A group of more than 50 musicians and music-lovers, including jazz artists Paul English and Joe LoCascio, have come together to help out those musicians displaced by Katrina. “Many musicians have lost everything," says founder Paul English. “We are musicians helping musicians. We're opening our stage to them, sharing our gigs, our instruments, our homes. Anything we can do to help them find immediate work and become a part of our community."
“New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, and these musicians, more than any other have honored this heritage and continued the traditions of the founders. As much to the music itself, we owe it to them and to our musical forefathers to continue this legacy and keep it alive for generations to come."
What we are doing:
• compiling a data base of names of musicians, instruments, work experience, present location and contact info. We will publish that directory on our website and allow direct access by those who are trying to contact them or who would like to hire them.
• working with local professional musicians to share the work that we already have by hiring subs from our list or sharing the night with some of these musicians, promoting them and bringing them to the attention of the general public
• working with local restaurants, hotels, clubs etc. in the Houston area to create new jobs to allow the great music of New Orleans to be heard live all over our town – and employ these musicians who need the work now
• interfacing with schools and private studios to find students or teaching positions for these musicians
• providing assistance and New Orleans musicians to those producing benefit concerts
• helping those musicians without instruments buy, rent or borrow instruments so they can earn a living. We are working with music stores, local schools and individuals and have started a “buddy system” with professional musicians who may have an extra instrument to share.
• helping our guest musicians get settled in our area, whether temporarily or permanently, by directing them to various relief organizations and finding the aid that they need now
• accepting charitable donations through our umbrella 501(c)3 and sister organization, the Musicians Benevolent Society of Houston, for disbursement to victims for immediate need not covered by other aid groups, such as musical instruments to play on, transportation to and from gigs, work clothes, etc.
• mobilizing a volunteer work force to meet all these challenges – and more, I am sure.
“New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz, and these musicians, more than any other have honored this heritage and continued the traditions of the founders. As much to the music itself, we owe it to them and to our musical forefathers to continue this legacy and keep it alive for generations to come."
What we are doing:
• compiling a data base of names of musicians, instruments, work experience, present location and contact info. We will publish that directory on our website and allow direct access by those who are trying to contact them or who would like to hire them.
• working with local professional musicians to share the work that we already have by hiring subs from our list or sharing the night with some of these musicians, promoting them and bringing them to the attention of the general public
• working with local restaurants, hotels, clubs etc. in the Houston area to create new jobs to allow the great music of New Orleans to be heard live all over our town – and employ these musicians who need the work now
• interfacing with schools and private studios to find students or teaching positions for these musicians
• providing assistance and New Orleans musicians to those producing benefit concerts
• helping those musicians without instruments buy, rent or borrow instruments so they can earn a living. We are working with music stores, local schools and individuals and have started a “buddy system” with professional musicians who may have an extra instrument to share.
• helping our guest musicians get settled in our area, whether temporarily or permanently, by directing them to various relief organizations and finding the aid that they need now
• accepting charitable donations through our umbrella 501(c)3 and sister organization, the Musicians Benevolent Society of Houston, for disbursement to victims for immediate need not covered by other aid groups, such as musical instruments to play on, transportation to and from gigs, work clothes, etc.
• mobilizing a volunteer work force to meet all these challenges – and more, I am sure.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
