Evan Christopher and Don Vappie: the Storyville Centennial Project at Little Gem Saloon

About

The ambassador of New Orleans clarinet and banjo/guitar virtuoso Don Vappie will debut their new ensemble "The Storyville Centennial Project." Combining Vappie's brand of what he calls "Creole Jazz" with Christopher's emphasis on keeping early New Orleans music contemporary, the group will transform repertoire traditional New Orleans canon. Although there is much mythology to be dispelled about the impact of the Storyville District (1897-1917) on the evolution of jazz, the Storyville Centennial Project focuses simply on finding new ways to treat the music from that era. Jelly Roll Morton figures prominently in the groups narrative and it is fitting that the group debuts at the historic Little Gem Saloon, which was a music nightspot on the frontier of "The District" as early as 1904.