Elders Sacred Talk Series: Jackie Harris and Deacon John Moore, also Honoring Germaine Bazzle

NOMA and the Congo Square Preservation Society present the Elders Sacred Talk Series with prolific elder New Orleanians, celebrating the lives they lead while providing the opportunity for visitors to learn firsthand about the impact they’ve had on our city. This month, join Jackie Harris and Deacon John Moore for their conversation, as well as for a celebration honoring the legendary New Orleans jazz vocalist Germaine Bazzle. This program is included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. No registration required. About the Speakers Jackie Harris Jackie Harris; a nationally-recognized arts administrator, cultural strategist, producer, and nonprofit executive; has devoted over 30 years to pursuing and promoting creative opportunities in culture, tourism, music, and entertainment in New Orleans, the United States, and abroad. Her leadership includes serving as Assistant Fair Director and Night Concerts Producer of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the inaugural Chair of the U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service’s New Orleans Jazz Commission, and director of the New Orleans Music and Entertainment Commission. In the latter role, she led the efforts resulting in the first airport in the United States to be named for a jazz artist: Louis Armstrong International Airport. Harris is currently the executive director of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation in New York, and the founder and director of the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp in New Orleans. Also, as president of the SOS (Save Our Soul) Coalition, she leads the effort to revitalize Louis Armstrong Park and the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium. Deacon John Moore Deacon John Moore celebrates a musical career that spans nearly seventy years. Blessed with a beautiful voice and trained in church, he sang with his first band in the seventh grade. After learning to play guitar by ear in high school, he began playing professionally in 1957, recording with Allen Toussaint, Dave Bartholomew, Harold Battiste, and others on all of the top records at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Moore has performed at every New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and at the White House in DC. He and his band were the first rock’n’roll musicians to play with the New Orleans Symphony, and he was the first African-American president of the New Orleans Musicians Union. His numerous appearances in newspapers, magazines, movies, documentaries and TV commercials include the star role in the movie Going Back to New Orleans: The Deacon John Film and the album Deacon John’s Jump Blues. Moore’s extensive list of honors includes numerous lifetime achievement and hall of fame awards, as well as an honorary doctorate in music from Loyola University New Orleans. About Elders Sacred Talks and Art Thrives NOMA’s Art Thrives initiative presents creative aging programs designed to support visitors ages 55 and up. In addition to art-making workshops, courses, and opportunities for hands-on art-making, the Elders Sacred Talk Series with the Congo Square Preservation Society provides a platform for older adults in New Orleans to share their experiences with audiences of all ages. The Elders Sacred Talk Series is presented in partnership between NOMA and the Congo Square Preservation Society. Art Thrives is supported by E.A. Michelson Philanthropy. Additional support for Art Thrives is provided by Bank of America Charitable Foundation (Empowering Communities Grant).