festival grounds will also be tented.  ‘Satchmo in the Shade’ is sponsored by Where Y’at Magazine.

Satchmo SummerFest introduces two new beverages this year:  an Absolut Mango Daiquiri and Malibu Rum Piña Colada Daiquiri in souvenir cups. In addition, local-festival-favorite ‘Cool Fruit Sensations’ will join Satchmo SummerFest for the first time, fresh-squeezed revitalizing fruit blends with a choice of traditional or cocktail blends. A sample of the flavors include: Blueberry Lemonade, Arnold Palmer, Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Tea, Pineapple Lemonade and Watermelon Lemon Tea.

Satchmo SummerFest presents a new delicious menu, featuring some of New Orleans favorite restaurants.  New restaurants at the 2011 festival include: Lasyone’s (Natchitoches Meat and Crawfish Pies); The Thee Muses (Mini Lamb Burgers with Goat Cheese and Tomato Chutney as well as Creole Tomato Gazpacho with Louisiana Crabmeat); The Bombay Club (Gulf Fish & Shrimp Escabeche);  Old Nawlins Cookery (Charbroiled Oysters); and Royal House (Gator Burger Sliders).  A complete list of restaurants and menus can be found at www.fqfi.org\satchmosummerfest.

Exciting Programming at the Satchmo Seminars

2011 has been an incredible year for advancements in Armstrong scholarship.  The worldwide release of a new Armstrong box set will take place during the 2011 Satchmo SummerFest.  The release is called ‘Satchmo’ and has been hailed as the ‘most comprehensive Armstrong box set ever made available’.   Producer Richard Havers will be at the festival to present the ‘Keynote Conversation’ on Thursday, August 4^th (Louis Armstrong’s birthday).  He will discuss this exciting new work and the never-before-heard material that it contains.  Richard Havers is a critically acclaimed British music writer and concert producer for some of the most famous artists in the world.

Ricky Riccardi is author of the new Louis Armstrong biography, What a Wonderful World, which focuses on the magic of Armstrong’s later years.  Riccardi’s book offers a fresh perspective on one of the world’s most famous and beloved artists and he has received incredible reviews since the book was released earlier this year.  Ricky will be joined by Armstrong House Museum and Archive Director Michael Cogswell at 2 p.m. on Friday, August 5^th at Maison (508 Frenchmen Street) to discuss this new book.

Keith Spera, Times Picayune writer and author of the new Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal and the Music of New Orleans, will discuss his new book at Satchmo SummerFest. Groove Interrupted focuses on the post-Katrina experiences of over a

dozen well known New Orleans musicians, including Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino,

Jeremy Davenport, Pete Fountain, Aaron Neville and Gatemouth Brown.  Keith will be joined by trumpeter Jeremy Davenport at 12 noon on Sunday, August 7^th to discuss the book and the behind-the-scenes reality of making a jazz album in the modern era, with all its creative and economic challenges.

Meet the authors and

get books autographed and personalized at Satchmo SummerFest

Richard Havers, Ricky Riccardi and Keith Spera will be available to sign their books and the box set during Satchmo SummerFest.  These newly released books and the box set will be on sale at the festival merchandise booth (Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Avenue) and at Satchmo Seminars (Maison, 508 Frenchmen Street).   Shipping is also available for a nominal charge.