NOLA’s Royal Family of Music Batiste Fathers and Sons of The New Millennium & BB King’s Blues Club in New Orleans Host Disaster Relief Benefit
MEDIA RELEASE
DATE: DECEMBER 10, 2020
NOLA’s Royal Family of Music Batiste Fathers and Sons of The New Millennium &
BB King’s Blues Club in New Orleans Host Disaster Relief Benefit,
Women’s Empowerment & A Family Reunion, December 18, 19, & 20
Knowing the pain of sudden destruction, “NOLA” is responding the best way it knows how with its culture of music and food. Damon Batiste’s New Orleans South Africa Connection (NOSACONN), with a focus on Music, Arts and Culture Recovery and BB King’s Blues Club have leveraged the elements of music, food and location to create a memorable experience that will help the hurricane survivors and also the attendees of the virtual and live event. The socially distanced audience members will benefit by knowing they have assisted in helping fellow human beings in the spirit of Christmas overcome a disaster.
New Orleans-It’s a weekend of purpose as Batiste Fathers and Sons of The New Millennium pioneered by Damon Batiste and David Batiste Sr., New Orleans’ “Royal Family of Music” stacks the deck for fun, enlightenment and philanthropy all driven with purpose as hurricane relief on Friday, women’s empowerment on Saturday and a Sunday welcome home for Peter G. Batiste take center stage at BB King’s Blues Club in New Orleans, December 18-20th.
Damon Batiste founder of New Orleans South Africa Connection (NOSACONN), with a focus on Music, Arts, and Culture Recovery has teamed with Charles Sharp and the Black Emergency Managers Association International (BEMA) and Sergio Cabrera, founder of Mambo Mundo to organize “Operacion Asentamientos Humanos” to create a disaster preparedness and relief campaign through an international physical and virtual disaster relief concert at the BB King’s Blues Club on Friday, December 18th.
During the 2020 hurricane season, two “level 4” hurricanes, “Eta & Iota,” struck the Caribbean and Central America causing extensive loss of life, destruction of livestock, homes and the devastation of economies. The storms exacerbated the struggle of the survivors as the result of the global Covid-19 pandemic that began March 2020. “Operacion Asentamientos Humanos” is a call to action to help relieve the critical situation.
The concert headlines Grammy Award- winning Latin artists: Jorge Moreno, Xperimento, Jose Conde, Jamal Batiste and others from the Caribbean who have volunteered their talent and time to help raise awareness, money and relief materials for thousands of people in San Pedro Zula (Honduras), Leon and Managua (Nicaragua) and St. Thomas, St. Ann, and Kingston, Jamaica, whose lives and livelihoods have been all but destroyed by the increasingly catastrophic effects and impacts of Climate Change and Global Warming, culminating with the COVID-19 crisis.
Grammy Award-winning Jorge Moreno’s never before released song “Martial Law” written in 2010 is now more in tune with the times as “the world is in chaos, racism, civil unrest, climate change, a pandemic and unemployment are hitting us all at once,” said Moreno in the YouTube description of “Martial Law” (https://youtu.be/JKY1q-Xami8).
Change is Coming” by Jamal Batiste (https://youtu.be/I6JvjCBGwhc), not to be confused with the perennial classic by Sam Cooke, answers the call for rebuilding after the storm. Lyrics by Michael Batiste affirm “Operacion Asentamineto Humanos”’ vision: “We done been through the struggle. We done been through the pain. We done shared some tears. Now it’s time for a change. Victory state of mind, we know a change is coming.”
Organizers say they are being the “change,” they want to see. “I kept getting reports from family and contacts in the region about how bad things are, but I saw nothing in the U.S. media.” So, I started calling friends just a few days ago and this project that will help people, now has a life of its own,” said Sergio Cabrera, founder of Mambo Mundo. “I appreciate the artists, disaster relief organizations in the US and on the ground in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Jamaica, Telemundo 42, Coca Cola, BB King’s Blues Club and all the volunteers that are just making this happen. It’s all truly in the spirit of Christmas and our resistance to the pandemic we are experiencing.”
The current list of artists who will perform live before a socially distanced audience at BB King’s Blues Club are Jose Conde; Itawe; Hector Gallardo; Damon Batiste; Jorge Moreno; Xperimento; and Jamal Batiste. The lineup is subject to change as more humanitarian musicians hear about the call to action to help the survivors of Hurricanes “Eta & Iota” in Honduras, Nicaragua and Jamaica.
ARTISTS AT A GLANCE
José Cónde lives his lyrics. He gets grooves from the names of trees. He leaves melody lines on his own answering machine. He can turn a playful refrain to his dog into a dance anthem. His songs are odes to hot dresses, Brazilian muses, discombobulated elephants, and life-giving springs. Out of an NYC Afro Cuban music cocoon, Jose Conde has emerged with a Moog synthesizer, looper, a yamaha vintage organ, electric guitar, Cuban tres, vocal and acoustic beats, and a slew of new free form jams and structured songs in pocket, to launch his new sonic experiment and journey into tropical, electric, eclectic funk. Conde recently relocated back home to Miami and has started a new phase on his musical path. Bravely exploring rhythmic crosscurrents has long been a passion of Conde and it led him to win the Best Latin Album IMA in 2008 with his Ola Fresca group along with other industry accolades.
