GALAX — New Orleans jazz band Tuba Skinny will perform as part of the Deep Roots, Many Voices: Summer Outdoor Concert Series at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 22, in the Blue Ridge Music Center’s outdoor amphitheater on the Blue Ridge Parkway just south of Galax.
Tuba Skinny is a traditional jazz street band based in New Orleans. The group draws inspiration from the early jazz, ragtime, and blues music of the 1920s and 1930s. Band members Shaye Cohn (cornet), Erika Lewis (vocals, bass drum), Barnabus Jones (trombone), Todd Burdick (tuba), Craig Flory (clarinet), Gregory Sherman (guitar, vocals), Max Bien-Kahn (banjo), and Robin Rapuzzi (washboard) are known as world-class interpreters of traditional jazz. However, they have also branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime, and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full catalog of American music from an early 20th century perspective.
Shaye leads the band and is renowned for her musical timing and authentic instrumentation. The granddaughter of jazz saxophonist Al Cohn and daughter of jazz guitarist Joe Cohn, her sound is the best of the traditional New Orleans-style jazz. A classically trained musician, Shaye began playing jazz after moving to New Orleans in 2006. She was inspired by the New York jazz scene of which her grandfather and father were a part and the music of New Orleans great Jelly Roll Morton. Before forming Tuba Skinny, Shaye and several bandmates were part of the New Orleans street bands Dead Man Street Orchestra and Loose Marbles.
As the group’s lead vocalist, Lewis uses her languid drawl to bring emotion and texture to Tuba Skinny’s sound. She is also a prolific songwriter who delves into the ever-expanding pool of roots music styles hopping genres from classic country, to cosmic Americana, to dreamy indie folk. Lewis formed the band, The Lonesome Doves as an outlet for her original songs in 2013. Her singing and songwriting are influenced by greats like Hank Williams, Hazel Dickens, and Joni Mitchell while taking direct inspiration from her community of friends and songwriters that includes such bands as The Deslondes, Hurray For The Riff Raff, and Sundown Songs.
Over the last 15 years, Tuba Skinny has released 13 albums, toured the world, and played at prestigious festivals including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Breda Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, and Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy. The group was featured in an episode of the New Orleans-based HBO series Treme in 2012, and was named Best Traditional Jazz Band by The Big Easy Awards in 2017.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 the day of the show, and $10 for children 12 and younger. Advance tickets are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. Tickets can be purchased on the evening of the show at the admission gates.
Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. The gates open at 5:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m. The Bluffs Restaurant will offer homestyle food and beverages for purchase during the concert. Visitors may bring their own food and beverages into the amphitheater. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
Most Popular
Comments / 0