PUTNEY — The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents Glen David Andrews, “The Crown Prince of Tremé and New Orleans' most charismatic live performer,” on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m., at The Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Road.
“New Orleans music goes straight to the soul, and I can't think of a better artist than Glen David Andrews who exudes that energy and brings it onto the stage,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director at Next Stage Arts, said in a news release. “When we're curating the Bandwagon Series, energy and cultural diversity are at the forefront. This show is for the dancers.
“Andrews travels around the world bringing that level of New Orleans soul to audiences, and we're incredibly excited to present this artist toward the end of our series.”
Andrews, a native son and a beloved musician of New Orleans, has been described as a warrior for cultural preservation at a time when Indigenous traditions are being threatened in the city. His commanding voice and fierce trombone sound - both a powerful, emotional, and resonant blend of smoothness and grit - as well as his disarmingly honest manner, provide a musical experience that never fails to meet the moment.
The news release describes his music as “packed with beauty, hard-earned truths, compassion, humor, anger, joy, and - most of all - hope.” Andrews comes from a storied and extended family of musicians. He was born in New Orleans' historic Tremé neighborhood, which many consider to be the oldest Black community in the United States.
Transfixed by the magic and mystery of the city's second-line parades, Andrews says he and his older brother, Derrick Tabb of the Rebirth Brass Band, along with their younger cousin Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, learned the history of the brass band tradition firsthand from iconic figures like Tuba Fats.
Andrews has been touring since the age of 14, performing in cities around the world. He has played in New Birth, Lil Rascals, and Tremé brass bands, bringing equal measures of musicianship and showmanship to each. He now fronts his own ensemble that fuses traditions including jazz, gospel, rock, blues, and funk, all in the same show, sometimes in the same song.
In recent years, he has played at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and has also performed at the Voodoo Music Experience, Chicago Folk & Roots Festival, Houston International Festival, Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, House of Blues Nola, Tipitina's, and Kansas City's American Jazz Museum.
Andrews has released several recordings under his own name, including the popular Redemption and Portrait of the Tremé Prince and is featured on the Galactic hit “You Don't Know” from the album Ya-Ka-May.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate. Children under 12 enter free. This show is included in the Bandwagon Series Pass. For more information and updates, visit nextstagearts.org.