Jorge Moreno is a Cuban-American musician and winner of the 2002 Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist. In 2002 he was awarded a Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and the following year he received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.
Xperimento is a bilingual, multicultural, cross-genre, All-Star band from Miami, FL that blends world sounds. In other words, TREMENDO PARTY!
Itawe is the lead singer of Locos por Juana is a GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominated bilingual band. dance track, “Te Quiero Ver.” The song has become a global streaming and YouTube viral phenomenon.
Organizers of the disaster relief campaign say they are focusing first on Honduras, Nicaragua, and Jamaica because they have known on the ground disaster relief workers that can get the direct assistance to the people in need. The members of Operacion Asentamientos Humanos are asking all to support the survivors of Hurricanes Eta and Iota. You can get involved today and help save lives and livelihoods by donating. Visit www.nosaconn.com The New Orleans South Africa Connection and click the donate button. For more information and additional ways to help and give, visit: https://www.facebook.com/BEMAinternational/. Contact “Operacion Asentamientos Humanos” at operationasentamientoshumanos@gmail.com.
The humanitarian vibe of “Operation Asentamientos Humanos” is a great opening act for BB King’s Blues Club Saturday, December 19th offering, an empowerment event for women. With the world seeing the upward mobility of women in the case of The U.S. Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams, whose run for Governor of Georgia, fueled the state to deliver Georgia for the Biden-Harris Ticket, “Motivat-Her” is just the fare for the ladies that goes beyond entertainment. YNV By Toriano presents “Motivat-Her,” a women’s empowerment traveling pop-up with a purpose. Comedian Mike Ross with special guest radio host @iamPeteypaul and Fireball Show will be at “Her” service. Ladies are invited to socially distance and forget about the panic of the pandemic as they imbibe laughter, tasty treats, sip their favorite soothing beverage and shop from 1:00-6:00 pm. Vendors interested in sharing their wares, contact Kesala Wheeler at 504-975-1352. “MotivatHer” is powered by BB King’s Blues Club, KeSalon Coiffure and NOSACONN, Inc.
Sunday, December 20th at BB King’s Blues Club culminates with a family reunion of sorts as Peter Batiste youngest brother of Batiste Brothers Band and Graduate of St. Augustine High and also played College Football for Holy Cross in Worchester Massachusetts on a Athletic and Academic Scholarship officially return home. Peter lived in Dallas, Texas after Hurricane Katrina. The “Big Easy” homecoming will musically bring a sentimental journey of the nostalgic enjoyment of your grandma’s after church down home Sunday dinner where there is room at the table for everyone.
Peter, youngest brother of the Batistes that includes Louisiana Music Hall of Famer David Batiste, is uncle to nephews Russell & Damon of the Batiste Fathers and Sons of the New Millennium.
In a conversation about the significance of this weekend’s events that is topped off with “In Music We Trust” to celebrate brother Peter’s return, elder brother David explains, “ New Orleans has always led the way with music, food, arts and culture. From slaves from different tribes of Africa that congregated in Congo Square creating that gumbo sound of authentic new music from jazz to Zydeco to gospel with great musicians Louis Armstrong and Danny Barker on the riverboats of the Mississippi and others, it’s just natural for music to flow from New Orleans in these times to remind the world that we are going to bounce back from this pandemic.”
“It’s all about family,” said Peter, reinforcing what his brother said about Black Fathers, who contrary to the popular narrative are present for their families. “What’s going to bring us, New Orleans tourism and the world’s industries through this pandemic and will be family and the music,” added Peter. You can’t kill the music and it’s going to provide healing as people laugh and dance and just enjoy. I am blessed to be back home making music with my family and friends.” Exiled from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, Peter’s return is a reminder that their roots are strong and the music plays on with the Batiste Fathers and Sons of the New Millennium.
According to Damon, the music of the Batistes made them the Unofficial Community Band for all City Wide Urban and Recreation activities including, Black Mardi Gras at Claiborne & Orleans Avenue in ‘80’s and Early ‘90’s until the Hip Hop, Bounce, Clear Channel & National takeover. “From Operacion Asentamientos Humanos” to “In Music We Trust,” these events are just the beginning of local, national and international partnerships to heal the world through music, arts, and culture as we recover from the pandemic and prepare for on-going disaster relief and recovery campaigns,” said Damon Batiste.
With all that is cooking in New Orleans at BB King’s Blues Club on December 18th, 19th, and 20th, the old southern saying is apropos: “yawl come back now, ya’ hear!” Be on the lookout for more “behaviorally healthy events” as NOSACONN, Inc and BB King’s Blues Club promote uplifting events during the pandemic and beyond. See www.nosaconn.com and NOLA.com for all things New Orleans as the Batiste’s share with rest of the world, In New Orleans, “Music is our Medicine.”
8th Ward Black Seminoles Chief Kyoung and 7th Ward Flaming Arrows with Big Chief Kevin Goodman with we are da Flyawata Band will close out.
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