Concord Community Music School faculty member and multi-instrumentalist Eric Klaxton will present the next Bach Lunch Lecture on an exploration of how three musical mavericks made a lasting impact on American culture, in “Pioneers of New Orleans Music: Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and Fats Waller,”
The sessions will be held Thursday, March 5, at 12:10 p.m.
Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, a New Orleans native, championed New Orleans music around the country and world, eventually becoming a household name. Fewer know the name of clarinetist and saxophonist Sidney Bechet, another native to the Crescent City. As Armstrong was to the trumpet, Bechet was to the saxophone. Up in Harlem, Fats Waller was writing songs and developing a style of piano playing that had roots in New Orleans that would in turn influence the New Orleans style for years to come.
Then, on Thursday, March 12, at 12:10 p.m., Klaxton is joined by Mike Effenberger, Scott Kiefner, and Zach Lange to play a Bach’s Lunch Concert, “New Orleans Traditional Music.” Playing together for years, this quartet has formed a considerable bond through the investigation and performance of traditional New Orleans music. The influence of New Orleans on American music and culture is inescapable, yet often overlooked. The often (beautifully) simplistic and familiar melodies combined with the expressive and unpredictable nature of improvisation captured audiences around the country, and eventually, the world. Audiences find themselves hooked and can’t help but to enjoy this music as much as the performers themselves.
Bach’s Lunch programs are free and open to the public, and take place from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. on the first and second Thursdays of each month, November through May, in the Music School’s Recital Hall, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord. You should bring your own lunch.
For more information, call 228-1196 or visit ccmusicschool.org.
