Five years ago, New Orleans was in the in the midst of coping with the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina. At the time, four displaced jazz musicians from “The Big Easy” were invited to play classical jazz at four different venues in Louisville. For that one weekend in 2005, the Louisville community housed them and gave them places to play their music far removed from the Katrina tragedy. Dr. Michael White, a legendary clarinetist, was among them.
Now, five years later, Dr. White is returning to Louisville to again lead a quartet of world-renowned musicians in hopes of raising money to support clean-up efforts in the Gulf that are not covered by British Petroleum.
Adath Jeshurun Congregation’s Cantor David Lipp says, “I was thrilled with the way the citizens and businesses in Kentucky supported and helped these musicians whose livelihoods have been taken away by Hurricane Katrina. Now the Gulf region is being ruined again, and we need to help.”
Donations and arrangements for sponsorships and underwriting for this event can be made through a secure website, www.adathjeshurun.com/jazz.
All donations and sponsorships are tax deductible and net proceeds will go to The Gulf Oil Spill Fund supported by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the National Wildlife Federation’s “Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund”.
The musicians, who will perform in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and across the world, will also play at various venues around Louisville, including a free concert and dessert reception at Adath Jeshurun on Saturday, September 4, at 8:45 p.m. The concert will be held in conjunction with WFPK’s Kentucky HomeFront radio show with John Gage, and will be taped for later broadcast. CDs of jazz performances by Dr. White, Gage and Louisville jazz pianist Harry Pickens will be available for purchase and signing following the performance.
Dessert and a bourbon tasting will follow at 10:30, and the Selichot service will begin at 11.
More information on the concerts will be posted and updated on the synagogue’s website: www.adathjeshurun.com/jazz.
Cantor Lipp remarked that “Despite the hard economic times in our community, we all desperately want to help the Gulf region. Charities to receive support from this concert are being carefully screened to ensure that all the monies raised above and beyond the cost of the program will go to preeminent organizations that provide the best care for area residents and for the wildlife affected by this disaster.”
For further information on the musicians, log onto www.basinstreetrecords.com.
