Happy Labor Day!

Celebrating the Birthday of Buddy Bolden

Cornetist Charles Joseph “Buddy” Bolden was born in New Orleans on September 6, 1877, was one of the founding fathers of jazz. Many jazz musicians, including Jelly Roll Morton and the great trumpeter Louis Armstrong, acclaimed him as one of the most powerful musicians ever to play jazz. Little is known about the details of Bolden’s career, but it is documented that by about 1895 he was leading a band. Acknowledged as the cornet king of New Orleans, Bolden often worked with six or seven different bands simultaneously. In 1906 his emotional stability began to crumble, and the following year he was committed to the East Louisiana State Hospital, where he died on November 4, 1931. Today we remember, celebrate and appreciate Buddy Bolden’s musical legacy!

Wear Y’Hat! Church of New Orleans wants to post photos of your hats!

Our hats - festival/Mardi Gras/Halloween/party/you-name-it - are an expression of our creativity, an outward expression of how New Orleans makes us feel! Church of New Orleans wants to post photos of you & your special and unique hats on our website (www.ChurchofNewOrleans.com) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/ChurchofNewOrleans)!

Church of New Orleans is a (nonreligious) NOLA affinity site that is a labor of love devoted to New Orleans. There are no ads, no revenue generated from the website, just lots of positive feelings about the Crescent City, its people, music, food and culture! 

If you want to contribute photos for Wear Y’Hat, please submit them through the “Contact Us” form on the website. Please include your name and/or festival nickname, where you’re from, and any information you want to share about your hat(s)!

WWOZ presents Festing in Place - The Next Fest Thing! 7 Days - September 4-7 & 11-13!

Festing in Place - The Next Fest Thing is 7 full days of New Orleans music and culture, from Friday, September 4th-Monday September 7th, and Friday, September 11th-Sunday, September 13th, from 11AM - 7PM NOLA time & 9AM - 5PM L.A. time!  

WWOZ’s special cubes highlights the schedule featuring some of the great performances in the history of New Orleans music, including performances from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest, Satchmo Fest, Crescent City Blues and BBQ Fest, WWOZ Studios and New Orleans Clubs plus rare performances from other historical collections! Dr. John * Fats Domino * The Neville Brothers * Pete Fountain * Irma Thomas * Allen Toussaint * Louis Prima * James Booker * Aaron Neville * Trombone Shorty * Kermit Ruffins * John Boutte * Professor Longhair * Marcia Ball * Jimmy Buffett * The Radiators * Treme Brass Band * Ernie K-Doe * Lost Bayou Ramblers * Al Hirt * Henry Butler * Tank and the Bangas * Jon Batiste * Mavis Staples * Rebirth Brass Band and many other Jazz, Blues, Cajun and Zydeco artists.

The 7-day broadcast also includes interview segments highlighting the music, food, and heritage of New Orleans and Louisiana to give the feeling of a wide-reaching cultural festival. 

Do yourself a favor and Fest in Place with WWOZ! It’s the Next Fest Thing to being there!

Happy Birthday, Terrance Simien!

Zydeco musician, vocalist and songwriter Terrance Simien was born September 3, 1965, in Mallet, Louisiana, and is an eighth generation Creole from one of the earliest Creole families that settled in St. Landry Parish. He was introduced to music via the piano at home, the Catholic Church choir, and playing trumpet in school band programs. He taught himself to play accordion in his teens and formed his first band Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys, playing regionally.

In the early 1980s, Simien was one of only two emerging zydeco artists performing and continuing the traditions of zydeco roots music. Simien and his group have toured internationally, presenting over 9000 live performances in more than 45 countries, and released dozens of solo recordings and collaborations. He has shared studio and stage with the likes of Paul Simon, Dr. John, The Meters, Marcia Ball, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Robert Palmer and Los Lobos. In 2008, Simien and his group won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, and in 2013, he and several of his other band mates won their second Grammy for Best Regional Roots Record.

Simien has appeared on screen and contributed to the soundtracks of multiple movies, television films and commercials. He contributed to the soundtracks of the films, The Princess and the Frog, The Big Easy, Exit To Eden and A Murder Of Crows. Simien and his business partner/wife, Cynthia, are active in Creole music education and advocacy, having created the "Creole for Kidz & The History of Zydeco" performing arts program, and MusicMatters, Inc., a non-profit for education and advocacy.

Simien is one of the most accomplished and respected artists in American roots music. Today we celebrate and wish Terrance a very happy birthday!

Photo: Carl Lender

Happy Birthday, Davell Crawford!

Pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger Davell Crawford was born in New Orleans on September 3, 1975, began playing piano when he was seven and first toured Europe in his early teens. Crawford brings a synthesis of styles (jazz, funk, R&B, and gospel) to his piano playing, singing and songwriting. Fats Domino, Sarah Vaughan, Patsy Cline and Liberace are among his many influences, and he believes in the art of entertainment, occasionally leaving his piano to talk and joke with his audience. Acclaimed as the “Piano Prince of New Orleans,” Crawford brings equal exuberance to both modern and classic jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, blues, gospel, soul, pop, American folk and touches of country-western.

However, Gospel is at the heart of everything that Crawford does. As a child, Crawford attended both Baptist and the Catholic churches and watched the pipe organist so attentively that when he first sat in front of the impressive instrument he already knew the function of the stops and pedals. The organ at his church was the first he ever played and throughout his life he’s continued to man the organ in both church and club settings. At just 10 years old, he took on the position of accompanist to the St. Peter Claver Catholic Church choir, and by the time he was 11, he became the youth choir director, pianist and organist to the sanctuary and men’s choruses at the St. Joseph Baptist Church. Since then Crawford has traveled the world conducting choral workshops and making appearances in gospel music. He has also hosted award winning gospel ensembles and formed The Davell Crawford Singers, who continue to perform and can be heard on his CD, My Gift To You. That being said, Crawford is also fully versed in the traditional jazz songbook of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Crawford plays and sings the music of his passion—the music of his life. He has soaked up the surrounding rhythms and harmonies of New Orleans that were his deep musical roots and nurtured his natural talent. In the inimitable New Orleans tradition, Crawford is a passionate performer who has a flair for the art of entertainment, engaging the audience with his winning personality and sense of humor. Happy Birthday, Davell!

Photo: Facebook