INTRODUCING

THE NEW ORLEANS GENTLEMEN OF JAZZ

TopTone Music91 rue du faubourg Saint Honoré75008 Paris Licences d'entrepreneur de spectacle: 2-1074911 et 107-4912Siret 800 702 417 RCS PARISContact pour l’Europe Xavier BARON Tel : 06 22 02 37 81Email : booking@soultimemusic.com xpbaron@gmail.com

THE NEW ORLEANS GENTLEMEN OF JAZZ

The New Orleans Gentlemen of Jazz is a brand new project founded by bandleader WendellBrunious with the intention of reintroducing the music of Louis Armstrong to the contemporaryworld.

Brunious is a widely-regarded trumpeter and vocalist in the New Orleans tradition. He hasrecruited the cream of the crop to be a part of this outstanding group of musicians. The A-list all-star band consists of: Wendell Brunious (trumpet and cornet); Delfeayo Marsalis (trombone);Roderick Paulin (saxophone); Tom Sancton (clarinet, saxophone); Steve Pistorius (piano);Shannon Powell (drums); Richard Moten (upright bass); and Kid Merv Campbell (vocals).

The New Orleans Gentlemen of Jazz will present a unique experience of the music and life ofhistory's most famous son of New Orleans Louis "Pops" Armstrong.

Armstrong was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and singer who was one of the pivotaland most influential figures in jazz music. His career spanned from the 1920s to the 1960s,covering many different eras of jazz.

Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong wasa foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation tosolo performance. With his instantly recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also aninfluential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melodyof a song for expressive purposes.

Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career inthe 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general.

The New Orleans Gentlemen of Jazz is available for touring and private events throughout theworld. A tour of Europe is in the works and the long-term ambition is for the project to performwith symphony orchestras internationally.

In New Orleans we have so much to thank Louis Armstrong for. He's the father of us all. He revolutionized not onlyjazz but influenced rock and roll music and rhythm and blues, brass band music, he did it all. For example theintroduction of "West End Blues" changed music and life forever. It made everybody believe that they could playsolos, something new for that time in music history. There is so much in those few seconds of music that it changedmusic forever."-Wendell Brunious

"As musicians, we have to keep Pop’s legacy going. We can’t ever stop talking about him. Pop’s journey wasincredible. He came from the streets of New Orleans, playing from his gut. Eventually he went on to transform awhole music genre, giving much music for the world to enjoy. We owe him so much for what he did for the music.He is our native son, our treasure."-Shannon Powell

"Louis Armstrong was such a great ambassador of America that it is an honor to pay tribute to him through music.His phenomenal trumpet playing and vocalizing represented true joy, happiness and love for humanity. He set thegold standard of excellence that we all strive to achieve. His spirit resonates in every note we play as jazzmusicians."-Delfeayo Marsalis

WENDELL BRUNIOUS

New Orleans music, in its purest form, flows easily and effortlessly. It swings with a spiritedstrut, infused with an unabashed sense of fun.

The music of New Orleans jazz trumpeter and vocalist Wendell Brunious is all that and more.The standard-bearer for a family of musicians with deep roots in the Seventh Ward’s close-knitCreole community, Brunious ranks among the city’s most astute and elegant jazzmen, a trumpettitan in a trumpet town.

His repertoire of more than 1,500 songs, built across a 40-year career, ranges from LouisArmstrong and Clifford Brown to the Beatles and Burt Bacharach. Early Dixieland, the GreatAmerican Songbook, gospel hymns, second-line standards, pop melodies, New Orleans rhythm& blues, intimate ballads -- all are brought to life via his horn and a warm, expressive voice.

His chops are formidable – he’s equally adept at trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn -- but his goal isalways the same. “I’m there to please the audience,” he says. “I’m not there to show off. And I’malways paying homage to the guys who came before me.”

Brunious fronted the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for 23 years and still performs at its namesakeFrench Quarter venue most Sundays.

His personal lineage includes his father, John “Picket” Brunious Sr., a trumpeter who studied atJulliard and arranged music for Cab Calloway and Billy Eckstine. His uncle Willie Santiago wasa renowned early jazz guitarist. His older brother John was a trumpeter who, like Wendell, ledthe venerable Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

He painstakingly transcribed music and lyrics for dozens of traditional jazz songs. He marchedwith the Olympia Brass Band, whose leader, Harold “Duke” Dejean, was his father’s first cousin.He spent years alongside Albert “Papa” French and former Ink Spots singer Lloyd Washingtonin the 100-year-old Original Tuxedo Jazz Band.

