Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A Toast to New Orleans: Carver Theater's Opening,Trombone Shorty Fest/Jazz Fest, Zoo to Do and more...

Darlings, Happy Jazz Fest 2014,

Once again Mother Nature blessed us with glorious weather for my birthday week and the first weekend of Jazz Fest. Let's keep it going for the second weekend and so far it is looking good! 

I started my week by attending a few delightful events that included bidding farewell to Social Icon Mickey Easterling at the Saenger Theatre.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151962854185870.1073742234.581200869&type=1&l=9b38d9bdb8


Margarita Bergen's photo.
My darling friend - Grammy award winner - Allen Toussaint
Margarita Bergen's photo.


After the soiree I ran to the Mexican Consulate where the Consulate of Mexico in New Orleans and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation proudly presented an art exhibition by talented Mexican artist Angelo Gonzalez de la Tijera, “Art Syncopation.”
Margarita Bergen's photo.
Would you believe that, in addition, there was a wonderful  lecture and book signing at Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art. The Historic New Orleans Collection presented "Creole World: Photographs of New Orleans and the Latin Caribbean Sphere," a new exhibition and book by renowned author and photographer Richard Sexton exploring these connections.

On  April 23, I attended  the lovely, elegant Project Lazarus Annual Guardian Angel Award Gala at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters in City Park. This year it honored Community Leader, Patricia Denechaud and Archbishop Emeritus Alfred Hughes as Guardian Angels and presenting the Pawell-Desrosiers Award to Halloween New Orleans. Check out how beautiful City Park looked with all the blooming flowers.


On Thursday, April 24, I had the best birthday in a long time. I started it by receiving a proclamation from Hon. Kristin Gisleson Palmer of District C signed by her and all the members of the New Orleans City Council. In the Proclamation it read: “Be it proclaimed by the City of New Orleans that the Council Recognizes Ms. Margarita Bergen for being a Cultural Beacon and Epitomizing the Spirit of New Orleans!”
Margarita Bergen's photo.

I just love my adopted city of New Orleans and love being the Cheerleader of all that N.O. has to offer! I felt very honored and I think I made my mother and father proud of me. 

That day I was invited by the Director of the New Orleans Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana Mayra E. Pineda to the Installation of Officers Luncheon at the JW Marriott Hotel on Canal Street. The Keynote Speaker was Hon. John Neely Kennedy, Treasurer of the State of Louisiana. Hon. Mayor Mitch Landrieu spoke briefly and the new board was installed headed by Thelma Ceballo-Meyers. My darling friend Mayra Pineda, former Consul of Honduras and now Director of the Hispanic Chamber, received a Special Recognition for her leadership and continuous support of the activities of the Chamber - a well-merited award. Aplausos!
Margarita Bergen's photo.

That night instead of having a party, I attended two fabulous parties. 
The first was at the Angela King Gallery which hosted a JazzFest Photography Show featuring the works of Bruce Johnson, Steven Forster, and Alexei Kazantsev.
Margarita Bergen's photo.

That night, The ARMANI Collezioni hosted its Grand Opening at Canal Place. I saw many of my friends there and the shop is lovely.The ARMANI Collezioni hosted it Grand Opening last night at Canal Place. Saw many of my friends there and the shop is lovely. — with Juli Miller Hart. (4 photos)

On Saturday, even though I  was exhausted from the heat working at Lorenzo Bergen's Gallery at 1501 Esplanade, I went to Patio Planters of the Vieux Carre's 68th Birthday Party at the Old Ursuline Convent with entertainment by Big Easy Award singer Bob Edes and Jim Walpole on the piano. I loved seeing so many of my friends.Patio Planters of the Vieux Carre's 68th Birthday Party (19 photos 
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151971949685870.1073742236.581200869&type=1&l=9410a6410a
Margarita Bergen's photo.

