04/30/2024
Patrice Fisher & Arpa, with Les Alizes French Caribbean musicians: Claire Le Fur - harp, Aix En Provence, Franck Bilot - clarinet, French Guyane, Sissi Percussion, Martinique at:
WEDNESDAY May 1, 6:00pm
as Special Guests of the Bayou Harp Ensemble
South Library, Lafayette
THURSDAY, May 2, 6:00pm
Thursdays at Twilight
City Park Botanical Gardens
FRIDAY, May 3, 12:40pm, Lagniappe Stage
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
SATURDAY May 4, 2:00pm
South Slidell Library
SUNDAY May 5, 2:00pm,
East Jefferson Library
CLAIRE LE FUR, French harpist, created a Caribbean Music festival in the French Island of Martinique, entitled "Days of the Harp," bringing together harpists from different cultures, as well as other musicians, like flutists, guitarists, clarinetists, violinists and vocalists. She regularly performs French Creole traditional music with her group “Les Alizés” (Trade Winds Quintet), composed of musicians from France, French Guyana and the French Caribbean.
CYRIL "SISSI" LICYR is an experienced Martinican percussionist and flautist, who has worked in the service of traditional music for over 40 years. His career led him to regularly accompany the greatest musicians of the West Indies at music festivals through the Caribbean, Europe and South America. He also works as an educator and cultural worker, through his project, “Sissi Percussion” at schools and prisons in the Lamentin area of Martinique. Sissi’s goal is to make traditional basic rhythms played on instruments like the drum, ti-bois and chacha, known to the children of Lamentin.
FRANCK BILOT is a French Clarinetist who has born in Pointe-Noire, Congo. He lives in Cayenne, French Guyana, where he teaches and performs with his wife, Veronique, who is a vocalist. Franck has performed with Claire le Fur and Les Alizes at festivals in French Guyana, Europe and South America, as well as the French Antilles islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. He has also performed with many well known musicians from the French West Indies and South America. He is a Gold medalist in clarinet and chamber music from the Bordeaux Conservatory,
performing with
PATRICE FISHER and ARPA
Latin jazz harpist, PATRICE FISHER favors the music of New Orleans, Brazil and Cuba, saying that, not only is the harp ‘comfortable’ harmonically with the music, but she is drawn to its complexities and syncopations: “That’s what makes you want to dance.” Patrice is a graduate of Tulane and Wolf Trap and lives in New Orleans, where she has been composing and performing since the 1980’s. She has appeared at numerous international jazz festivals with her group, “Arpa,” in Bolivia, Brazil, Martinique and Guatemala. Patrice has 15 CDs of original music, the latest being "Happy Socks." She has performed, for more than 30 years, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Pianist, FRAN COMISKEY, is a Louisiana compose and a graduate in music of New Orleans Delgado College. She studied piano with jazz legend, Ellis Marsalis. Fran has performed and recorded with Patrice Fisher, for more than 30 years. She also plays with the Jazz fusion group, Woodenhead. Her compositions are masterful blends of exotic poly-rhythms and virtuoso piano textures.
Flutist, BETSY BRAUD, a talented jazz soloist & composer of Cajun heritage. She studied with jazz giant, Alvin Batiste. She calls herself the Jazz Nurse and is affectionately known as OWO, Oh Weird One). Betsy, a registered nurse, has been moonlighting on the Louisiana jazz scene for over 30 years. She performs on flute, sax and piano. Betsy is an advocate for music as a healing force. Betsy is a protégé of the legendary jazz educator Alvin Batiste of Southern University Jazz Institute.
CARLOS VALLADARES is a professional percussionist who lives in New Orleans. He was born in Guatemala, where he studied percussion with Lenin Fernandez of the group Alux Nahual. He also studied with Brazilian percussionists, Ton Toy and Giba Conceicao and Mexican percussionist, Javier Cabrera. Carlos moved to New Orleans in 1988 and married harpist, Patrice Fisher. Since then, he has been working in Patrice Fisher's Arpa group. He has participated in five recording projects with Arpa, including their latest CD, Happy Socks. Carlos has performed at festivals in Germany, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil and El Salvador He has performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival annually since 1989.
ADAM SAMOLSKY has been playing the bass since childhood and feels so lucky to be able to do it professionally. He has performed with Patrice Fisher and Arpa and New Orleans music groups, Single Malt Please and Whoop Du Jour. He studied at Tulane University. He spent the summer of 2023 traveling through Brazil and studying the music there.
Presented by the Ecos Latinos Series, The New Orleans Chapter, American Harp Society and North Shore Chapter, American Harp Society
This program is supported by grants from
New Orleans Tourism and Culture Fund
Mayor's Office of Cultural Economy
Arts Council of New Orleans
Community Arts Grant
made possible by the City of New Orleans
Louisiana Division of the Arts
Musicians for Music
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation
St. Tammany Commission on Cultural Affairs
National Endowment for the Arts
