New Orleans’ annual Ponderosa Stomp Concert is being transported to the Big Apple through a partnership with The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation and New York’s Lincoln Center, celebrating the music and soul of New Orleans with concerts, dancing and a panel discussion.
“The Ponderosa Stomp exists to acknowledge, pay tribute to, and teach the cultural significance of the unsung heroes and heroines of rock-n-roll, rhythm & blues and other forms of American roots music,” according to a statement about the New Orleans annual spring event, held this year April 28-29.
The Ponderosa Stomp At Lincoln Center takes place July 15-17 and 19 in The Big Apple.
The event begins at the Lincoln Center with a July 15 panel discussion called “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” Stomp curator Dr. Ira “Ike” Padnos, soul singer Tammy Lynn and trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard will discuss art and culture in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina. Jazz writer Larry Blumenfeld will moderate the panel.
July 16 and 17 kick off with dance lessons as part of the Center’s Midsummer Nights Swing. Meet up at New York’s’ Damrosch Park for dancing at 6:30 p.m. and music at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 16 is called “The Get Down” with a focus on R&B and soul music. The night is set to feature William Bell, The Bobbettes, Bo-Keys and Harvey Scales.
Friday’s “Best Dance In Town” is all about rockabilly. Following dancing, performances will include Joe Clay, The Collins Kids, Deke Dickerson & The Eccofonics and Carl Mann.
July 19 is a tribute to Wardell Quezergue at the Starr Theatre’s Alice Tully Hall. The musician, arranger and producer, nicknamed “Creole Beethoven” by Allan Toussaint, is responsible for hits such as “Mr. Big Stuff,” “Iko Iko” and “Chapel of Love.”
Artists paying tribute include The Dixie Cups, Robert Parker, Jean Knight, Dorothy Moore, Tammy Lynn, Tony Owens, Zigaboo Modeliste, Dr. John and Michael Hurtt. Quezergue is also making an appearance to lead his ten-piece Wardell Quezergue’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.
Back in New Orleans, the Louisiana State Museum is featuring “Unsung Heroes: The Secret History of Louisiana Rock & Roll,” on display through May 2010.
Tickets for "The Get Down" and "Best Dance in Town" are $15 each. Tickets for the Wardell Quezergue tribute are $30 each. An all-access pass to all three events is only $50.
Tickets for the panel discussion are $30 each.
Click here for the Ponderosa Stomp website.
Click here for ticket information.