You can tell summer’s unofficially over in New Orleans by the relatively cool weather and the plethora of musical activities. Here are my picks for the weekend. Ariane Trahan weighs in again about one of her favorite new acts. Read on for discount tickets too.
Red Baraat was my find of the Jazz Fest two years ago. They are a fascinating amalgamation of influences and instrumentation. Their music is rooted in Persian sounds, but they come across in the live setting like a brass band. This is good time, jump up music with lots of drums and horns.
They open for our own Honey Island Swamp Band at Tipitina’s tonight.
Here’s Ariane on another hot show tonight: Crazy handsome musicians celebrating their one-year anniversary next month, Sports & Leisure perform this evening at the Parish at House of Blues. They’ve dubbed themselves an “indie symphonic orchestra,” a fancy version of a multi-layered sextet, with genuinely hypnotic appeal thanks in part to lead singer Richard Dubourg.
It doesn’t end there, because the remaining five members have some chops of their own, and there’s digital paper trail to prove it. ($10/10pm)
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, STOMP, the award-winning musical, stops at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts in Armstrong Park. Clink this link for discounted tickets if you wanna get a little cultcha in the form of musical theater.
Saturday night, I have a big conflict. Bachaco, the Miami-based, international afro-Caribbean roots rock band returns this weekend to New Orleans after celebrating one of the band’s biggest accomplishments to date, the release of their highly anticipated debut album. They are playing the Maple Leaf Bar.
Luckily, they are also playing Tulane University’s quad at 4 PM today.
The other big show Saturday night is the kick-off of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s 10-year anniversary party. Has it really been ten years since trumpeter Irvin Mayfield conceived of the project based on Wynton Marsalis’s celebrated Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra?
The concert is at Tipitina’s and award-winning vocalist Ledisi (pictured) is the orchestra’s special guest. The 10-year celebration continues with shows for the rest of the year including a performance in early October at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York City. See you there!
