Elliott's at the Blackburn and the dining and entertaining Web site Udine4less.com will present a free summer concert at Stage Fort Park, featuring the rhythms and flavors of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou.
The event, called Rhythms & Flavours Summer Extravaganza featuring Henri Smith, Nat Simpkins, Allen Estes and more, is set for Sunday, Sept, 7 from 2 to 7 p.m., and is being sponsored by Vista Motel, The Heights at Cape Ann, and OneTouchDeals.com.
The show will spotlight New Orleans jazz, blues, Americana and a special appearance by New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian, Gerald "The Giant" French, in full regalia. Traditional and exotic food by local restaurants, including Elliott's, Jalapeños and others will be available for purchase.
Rhythms & Flavours Summer Extravaganza is produced by Van Ness Group, the people who produced Celebrate Gloucester and Concert from the Heart last year and co-produced music for the Gloucester Sidewalk Bazaar and Downtown Block Party with Blackburn Performing Arts this year.
In the event of rain, the concert would be moved to Blackburn Performing Arts at 1 Washington St. in downtown Gloucester.
As for the performers, vocalist Henri Smith has been thrilling audiences in his hometown of New Orleans for years with his sophisticated swing and dramatic delivery of jazz, blues, and Cajun-flavored music. He relocated to Massachusetts in 2005 after losing his home to hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans born and bred, Smith has long been a radio personality on WWOZ FM, the radio arm of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. His radio show featured the contemporary jazz that he loves and now sings professionally. With many connections in the music world, he frequently served as emcee at the New Orleans Jazz Fest for artists such as Kermit Ruffins and Ellis Marsalis. Smith now hosts "N'Awlins East" on Cape Ann TV and has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including "The Great Debaters," "21," "The Game Plan," "All the Kings Men" and "Double Jeopardy."
Gerald P. French started playing drums at the age of 5. He is the son of George French and part of the pantheon of illustrious New Orleans musical families. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he was featured in Southern's well respected band.
French has traveled and performed with hundreds of musicians, treating listeners around the world to his varied style. Harry Connick Jr., Leroy Jones, Dr. John, Dr. Michael White, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, are just a few of the many groups he has worked with. He has appeared on numerous recordings, movie soundtracks and television scores.
For the past 12 years, Gerald has spent the month of August touring in Japan with the New Orleans Allstars. He has been heard on many occasions at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the French Quarter Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Montana Jazz Festival, Waiheke Island, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Since 2001, Mr. French has backed the legendary Ms. Charmaine Neville, the darlin' of New Orleans. French's special appearance with Smith will be his only performance in Massachusetts this year.
Allen Estes is a songwriter, musician and educator. His musical groups have included Madhouse, Steamboat Willie, The Estes Boys and Trinity Lane. His current group, The Allen Estes Band, records and performs regularly. His songs have been recorded by The Judds, Tammy Wynette and Tom Wopat. He has co-written with Wynette and Shania Twain and other Nashville notables and performed with Bonnie Raitt. A lecturer in song writing and performance at Berklee School of Music, Estes has appeared on television, received many awards and resides in both Gloucester and Nashville.
Though he started out on the piano at 8, Nat Simpkins switched to tenor sax at the age of 13 on the advice of his doctor, who suggested that playing this horn would help cure him of asthma. Simpkins has appeared with many major jazz figures in addition to the Texas Tenors, including Ray Bryant, Branford Marsalis, and the Count Basie alumnae band, the Countsmen. He has worked at festivals and major jazz venues including the Village Vanguard. Along the way, Simpkins has produced or co-produced 13 albums and has a teaching practice.
Anyone seeking more information on the concert may contact http://www.udine4less.com/Rhythms-Flavours.cfm, http://www.blackburnperformingarts.org or http://www.vngroup.com/Entertainment.html.
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