“The events of hurricane Katrina have forced us all to rethink our relationships and our purpose. I’m glad to see ‘Whisper to Katrina’ shining light on an ongoing issue of strength and courage.”
– Terence Blanchard (Grammy Award winning Jazz trumpeter and film score composer for movies including Spike Lee’s ‘When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts)
This event celebrated the musical history of New Orleans and featured young musicians, spoken work artist Nick Makoha and the photography of Mary Jane Maybury. All proceeds went to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal.
The young performers created a soundscape of the history of jazz, starting with the African rhythms of Congo Square, Spirituals, through to Blues, the Dixieland influence of Louis Armstrong, up until some of the current more contemporary sounds of Wynton Marsalis and the Funk and R&B of The Meters and the Neville Brothers.
The event was directed by renowned musicians Trevor Watkis, Byron Wallen, Eska and Lekan Babalola and included young performers from the World Heart Beat Music Academy.
Watch: Deep River performance at Whisper to Katrina >>
