NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Organizers have announced the dates and lineup for the 2024 Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival in New Orleans. The 10th annual festival will present events over a five-day run – March 6-10 – and will again offer a mix of live music performances, interviews and panel discussions March 8-10 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (by admission – $15 each day general admission – $10 student); a free all-star Banjo and Guitar Summit at the Wein Center on March 6; the festival’s 10th Anniversary Celebration at the New Orleans Museum of Art with Dr. Michael White, Donald Harrison, Corey Harris and the Dirty Dozen (NOMA – 6-9 p.m. – March 7 – $50 general admission – $25 student) plus school clinics at UNO and NOCCA; and a Patron Party to kick off the festival on the evening of March 6 at The Terrell House (1441 Magazine St. – live music, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, silent auction – 6-9 p.m. – $45 individual).
The two stages of live music at the New Orleans Jazz Museum will present 30 of the Crescent City’s finest ensembles, complemented by a series of combination interviews and performances with outstanding banjoists and guitarists hosted by award-winning radio producer Fred Kasten on Friday, March 8; and an excellent series of interviews on Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10, about the life, legacy and music of Danny Barker curated by long-time WWOZ Trad Jazz programmer and host Sally Young.
The mission of the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival is to showcase and highlight the many contributions and accomplishments of NEA Jazz Master Danny Barker: musician, singer, songwriter, educator, raconteur extraordinaire and author – who played guitar and banjo with many top jazz artists over the course of his 70 year plus career – and served as a mentor to numerous young New Orleans artists who have since come to prominence, including Wynton Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Leroy Jones, Gregg Stafford and Dr. Michael White.
To build on Mr. Barker’s legacy in education and cultural preservation, the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival offers area students workshops, master classes, and clinics – providing immersive instruction and education exploring the origins and evolution of New Orleans jazz. Outreach to senior citizens and the creation of good opportunities for musicians and audiences to connect are also primary aims of the Barker Festival.
Sponsors of the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival 2024 include The New Orleans Jazz Museum, New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF), WWL-TV, WGNO-TV, OffBEAT, Mark1 Graphics and Web Design, New Orleans & Company, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, Inc., The Historic New Orleans Collection, Threadhead Cultural Foundation, Newcorp.inc, NOCCA, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, UNO Jazz Studies Program, 90.7 FM-WWOZ, Bywater Bakery, Terrell House Bed and Breakfast, The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, Casey Lipscomb, Deering Banjos, Gulf Coast Bank and Furge Records. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.
March 6
Banjo & Guitar Summit: at The George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center
Time: 2-4 p.m. – FREE
- John Rankin
- Seva Venet
- Brian Seeger
- David Bandrowski
- Mahmoud Chouki
- Steve Masakowski
- Don Vappie
March 6
Patron Party: at Terrell House Bed and Breakfast
Time: 6-9 p.m. – $45 general admission
- Greg Stafford
- Mari Watanabe
- Dr. Michael White
- Mitchell Player
- Frank Naundorf
- Bruce”Sunpie”Barnes
March 7
10th Anniversary Celebration at New Orleans Museum of Art ( NOMA)
Time: 6-9 p.m. – $50 general admission – $25 student
- Dr. Michael White Band featuring Donald Harrison
- Corey Harris
- Dirty Dozen
March 8
3-day Festival at Jazz Museum
Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. – $15 general admission – $10 student
Parade by “The Sons of Jazz Brass Band”
(Performers)
- Shannon Powell
- Charmaine Neville
- Mark Brooks,
- Greg Stafford
- Kermit Ruffins
- Tom McDermott and Meschiya Lake
- Steve Pistorius
- Mari Watanabe
- Herlin Riley
- Gerald French
March 9
(Parade) by “Hot 8 Brass Band”
(Performers)
- Seva Venet
- John Boutte
- Mahmoud Chouki
- Yusa
- Treme Brass band with Black Man of Labor and Baby Dolls
- Solid Harmony
- Wendell Brunious
- Chris Thomas King
- Davell Crawford
- Steve Masakowski & Familly
March 10
3-day festival at Jazz Museum
(Performers)
- Jimmy (Bean)Ballero
- Delfeayo Marsalis
- Les Getrex
- Don Vappie’s Grio Trio
- Bruce”Sunpie”Barnes
- Jamil Sharif
- Pfister Sisters
- Leroy Jones
- Stephanie Jordan
- The Dixie Cups