Darlings, there are so many fun events during this jazz Fest Week, among them are: 
New Orleans'  nationally-heard public radio program will present a live, on-stage show with masters of New Orleans traditional jazz and Cajun music from French Louisiana on April 29. Clarinetist Dr. Michael White will lead his hot seven-piece Original Liberty Jazz Band with verve and style on classic songs, marches, hymns and blues. They will be joined by another New Orleans legend, beloved vocalist Topsy Chapman. In the first half of the evening, Michael Doucet the fiddler and founder of BeauSoleil from Lafayette, will play two-steps, waltzes and tunes in a virtuosic Cajun style with the definitive band together nearly 40 years.
Both "Michaels" are NEA Heritage Fellows who will perform in an unprecedented combined appearance in the beautifully-restored Civic Theater (originally a 1906 Shubert Theater) at 510 O'Keefe Street. They are joined by the natty New Orleans-dwelling Mississippi bluesman and raconteur, Little Freddie King with his tales of his first guitar made of a cigar box and horsehair, and the Electrifying Crown Seekers with their mesmerizing blend of falsetto voices and sanctified guitars. Look for these musicians and special guests to join American Routes host Nick Spitzer as he interviews and narrates his way onstage with the revered radio show.
Young Professionals Night has partner with the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and Urban League of Greater New Orleans for a Young Professionals networking event at Eiffel Society (2040 St. Charles Ave.) on Tuesday, April 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This event is open with no cost to members and includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and $4 beer and $5 glasses of wine drink specials 
The New Orleans Musicians' Assistance Foundation and the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation are thrilled to bring you the Sweet 16 Prom, celebrating The New Orleans Musicians' Clinic's sixteen years of keeping the music alive!
Come celebrate the NOMC at the Palm Court Jazz Café on Wednesday, April 30 at 7:00 pm and enjoy music from Little Freddie King, special guest Christine Ohlman, birthday cake for all, and a tackiest prom attire contest! All proceeds from the event benefit the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic and Assistance Foundation. Tickets start at $25 and are available now!
On April 29, top New Orleans Piano Players will pay tribute to talented deceased pianist James Booker at fundraising event for “Bayou Maharajah.” Jimmy's Music Club presents screening and live piano performances to fund distribution for acclaimed Booker documentary “Bayou Maharajah” at Southport Hall, just across the parish line in Old Jefferson.

Davell Crawford, Tom McDermott, Al Farrell, JD Hill, Armand St. Martin, Josh Paxton, Alcorn Worrelly Cruz Express, Bobby Love and other noted surprise guests are lending their talents in support of “Bayou Maharajah” distribution efforts. Funds are needed to complete the song licensing fees required prior to distribution. James Booker, a child prodigy, extremely gifted, yet tormented by personal demons, would play Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and then whip off Fats Domino. He played with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Ringo Starr, yet was not well known outside of the musician circles. He was a true enigma, a mystery . . . until now.

