The DC Jazz Festival ends on a triumphant note with “A Night in Treme: The Musical Majesty of New Orleans.” Music director Donald Harrison has sidelined his own career to tour with musicians and actors from the successful HBO series “Treme,” soon to begin its third season. Treme is a New Orleans neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina, yet held together by its musical past. Joining Harrison in this concert are the Rebirth Brass Band, singer/trumpeter James Andrews, historian/clarinetist Dr. Michael White and funky trombonist Big Sam Williams. Wendell Pierce, who plays Antoine Batiste on the TV series, will narrate the history of the distinctive neighborhood.
“I became involved in the HBO series to show the lives and music of our community,” Harrison said. “For this tour, we chose songs with a historical background to convey the tradition that goes back to Africa and Europe. New Orleans is the only city in the world with a real jazz culture that must be preserved.”
| Onstage |
| ‘A Night in Treme’ |
| Where: Kennedy Center Concert Hall |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Monday |
| Info: $20 to $65; 202-467-4600, 800-444-1324; kennedy-center.org |
From the age of 2, Harrison has been part of New Orleans music culture and is the only modern jazz musician who has actively participated in the Mardi Gras Indian Culture. Now the Big Chief of Congo Square, Harrison follows his late father in a position of honor and prestige. His expertise in every musical genre from traditional New Orleans jazz to classical evokes respect and awe wherever he performs. For the past two years, he has consulted to HBO about ways the citizens are trying to rebuild their lives, homes and unique culture in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“Music is the glue that kept New Orleans alive after Katrina,” he said. “It was the one good thing we could count on in the middle of a community of dilapidated houses and destruction like a war zone. We had to celebrate with music or we would have stayed depressed and never had anything to look forward to.”
The Kennedy Center show will open with “When the Saints Go Marching In” followed by some of the traditional chants of New Orleans, high-society originals and traditional songs that go back to the 1800s taught to Harrison by his father, Big Chief Donald.
“New Orleans jazz is serious fun,” Harrison said. “Even though jazz musicians are serious about their music, jazz takes you to a place where you have fun with it whether dancing, listening or performing. It fits into all aspects of life. My goal is to keep it alive.”
