The series of concerts in Armstrong Park begins on April 16, 2015 with a flash from the past. The iconic 1990s New Orleans reggae band, the Revealers, will be the first band to appear on the stage under the awning of the still-shuttered Municipal Auditorium.
It’s hard to believe the degree to which the park has recovered from damage that occurred almost ten years ago. Yet the auditorium is still in shambles. Credit the People United for Armstrong Park for preserving despite the wreck in its midst.
And preserve they have while raising the profile of the concert series with numerous bands pushing the envelope of the term “jazz.”
The Honey Island Swamp Band headlines the first concert and Raw Oyster Cult, a band made up of three-fifths of the Radiators, closes the series on June 11, 2015.
In between there’s plenty of jazz as well as soul, R&B, and good ole rock ‘n’ roll. Other highlights for this writer include sets by the Honorable South and Tank and the Bangas. Both of these bands are part of a new generation of exuberant performers pushing the envelope of “New Orleans music.”
Here’s the full schedule:
April 16 – The Revealers, The Honey Island Swamp Band
April 23 – Kermit Ruffins, The Soul Rebels
April 30 – N’awlins Johnnys, Rockin Dopsie
May 7 – Tank and the Bangas, Preservation Hall Brass Band
May 14 – The Honorable South, James Andrews
May 21 – New Breed Brass Band, Glen David Andrews
May 28 – Baptiste & Sons, Tribute to Wild Magnolias featuring Monk Boudreaux
June 11 – Darcy Malone & the Tangle, Raw Oyster Cult
Jazz in the Park Art: Sheleen Jones
