Satchmo SummerFest – the premier American Jazz Festival dedicated to the life, music and legacy of New Orleans’ native son, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong - returns for its tenth celebration. The 2010 Satchmo SummerFest takes place August 5 through August 8 at the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint. The festival is free and open to the public.
Live, Local Music and Family Activities
Three stages of music on the grounds of the Mint and one stage at the French Market will include traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, brass bands, and the children's stage, with family activities.
Musical performers include...
- Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers
- Mark Braud and the New Orleans Jazz Giants
- Yoshio Toyama and the Dixie Saints (from Japan)
- Rebirth Brass Band
- Tim Laughlin’s New Orleans All Stars
- Wanda Rouzan and A Taste of New Orleans
- Soul Rebels
- New Orleans Helsinki Connection featuring Leroy Jones
- Jazz vocalist Leah Chase
- Treme Brass Band
- And more!
This free community event will also feature free dance lessons sponsored by NOLA Jitterbugs, which will take place Saturday and Sunday on the third floor of the Old U.S. Mint at the Back o' Town Stage. Lessons will take place between each musical set (see music schedule for details). The festival will also feature an array of educational and entertaining children's activities, including a Satchmo collage making project, a second-line umbrella creation station sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz Celebration, an activity station sponsored by Krewe of Muses, coconut decorating sponsored by the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club "Junior Zulus," and more.
Click here to download SATCHMO SUMMERFEST 2010 map and schedule
Fascinating Speakers, Seminars and Discussions
The 2010 Satchmo SummerFest Seminars will be held at a new location, the Palm Court Jazz Café, located at 1204 Decatur Street, just one block from the Old U.S. Mint. An impressive array of speakers will present seminars, discussions, music, and movies, scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 6, 7 and 8. Satchmo SummerFest Keynote Speaker, Dan Morgenstern (Director of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies), will open the sessions on Friday, August 6 talking about how Satchmo SummerFest has, in its ten years, advanced Armstrong scholarship throughout the world. Other panelists include legendary record producer and Armstrong's friend, George Avakian; Kermit Ruffins (recently featured on the HBO Television series Treme), who visited Louis Armstrong’s house in New York last year, will discuss how the experience had a profound impact on him; Ricky Riccardi, historian, writer, Armstrong film collector and Project Archivist of the 'Jack Bradley Collection,' will present and show films throughout the weekend; and Michael Cogswell, Director of the Louis Armstrong House and Archives in New York, will also present during the festival. Please see the attached seminar schedule for complete descriptions. Many other sessions are scheduled, with educational and entertaining speakers who knew or were inspired by Louis Armstrong.
Special Events
In addition to a weekend full of great music, food, seminars, movies and children's activities, Satchmo SummerFest features an array of special events, including a 10th Anniversary kickoff party; Jazz Mass at historic St. Augustine Church in Treme, a traditional second line parade, the annual "Trumpet Tribute" which close the festival Sunday night, and a Satchmo birthday party. See the Events Schedule for more details.
Also, don't miss out on the SATCHMO CLUB STRUT, presented by the New Orleans Jazz Celebration! Enjoy this special night at Frenchmen Street on Friday, August 6 from 6:00pm to 2:00am.
Happy Birthday Satchmo!
Satchmo SummerFest is scheduled annually to coincide with Armstrong's birthday on August 4th. The artist often stated in public interviews that he was born on July 4, 1900 (Independence Day in the USA), a date that has been noted in many biographies. Armstrong died in 1971, and it wasn't until the mid-1980's that his true birth date of August 4, 1901 was discovered. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans known as "the Battlefield." Throughout his career, he entertained millions – from heads of state and royalty to the kids on his stoop in Corona, New York. Despite his fame, he lived a simple life in a working-class neighborhood. The man known around the world as "Satchmo" was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz – a uniquely American art form. His influence, as an artist and cultural icon, is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today. Armstrong was a charismatic, innovative performer whose improvised soloing was the main influence for a fundamental change in jazz. One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers. The nickname "Satchmo" is short for "Satchelmouth." In 1932, Melody Maker magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted Armstrong in London with "Hello, Satchmo!” and the nickname stuck.
A Satchmo SummerFest limited edition print by local artist Varion Laurent will be available for purchase. Laurent, a New Orleans native and graduate of St. Augustine High School and Xavier University, studied under artist John T. Scott. Other merchandise will be available for sale at the festival and online including Satchmo SummerFest shirts, merchandise and jewelry. More than twenty-five food and beverage booths will be open at the Louisiana State Museum's Old U.S. Mint and will feature authentic local cuisine, drinks and snowballs, from the area's finest restaurants to create "Red Bean Alley."
