Festival honoring New Orleans jazz hero Danny Barker

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A festival happening from March 17 to March 23, celebrates a legendary musician credited for almost single-handedly keeping the distinctive sound of New Orleans alive.

According to guitarist Detroit Brooks, “Danny Barker’s the one that really has the music happening today. The brass bands and stuff because he took the time to come back and work with the kids. A lot of the others did their thing, but Danny decided he wanted to share his life and his life experiences with the kids.

Barker already had a decades long career on the national stage when he decided to move home, starting the famed Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band as a means to teach our city’s traditional music to young people.

The 11th Annual Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival lives in that same vein, according to New Orleans Jazz Museum Executive Director Greg Lamboussy.

According to Lamboussy, “At the heart of it is education and that’s what Danny Barker was all about. There’s a number of programs but it continues that spirit connecting it with us and our educational programs.”

This week around the city there’s plenty of good music including that of Brooks and Mahmoud Chouki, all in celebration of Barker.

Brooks said, “Danny didn’t teach saxophone, Danny didn’t teach trumpet. I think it was basically, the culture. Understand what you’re doing it. Not just get up and pick up a horn.”

For all the information about the event visit the Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival website.

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