Little Freddie King coming to Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

I was recently in New Orleans for the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival along with the 8th Ponderosa Stomp. As part of the Stomp I had the pleasure of seeing the down home blues of Little Freddie King who was part of a New Orleans Music revue at the stomp. Freddie is a wonderful down home blues performer with a style not that far removed from the North Mississippi Hills style of the late R.L. Burnside while also being an animated performer. Little Freddie will be coming to the Nation's capital as part of the musical gumbo to be displayed at this year's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.

As stated, the music of New Orleans music will be featured at this year's Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington DC. There will be performances on the National Mall on the weekend of June 13 and 14 with Little Freddie and such other acts as Nicholas Payton, Don Vappie, Bob French, Buckwheat Zydeco, Rebirth Brass Band, and Irma Thomas Duke Ellington Orchestra The Duke Ellington Orchestra will be performing the late maestro's New Orleans Suite. Also on the National Mall, Friday night June 12, The Terence Blanchard Quintet with Chamber Orchestra will perform his A Tale of God’s Will – A Requiem for Katrina. On Monday, June 15, the Festival concludes with a Kennedy Center hosted JazzMasters Tribute to pianist, composer and educator Ellis Marsalis with Marsalis' sons Wynton, Bradford, Delfeayo and Jason performing along with Harry Connick Jr., Dr. Billy Taylor, Herlin Riley and Eric Revis. The Festival also has family events and concerts throughout the Washington area between June 6 and 15 and club performances during this time span at venues like Twins and Blues Alley. Many performances are free. For more information visit http://www.dejazzfest.org/.