The public is invited to the long-awaited Carver Theater's Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and International Jazz Day celebration at 2101 Orleans Avenue, in the historic Treme neighborhood on Wednesday, April 30, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Key state and local officials will cut the ribbon, opening the theater for the first time in nearly 30 years. International Jazz Day at the Carver Theater mid-day concert takes place in partnership with the Kidd Jordan Institute of Jazz, 504 Magazine, Cutting Edge CE, New Orleans Musicians Clinic and WWOZ 90.7 FM who will be broadcasting portions of the day's activities.  
The full day celebrates the reopening of the Carver Theater's $8 million restoration of what was during the 1950s hailed as "America's finest theater exclusively for colored patrons."  Redesigned as a live performance entertainment venue primarily focused on jazz, musicals, stage plays, recitals, and off-Broadway shows, the fully renovated 16,000-square-foot Carver Theater comfortably seats 500 guests with the ability to accommodate a greater number for non-seated performances and special events.
Wednesday April 30 and Thursday May 1 will witness the World Premiere of Tucker Fuller's “Labor Songs” at the Marigny Opera House. Two singers and a chamber orchestra bring nine ballads to life in this provocative and engaging new song cycle from New Orleans-based composer Tucker Fuller and poet Megan Levad. The cycle draws on the rich variety of songs in the American popular canon, presenting a nuanced exploration of work and working in the 21st century. Through nine distinct perspectives, these songs illuminate and challenge our expectations about the ways we shape-and are shaped by-our jobs. Tickets: $20/ $10 Students & Seniors. The Marigny Opera House is located at 725 St. Ferdinand Street.
Wednesday at the Square is presenting, on April 30, Eric McFadden, Jerry Joseph, Norwood Fisher, Eric Bolivar, Kofi Burbridge and others, plus Gravy.
The final Jazz @ the Sandbar of the spring 2014 season takes place on April 30 and welcomes New Orleans native and founding member of the famed Neville Brothers Band, saxophonist Charles Neville. 7:00-9:30 p.m. Location is The Cove, Founders Road, UNO Lakefront Campus. General Admission: $5.00 at the door.
On Thursday, May 1 at 9 p.m.,  The New Orleans Arts and Cultural Host Committee presents Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Jazz Camp artistic directorKidd Jordan, headlining the camp's first 20th Anniversary concert series performance. It will be featuring former (1997) Jazz Camp artist-in-residence Hamiett Bluiett with Alvin Fielder (drums), Darrel Lavigne (piano),
Brian Quezergue (bass), plus
Chuck Perkins  Don Paul at Cafe Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Avenue. Donation: $15 advance/$20 door. Please help support a scholarship to the Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Jazz Camp to a deserving student at  http://louisarmstrongjazzcamp.com/donation/
On Thursday, May 1 at Generations Hall, 310 Andrew Higgins Drive, The Trombone Shorty Foundation will hold its second annual Shorty Fest benefit concert on May 1 featuring a full headlining performance by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and three stages of performances by emerging young musicians.
The show will be headlined by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and featuring The Soul Rebels, Original Pinettes Brass Band, New Breed Brass Band, Magnetic Ear and a "Young Guns Blues Jam" with Cedric Burnside Project, Jonathon "Boogie" Long, Roosevelt Collier and 11-year-old guitar prodigy Brandon "Taz" Niederauer. A highlight will be a performance by the Trombone Shorty Academy with Music Directors "Big Chief" Donald Harrison, Jr. and Detroit Brooks, and special guest Dr. Lonnie Smith on the Hammond B3 organ.
This year's Whitney Zoo-To-Do will be held on Friday, May 2. Join us for an affair to remember as you dance the night away to an out of this world band, Party on the Moon, and enjoy premium cocktails, delicious food from local restaurants, the Luxury Car Raffle and a fabulous silent auction.
All proceeds will help underwrite Gator Run, Audubon Zoo's new lazy river with surprises around every turn. Mark Your Calendars For The Wildest Party In Town: May 2, 2014. Sponsor and Patron Party in the Jerome S. Glazer Audubon Tea Room Garden and Patron Lounge from 7:00 pm - Midnight

On Sunday, Dr Juan and Ana Ester Gerhanik have invited me to the Casa Argentina's ASADO, to be held at :  
 Brechtel Park, Shelter # 7 & 8, 4001 Lennox Blvd., on the West Bank, on Sunday, May 4, from 11:30 AM until 4 PM.
Darlings, enjoy your second weekend of Jazz Fest. I will not be there because I will be at work at 1501 Esplanade, so think of me and Casell-Bergen Gallery for all your posters and framing. I will be moving to the new location at 1305 Decatur on Monday, May 19. You’ll be hearing more about that as the date gets closer. 

Tuesday, April 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Young Professional Night
Join us as we partner with the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and Urban League of Greater New Orleans for a Young Professionals networking event!

We'll be at Eiffel Society (2040 St. Charles Ave.)

This event is open with no cost to members and includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres and $4 beer and $5 glasses of wine drink specials
    

Garden Party
at the Botanical Gardens 
at City Park 
101 Victory Ave
New Orleans, LA

  

Tuesday, April 29th -- Gates @ 6pm

April 29

American Routes Live! with Masters of New Orleans Jazz, Cajun Music, Blues and Gospel -- Civic Theater April 29th 8 PM
                                                         

New Orleans '  nationally-heard public radio program will present a live, on-stage show with masters of New Orleans traditional jazz and Cajun music from French Louisiana on April 29th 2014.  Clarinetist Dr. Michael White will lead his hot seven-piece Original Liberty Jazz Band with verve and style on classic songs, marches, hymns and blues. They will be joined by another New Orleans legend: beloved vocalist Topsy Chapman. In the first half of the evening, Michael Doucet the fiddler and founder of BeauSoleil from Lafayette, will play two-steps, waltzes and tunes in a virtuosic Cajun stylewith the definitive band together nearly 40 years.