Brunious is an in-demand featured guest for other artists’ recordings. His gorgeous, golden-huedflugelhorn solo on “That’s My Home” is a highlight of Dr. John’s 2014 Louis Armstrong tribute,“Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch.”

His horn has taken him around the world, from navigating the intricate “Cornet Chop Suey”during an Armstrong tribute at the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland to recreating clarinetistGeorge Lewis’ historic 1964 tour of Japan with an all-star band.

DELFEAYO MARSALIS

Delfeayo Marsalis was born in New Orleans on July 28, 1965, and was destined to a life inmusic. He is a member of a famous musical family (father Ellis and brothers Branford, Wyntonand Jason) and as a family, was awarded the nation's highest jazz honor- a National Endowmentfor the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2011.

After briefly trying the bass and drums, Marsalis gravitated towards the trombone at an earlyage, which he felt was an extension of his personality. He attended the New Orleans Center forCreative Arts and considered his influences to include J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Al Grey andTommy Dorsey. Delfeayo went on to major in performance and audio production at the BerkleeCollege of Music.

From the age of 17 until the present, Marsalis has produced over 100 recordings for major artistsincluding Harry Connick, Jr, Marcus Roberts, Spike Lee, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Roberts,Adam Makowicz, Nicholas Payton, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the projects of Ellis,Branford and Wynton Marsalis.

In addition, Marsalis has toured internationally with Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, SlideHampton Max Roach and Elvin Jones. He also toured with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestraand was filmed as a part of the Ken Burns documentary "Jazz".

RODERICK PAULIN

Roderick Paulin is  an  accomplished  composer,  arranger,  producer,  and  educator.  Roderick’scollaborations with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Aaron Neville, Allen Toussaint, DelfeayoMarsalis, Maceo Parker, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has made him a highly sought afterartist of impeccable standards for the last 25 years. In the summer 2015, he received theesteemed honor of serving as a faculty member of The LOUIS “Satchmo” ARMSTRONG JAZZCAMP led by Artist Director and Paulin’s former college professor Edward “Kidd” Jordan.

A New Orleans native, Paulin began playing the saxophone at the tender age of eight-years-old.Shortly afterward, while only in the 6th grade, he began performing with his father, legendarytraditional jazz musician, Ernest “Doc”  Paulin. Roderick and his five older brothers were thecore of his  father’s  band- The Doc Paulin Dixieland Jazz Band- performing brass band musicacross the globe. Roderick readily acknowledges his father teaching the importance ofpreparation, musicianship, timeliness, flexibility and fortitude to be successful in theentertainment industry.

Paulin epitomizes music and musicianship: performing traditional jazz music as if the listener ishearing it for the first time, while being able to weave seamlessly between contemporary, bebop,avant-garde, and R&B genres.

Paulin’s  musical  dossier  includes  being  a  featured  artist  at  the  Essence  Music  Festival,  beingcommissioned to arrange the music of Piano legend Ray Charles featuring pianist DavellCrawford, and a featured artist to perform the musical stylings of Alvin  “Red”  Tyleraccompanied by The Contemporary Arts Orchestra. He has appeared on television episodes ofHBO’s  Tremé,  Studio  60  featuring  D.L.  Hughley  Christmas  Special  and  The  Craig  KilbornShow.

TOM SANCTON

Tom Sancton is an internationally-known jazz clarinetist and a former student of the late, greatGeorge Lewis—an apprenticeship he lovingly chronicled in Song for My Fathers.

Featured on more than a dozen CD’s, Tom Sancton (a.k.a. Tommy) has toured widely in Europeand the U.S., and has played at major international jazz festivals, including numerousappearances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He also appeared alongside WoodyAllen in the 1998 film Wild Man Blues.

A graduate of Harvard and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Sancton has played regularly at suchlegendary jazz venues as Preservation Hall, the Palm Court Jazz Cafe, and Snug Harbor. A stageversion of Song For My Fathers, featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, was presented atTulane  University’s  Dixon  Hall  in  2010,  the  Chat  Noir  theater  in  2011,  and  the  TennesseeWilliams Literary Festival in 2012.

In January 2012, Sancton was featured at a gala 50th anniversary Preservation Hall Jazz Bandconcert at Carnegie Hall. In 2013, the French government named him a Knight (Chevalier) inthe Order of Arts and Letters.

