WGSO 990 AM - Community Event: Rent Party 2008

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Community Event: Rent Party 2008

By WGSO
Monday, March 17 2008
SLIDELL - WGSO passes along the following information regarding an event on the Northshore... When: Monday, March 24, 6 to 9 p.m. Who: Beausoleil Trio, Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders, the Louisiana Purchase Bluegrass Band, Fredy Omar Con su Banda, Mt Zion Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir, the Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne, Germany and a tribute to New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Sponsors: Cultural Alliance of the Americas and Abita Springs Opry Where: Abita Springs Town Hall, 22161 Level St., Abita Springs, LA Price: $25 Adults, $15 Children 12 and under, Free for Children 2 and under Contact: Milly Vappie (504)613-0318 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Website: www.bringitonhome.org Some of the major artists representing different genre's of Louisiana music will take the stage on March 24th in Abita Springs for the second in a series of Bring It On Home Rent Party Concerts that grew out of Hurricane Katrina and aimed at bringing musicians back while providing work for them. The concert will be from 6-9 p.m. at the Abita Springs Town Hall on Level Street, co-sponsored by the Cultural Alliance for the Americas and the Abita Spring Opry. Doors will open at 5:20 p.m. for ticket sales at $25 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under, and free for children two and under. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Before the headline acts representing the rich gumbo of Louisiana music appear on stage, fans will be treated to a rousing dose of traditional New Orleans jazz by one of the major European purveyors of the distinctive Crescent City gift to world music; the Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne, Germany. Beginning at 6 p.m. at the Abita Town Hall, music fans will be greeted to a rich tableau showcasing Gospel, Bluegrass, Cajun, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Latin music. Performers will include the Mt. Zion Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church mass choir from Covington; the Louisiana Purchase Bluegrass Band from Lake Charles; the Beausoleil Trio featuring David and Michael Doucet of Lafayette; Don Vappie of Covington and his Creole Jazz Serenaders; Fredy Omar's Latin band from New Orleans and a tribute to New Orleans Rhythm and Blues with several special guests. Vappie said while there are listed performers for the Abita Springs concert, there may be surprises as various musicians might feel the urge to join others on stage or on the dance floor. The Abita Springs appearance by the Maryland Jazz Band will cap a busy day for the German group who will perform from 3-4 p.m. for an invitation only audience at the historic Dew Drop Jazz Hall in Mandeville. This program is also co-sponsored with the Cultural Alliance of the Americas. A Brief Background to Bring It On Home Co-founded by Vappie, an internationally acclaimed New Orleans musician, Bring It On Home (BIOH) came into existence after Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed New Orleans in 2005 and sent thousands of the city's musicians fleeing for their lives and winding up scattered around the country. As recovery efforts slowly began to unfold after the storm, Vappie and others conceived of an organization dedicated to encouraging musicians to come back, using BIOH to create concerts, as well as, other methods of finding avenues for producing income in the city for the displaced musical community. The initial effort was held on Nov. 5, 2005 in Bogue Falaya Park in Covington featuring such New Orleans jazz stars as Leah Chase, George French, Phillip Manuel, the Storyville Stompers and Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders. Actually when the storm hit, Vappie and his band were in the midst of a tour of the northeastern United States. Success of the event prompted Bring It On Own to stage its second production, a Rent Party, on April 17, 2006 at the Howlin' Wolf club in the Warehouse District. That show featured, among others, Lillian Boutte, Germaine Bazzle, Lucien Barbarian, Victor Goines, Michael Doucet, Leroy Jones, Vappie, David Torkanowsky and the Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne. Now, two years later, Rent Party 2008 returns as part of the Bring It On Home (BIOH) series with BIOH now under the umbrella of the relatively new non-profit organization, the Cultural Alliance of the Americas. The Cultural Alliance was created to foster and participate in collaboration with other organizations and individuals to explore cultural connections between people, communities, regions and countries. In addition, the Alliance will encourage and conduct research into cultural diversity and cultural connections; provide educational programs for children and adults; create cooperative programming with other organizations; and produce and support programming that will create jobs and stimulate regional economies. Milly Vappie, Director of the Cultural Alliance, said the Abita Springs concert is the first of several events showcasing the many cultures that have contributed to the state's rich heritage. A Brief, Informal History of the "Rent Party" Early in the 20th century, as a consequence of the great southern black migration to the north, New York and other large northern cities were recipients of new creative impulses, including the burgeoning music of jazz, and the inclusion of African and Caribbean influences on American cuisine. Some of this integration of ideas and cultures was clearly attributed to rent parties, a primary form of social interaction for blacks both in northern cities, and in southern cities such as New Orleans. While their exact evolution is a little unclear, the famous "Rent Parties" of the Harlem Renaissance of the 20's and 30's were clearly derived from the "Shin-Digs" and "Fish Fries" of the Deep South, especially New Orleans. An ingenious form of social welfare, rent parties both served to redistribute assets to those most in need, and provided a venue that many credit as vital to the development of jazz. Bookmark