Both "Michaels" are NEA Heritage Fellows who will perform in an unprecedented combined appearance in the beautifully-restored Civic Theater (originally a 1906 Shubert Theater) at 510 O'Keefe Street. They are joined by the natty New Orleans-dwelling Mississippi bluesman and raconteur, Little Freddie King with his tales of his first guitar made of a cigar box and horsehair, and the Electrifying Crown Seekers with their mesmerizing blend of falsetto voices and sanctified guitars.  Look for these musicians and special guests to join American Routes'host Nick Spitzer as he interviews and narrates his way onstage with the revered radio show!
 April 30
Sweet 16 Prom
S
 
 
NOMC's Sweet 16 Prom with Little Freddie King
The New Orleans Musicians' Assistance Foundation and the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation are thrilled to bring you the Sweet 16 Prom, celebrating The New Orleans Musicians' Clinic's sixteen years of keeping the music alive!
Come celebrate the NOMC at the Palm Court Jazz Café on Wednesday, April 30th at 7:00 pm and enjoy music from Little Freddie King, special guest Christine Ohlman, birthday cake for all, and a tackiest prom attire contest! All proceeds from the event benefit the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic and Assistance Foundation.
Tickets start at $25 and are available now!
 
Wednesday, April 30th -- Gates @ 6pm
    
4-30-14
  
Ribbon Cutting & International Jazz Day

Wednesday, April 30, 2014
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Food, Fun, & Jazz! 
Free & Open to the Public 


 Are you ready for Jazz Fest? Do you know who you want to see when and where they are playing? Well, if not, we have all that information and more right at your fingertips. Check out our Jazz Fest A to Z guide now!

 5-1-14
  

"Kidd Jordan @ Cafe Istanbul"  
Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp 20th Anniversary Concert Series Fundraiser








  

The String Cheese Incident, Lyle Lovett - Thursday, May 1
Christina Aguilera - Friday, May 2
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Trey Songz - Saturday, May 3
Arcade Fire, Trombone Shorty, John Fogerty  - Sunday, May 4

The Cubes
   
Food List
    
Crafts

Thursday, May 1st -- Gates @ 6pm
           
 
  Thursday, May 1

  
May 1
 
 
Shorty Fest 2014 on May 1 benefits Trombone Shorty Foundation
Second-annual concert supports youth music performance, music business programs
Friday, May 2 
WHITNEY ZOO TO DO   
 
Attend The Wildest Party In Town!

This year's Whitney Zoo-To-Do will be held on Friday, May 2, 2014. Join us for an affair to remember as you dance the night away to an out of this world band, Party on the Moon, and enjoy premium cocktails, delicious food from local restaurants, the Luxury Car Raffle and a fabulous silent auction.

All proceeds will help underwrite Gator Run, Audubon Zoo's new lazy river with surprises around every turn!
Mark Your Calendars For The Wildest Party In Town: May 2, 2014!
Sponsor and Patron Party
Jerome S. Glazer Audubon Tea Room Garden and Patron Lounge
 7:00 pm - Midnight
Zoo-To-Do Gala
Audubon Zoo Grounds
 8:00pm - Midnight
 





The Garden District Gallery is pleased to present the 
Louisiana Watercolor Society's  44th Annual International Exhibition
May 2 - 25, 2014
Juror: Anne Abgott AWS, NWS

Opening reception: Friday, May 2, 2014, 6pm - 8pm 
Awards Ceremony: Saturday, May 10th, 2pm - 4pm 

A juried competition featuring the work of seventy-five watermedia artists from around the world, this annual exhibition celebrates the vibrant properties of watermedia, including watercolor, gouache and acrylic, with paintings featuring landscapes, portraiture, still life and impressionistic abstract works as well.
 

