What is This Thing Called (Krewe du) Jazz?
This house float was started to celebrate the lives and music of jazz and blues musicians who we have loved and lost throughout this past year.
The house has been thoughtfully designed to honor some of our greatest jazz and blues artists the world has ever known, whose music has been a constant source of comfort and inspiration.
Adorning the front of the house are images and artwork produced by local New Orleans artist, Brendon Palmer-Angell, 7 feet high vibrant portraits of well-known and beloved New Orleans figures including Ellis Marsalis, Al “Big Al” Carson, Alfred “Uganda” Roberts, and Jesse “Midnight Creeper” Hathorne.
Another mural located on the side of the house, designed by Sanguine Skills, depicts a multitude of notable musicians performing together in an imaginary “Who’s Who” jazz lineup, including McCoy Tyner, Henry Gray, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jimmy Heath, Jimmy Cobb, Wallace Roney, Keith “Wolf” Anderson and Steven Edwards, among others, with additional artistic interpretations on the house created by Shannon Delatte and Jared Valence of DVus.
The Krewe du Jazz house float has been sponsored by one of the members of the Board of Directors of the Jazz Foundation of America, a national non-profit organization.
Saving Blues, Jazz and Roots
One musician at a timeFor the past 32 years, the JFA continues to provide life-saving, provides compassionate, discreet and personalized assistance to jazz and blues musicians in need, as a result of age, illness or circumstance.
To learn more about the JFA and to help musicians reeling from the devastation of Covid-19, please visit Jazz Foundation of America for more information.