Satchmo Summerfest 2022 – Day 2

We began day 2 of Satchmo Summerfest – a celebration of Louis Armstrong’s birthday – with the official Summerfest second line parade. Just like with The Roots of Music the day before, rain doused the parading brass bands, dancers, and convertible-riding royalty. But, we’re a rain-or-shine kinda town so even with the grey-skied downpour, the colors were vibrant, the music was infectious, and energy was high. And this time I was equipped with rain boots for the big puddles and the slush of grassy mud. Or muddy grass. Definitely mud.

Our first bite of the day was the savory, spicy Collard Greens ($8) from Praline Connection. John Boutté (of HBO’s Treme fame) sang passionately on the Barracks Street Stage as we waited for our Charbroiled Jerk Chicken w/ Dirty Lamborghini Rice ($13) from Theaudric’s Real Clever Cuisine.

Satchmo Summerfest 2022

With 2 days of music and food, the French Quarter’s Satchmo Summerfest celebrates New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong’s birthday. The festival started with The Roots Of Music parading to the Old U.S. Mint, home of the New Orleans Jazz Museum where you can find Armstrong’s first coronet. 

The band is a wonderful reminder of the importance of keeping the city’s traditions and culture alive. Grammy Award-winning snare drummer of Rebirth Brass Band, Derrick Tabb, co-founded The Roots Of Music non-profit program providing hundreds of at-risk youths (8-14 years old) with instruments, education, tutoring, meals and a ride home. 

Satchmo Summerfest – Day 3

It was bound to happen some time. After nearly a decade of blogging, a post I’d spent over 4 hours writing and preparing just disappeared into the ether. Here are the photos and I’m truly, truly sorry there’s no blog full of context, history and details. Enjoy the many photos!

Satchmo Summerfest – Day 2

Day 2 of Satchmo Fest started with a dowsing of rain that cleared up and left the day relatively cool. The festival celebrates the birthday of Louis Armstrong. Saturday’s lineup illustrated the reach and evolution of Armstrong’s influence on musicians and music lovers. One of the interesting things about our local musicians is that they often play in multiple bands either as members, sitting in, or as featured guests. Its not uncommon to spot players like the drummer who played with Bonerama Friday and with Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet Saturday. But the player I’ve seen the most this year is a young trombonist who so far has played with (that I know of) Soul Rebels on Friday and the Original Pinettes and TBC Brass Bands on Saturday. With that kind of bravery, discipline and endurance, I’m excited to see who he becomes. And it brings me joy to know that, like so many others, he can trace his beginnings to Louis Armstrong.

Satchmo Summerfest 2018

Celebrating Louis Armstrong’s birthday,  Satchmo Summerfest kicked off with a sometimes rainy Friday lineup of live music on multiple stages and food. Tents offered shade from the sun and shelter from the showers. Inside the air conditioned Old U.S. Mint, people enjoyed symposiums on Armstrong and related topics.

The day started with The Roots of Music parading down Esplanade.