March 20, 2018
Here are some photos from this year's event.
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Spodie and the Big Shots
Trumpeter Derrick Shezbie was still a teenager in May 1994, when Quincy Jones' Warner Bros. subsidiary, Qwest Records, released his debut, Spodie's Back. To say it created a stir in the jazz world would be an understatement. The New Orleans-based trumpeter had already performed or recorded with Allen Toussaint, Dizzy Gillespie and the Rebirth Brass Band. Shezbie honed his chops by playing on street corners, and as soon as he was old enough to be sneaking into them, on club stages in New Orleans. He started out on drums but switched to trumpet before he was in his teens. As he says in the biography accompany his debut, "I was born with New Orleans music in my blood." The young Shezbie was recruited by the more seasoned musicians in the Rebirth Brass Band, and it was while playing with them that he began to develop a following of his own.
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His debut was produced by Delfeayo Marsalis, and together, the pair assembled a group of musicians to showcase his blues-based, soul-filled trumpet playing chops in the best light. Guests on Spodie's Back include saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Mark Turner and pianist Kenny Kirkland. He's also backed on his debut by the rhythm section of Greg Williams and Martin Butler, as well as pianist Victor "Red" Atkins. Expect more great things from this young, versatile, blues-based trumpet player. He's been compared to Louis Armstrong, and he appears well on his way into developing into an Armstrong for the next century.
Adonis Rose and The NOJO All-Stars
Drums/Artistic Director of NOJO Adonis Rose has played with esteemed Grammy-winning Jazz artists including trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis, vocalist Dianne Reeves and Jazz/Pop entertainer Harry Connick, Jr. Not limited to the Jazz genre, Rose has performed with the rap group Public Enemy, soul diva Chaka Khan, and the late Gerald Levert.
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Even before graduating high school, Rose refined his skills at the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts (NOCCA), jamming with the likes of Clyde Kerr, who headed the jazz program at NOCCA, as well as Nicholas Payton, winner of the 1997 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental, Solo. Rose has released five recordings as a leader and has toured and recorded with trumpeter Nicholas Payton, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, pianist Ellis Marsalis, and Harry Connick, Jr. He also created and played the drum arrangements for Spike Lee’s HBO documentary, When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts.
Nicholas Payton
New Orleans-born trumpeter, keyboardist, singer, and composer Nicholas Payton is a dynamic performer, steeped in acoustic jazz and post-bop, whose music often finds him exploring genres beyond the confines of the jazz tradition. Born in New Orleans in 1974, Payton grew up the son of Walter Payton, a well-known bassist on the Crescent City jazz scene. His mother also played piano. Around four years old, he started playing trumpet after asking his father to get him one. Soon, he was accompanying his father to shows at local clubs, where he had the chance to hear many great trumpet players. The turning point for the young Payton came around age ten, when he heard a Miles Davis quartet album that was in his parents' record collection. He started performing publicly, working everywhere from jazz funerals to weddings to bar mitzvahs, and even played on the streets for tips.
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As a solo artist, he began his recording career with Verve Records, releasing From This Moment in 1994, followed by 1995's Gumbo Nouveau. A year later, he gained even more attention appearing alongside a handful of his jazz contemporaries in acclaimed director Robert Altman's film Kansas City, for which he also appeared on the soundtrack. In 1997, he received a Grammy Award for his playing on Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton, a collaborative album with then-nonagenarian trumpeter Doc Cheatham. Also that year, he joined bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Mark Whitfield for Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock. He then rounded out his Verve contract with several well-received, tradition-steeped efforts including 1998's Payton's Place, 1999's Nick@Night, and 2001's homage to Louis Armstrong, Dear Louis.
In 2003, Payton signed with Warner Bros. and marked the move by shifting away from his acoustic-based sound and delivering the '70s fusion-influenced Sonic Trance. However, an auto accident briefly sidelined his career as he took time to fully recover. He returned with Mysterious Shorter on Chesky in 2006 and Into the Blue on Nonesuch in 2008, both of which found him delving into an eclectic mix of straight-ahead jazz, post-bop, funk, and R&B-influenced sounds. Increasingly known as a risk-taker, Payton took one of his grandest on 2011's Bitches, a concept recording that detailed the stages and ending of a romantic relationship. He composed and arranged all 16 songs (which included lyrics), played every instrument, sang, and played trumpet throughout, and produced the entire set as well. Also featured on the album were special guest vocalists Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, N'Dambi, ChinahBlac, and Saunders Sermons.