STEVE PISTORIUS

Steve Pistorius has the distinction of being the only living New Orleanian who specializes inearly Jazz piano. Whether playing solo or leading a band, he creates joyful and swingingrenditions of oft-neglected rags, waltzes, marches, pop tunes, blues and stomps.

Love of the music turned into a lifetime profession in 1973. Steve answered an ad for a fivenights a week gig, winning the spot by default as no one else showed up for the audition.Mentored and influenced since then by musicians like Neil Unterseher, Armand Hug, JeanetteKimball, Morton Gunnar Larsen, Butch Thompson, Burt Bales, Don Ewell, Max Morath andEubie Blake, Steve has developed his own style.

Career highlights include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theatre, One Mo' Timeand Pope's Square in Belo Horizontes, Brazil.

Steve has toured the South Pacific, the Far East, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and theMiddle East. He has toured with his own band and with notable bandleaders such as WendellBrunious, Duke Heitger, Michael White, Banu Gibson, Mark Braud and Leon Redbone.

SHANNON POWELL

Shannon Powell is a highly sought after drummer and percussionist who has achievedinternational acclaim for his commanding technique and style. He has performed all over theworld with notables in jazz.

In his early career, Powell toured extensively with Harry Connick, Jr. and released two platinumalbums  with  Connick  including,  "We  Are  in  Love,"  and  "Blue  Light  Red  Light.”  He  alsorecorded "Lofty's Roach Soufflé" with Connick. During subsequent years, Powell has touredwith Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marcus Roberts, Diana Krall, Dr.John, Earl King, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and John Scofield. Powell has also recordedwith a long list of noteworthy artists, including Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Nicholas Payton,Donald Harrison, Irvin Mayfield, Blind Boys of Alabama, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Currently, Powell is a bandleader and has recorded his own CD, "Powell's Place," whichshowcases a mix of traditional and original jazz songs and also features Powell on vocals. Powellis considered a leading force on the traditional jazz circuit

RICHARD MOTEN

Richard L. Moten has been a professional musician since the age of fifteen. Richard started onpiano at age seven, and by his early teens began playing the electric bass. His first jobs were withthe William Houston Youth Orchestra playing dance, R&B, and top forty music of the 60’s and70’s, eventually playing with that band for twenty years. During that time he worked with manybands including Chocolate Milk.

In 1989, Richard transitioned into jazz standards and straight ahead jazz with the guidance ofpianist Carl Franklin, requiring him to switch to upright bass. Over the years, Richard has cometo perform and record with some of the most recognized musicians of the New Orleans jazzscene. He travels regularly to Europe and Japan for feature tours.

Richard continues to live and perform in New Orleans, appearing regularly in such prestigiousvenues as Preservation Hall, Snug Harbor, the Palm Court Jazz Café and - last but not least -Irving Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

KID MERV CAMPBELL

Mervin "Kid Merv" Campbell learned to sing from his mother, Millie Campbell, a gospelsinger at Fairview Baptist Church. When Merv was in fifth grade his mother saved money fromher job as cook and bought Merv a trumpet. Around the same time, Merv saw the Olympia BrassBand in the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" at the birthday party for Miss Ruby, wife ofNew Orleans trumpet legend (and Olympia co-leader) Milton Batiste. At that moment, Mervknew that he wanted to be a jazz musician.

Campbell joined jazz legend Danny Barker as part of the Fairview Baptist Band. In 1983 he wasa part of Barker's Roots of Jazz and performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival andthe World's Fair. Campbell was a member of the St. Augustine High School Marching OneHundred under Edwin Hampton.

In 1997, Merv began work on a solo CD at Milton Batiste’s Dubat Studios. Batiste named Merv“Kid Merv” in honor of Kid Rena. The name stuck and the resulting CD—Kid Merv & All ThatJazz—won two 1997 Offbeat Awards, for Best Traditional and Best Vocal.

Campbell's band, Kid Merv & All That Jazz, is a five-piece playing a range of jazz, from LouisArmstrong to Miles Davis. Kid Merv also is a member of the Tremé Brass Band, where he playslead trumpet and shares vocals. Campbell has traveled around the United States and Europe withTremé Brass Band and the Olympia Brass Band including performances at the Umbria JazzFestival in Perugia, Italy, the Louis Armstrong Festival in Salzburg, Austria and the Pori JazzFestival in Pori, Finland.