The New Orleans Jazz Museum presents Gerald French. Join us as we celebrate the artists that make New Orleans a world destination for music.
This program takes place inside our third floor Performance Center, listening room. Admission is free and open to the public, seating is limited and offered first come, first serve.
Enjoy Jazz Music from home with the New Orleans Jazz Museum! Join the Jazz Museum online for our daily Live-Stream Concert Series, in which dynamic musicians perform live from the Jazz Museum! Tune in at 2pm on facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/live to watch for free.
Mikhala “Jazz Muffin’ Iversen
Mikhala “Jazz Muffin’ Iversen is an international recording artist, born and raised in Copenhagen Denmark “I grew up in a revolutionary jazz house. Surrounded by some of the biggest legends in Jazz. Josephine Baker, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone, Etta Cameron where my “Aunties “Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Louis Armstrong (*see picture) Ernie Wilkins, Teddy Wilson (Billie Holidays pianist) where “uncles” all familiar faces and personalities in my childhood home. My mother Rosita Thomas Wolsgaard-Iversen, was a jazz singer and my dad Henrik Wolsgaard-Iversen a jazz lover and journalist”.
Song of resistance, Billie Holiday, songs and especially her early work with Lester Young, has always been a cornerstone of my favorite jazz repertoire. Honoring her music legacy came naturally to me. However grandiose it might seem, being a jazz singer, and maybe the jazz community of my parents, have given me the courage to sing her songs. I think it’s so important to continue sharing beautiful, sweet, and sometimes very hard songs. It’s the best music in the world to me.
Defining “Lady Day”, Many have tried, and few have succeeded. I don’t think I can define her any better than keeping her songs alive and remembering Ms. Holidays bliss. When she sang she was happy, a repertoire from the time she was strong and healthy.
Gerald French
From the birthplace of Jazz and the city of family Music Traditions. Gerald French is from one of the pioneering families of New Orleans Traditional Jazz. For the passed 15 years, he has been the drummer for Ms. Charmaine Neville, the Darlin of New Orleans and has been the drummer for the Dixie Cups for the pass two years and counting. In November of 2004, he was given the opportunity to joint Harry Connick Jr. Big Band. Mr. French is a graduate of Alcee Foriter Senior High School, Delgado Community College of New Orleans and attended Southern University of Baton Rouge where he played in the band. He was the percussion teacher at St. Mary's Academy and serviced as the Assistant Band Director.
Mr. French has traveled and performed with several musicians such as: Leroy Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, Dr. Michael White, Lillan Boutte, Jermy Davenport, Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, Preservation Hall Jazz Band just to name a few. He has appeared on several recordings and television shows such as: Fulton Street Live with Ingrid Lucia and George French, Leroy Jones; Prop's for Pop's, Ingrid Lucia; Fortune, Almost Blue and Don't Stop, Big Al Carson; Bring Your Drinking Ass Home, Craig Klein; Trombonism, Cubamismo's; Mardi Gras Mambo, and Leroy Jones; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Today Show with Harry Connick Jr.. For the passed twenty years, he has traveled to Japan with the New Orleans All-stars in the month of August.
Mr. French is known as "The Giant" for his own original style of drumming and because of that, he has traveled around the world playing all types of music. He has appeared in Modern Drummer Magazine in the October 1996 issue. French has performed at several festivals including New Orleans French Quarter Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival , Ascona New Orleans and Classics Jazz Festival in Ascona, Switzerland, North Sea Jazz Festival, Festival International De Jazz De Montreal, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Montana Jazz; Waiheke Island in New Zealand and Montroux Jazz Festival. Mr. French as been an endorsee of Sabian Cymbals for the passed five years. On September 19, 2008, Gerald was given an endorsement from Taye Drums. He is currently working with The Joe Ashlar Organ Trio, Fritzel’s Jazz Band, his own original bands Abstract and Déjà vu. In December 2011 Gerald was passed the touché of band leader of the oldest jazz band The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band.