Saturday, May 3

DR. JOHN'S LEGENDARY MUSICAL INFLUENCE TO BE HONORED AT ONE-NIGHT-ONLY CONCERT EVENT ON MAY 3 AT THE SAENGER THEATRE IN NEW ORLEANS

"The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: A Celebration of Mac & His Music" Will Feature Performances by Widespread Panic, Gregg Allman, Mavis Staples,
Allen Toussaint, Ryan Bingham, Lucinda Williams, George Porter Jr.,
Cyril Neville, Zigaboo Modeliste, Jimmie Vaughan, Tab Benoit,
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Chief Monk Boudreaux,
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bill Kreutzmann, Chuck Leavell, Shannon McNally, Sarah Morrow, Anders Osborne and Irma Thomas

Dr. John Set to Take the Stage for Special Performances
Throughout the Evening

On Saturday, May 3, 2014, esteemed musicians and friends will join together for "The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: A Celebration of Mac & His Music," a special concert event taping honoring this musical icon in his hometown of New Orleans.  Taking place at the historic Saenger Theatre in the French Quarter, the concert will pay homage to Dr. John's illustrious songbook and feature once-in-a-lifetime collaborations from a lineup of prestigious and award-winning artists including Gregg Allman, Tab Benoit, Ryan Bingham, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Chief Monk Boudreaux, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Bill Kreutzmann, Chuck Leavell, Shannon McNally, Zigaboo Modeliste, Sarah Morrow, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, George Porter Jr., Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, Lucinda Williams, Irma Thomas, Jimmie Vaughan and Widespread Panic.  Surprise special guests, along with additional performers, will be announced in the weeks ahead.  This will be Dr. John's only New Orleans performance during Jazz Fest, with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer taking the stage to perform with a number of special guests throughout the night. Tickets for the 9 PM show will go on sale to the general public at 10 AM CT on Monday, March 10.

GRAMMY Award-winner Don Was will lead an all-star band and serve as the musical director. Keith Wortman created the concert event and will be the executive producer.  The live concert event, "The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: A Celebration of Mac & His Music" will be filmed and recorded for multi-platform distribution. 

"Dr. John transcends genres with a truly distinctive sound that embodies the rich musical heritage of New Orleans and has tremendously influenced the course of music history," commented Don Was.  "It's an honor to be producing this extraordinary concert event honoring the legendary Dr. John.  It is even more special to be doing it with this lineup of artists in the city that has been such an integral part of his life and music," continued Keith Wortman.

Tickets go on sale to the general public starting 10 AM CT on Monday, March 10. Tickets are available atTicketmaster.com and the Saenger Theatre box office (www.saengernola.com). The Saenger Theatre box office is open Monday-Friday 10 AM - 5PM and Saturdays by event.  Tickets can also be charged by phone at 800-745-3000. A percentage of proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. 

For more information about "The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: A Celebration of Mac & His Music" please visit:www.celebratedrjohn.com
For more information on Dr. John, please visit: www.nitetripper.com



Sunday, May 4 @ 5 pm: Celebrating JAZZ Fest
at the Trinity Artist Series with
The Music of the Afro-Franco-American Eclipse:
From France to New Orleans with Love
with 
Khari Allen Lee, Alto and Soprano Saxophones ,
classical pianist Hristo Birbochukov
and jazz pianist Michael Pellera
in a program introducing the fusion of French Impressionistic Music and New Orleans Jazz featuring  Debussy, Faure,Ravel, Satie and compositions from Bradford Marsalis, Khari Allen Lee and Michael Pellera. Please visit:khariallenlee.com



 
Darlings if you want to see complete calendar of all the music going on Town visit  LaFete News Spotlights 4-29-14 Kingsley House Luncheon, Threadhead Day, Sync Up Cinema, Hobnobber, Line Samplings, Art Talk, Krewe of Oak Fundraiser

Margarita Bergen at 495-9181

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