Musicians

Trombone & vocal
DK

Finn Burich was born in Haderslev in 1958. He is a self-taught trombonist and a trained schoolteacher. His interest in jazz began around 1970, when he heard Louis Armstrong on the radio. Until 1981, Finn played in various bands, experimenting with different styles. He was a member and bandleader of "Neanders Jazzband" from 1981 to 2000 and "The Real New Orleans Jazz Quartet" from 1992 to 1999.

Since 1999, he has performed in England, Germany, Norway and Switzerland with "Lillian Boutté And Her Music Friends". He received the Femø Jazz Award in 2001. He has been a regular member of "Pakhusorkestret" since 2002, "Red Hot Four+2" since 2007, Frazzes New Orleans Stompers (2012–2018) and "Vestre Jazzværk" since 2020. He has also appeared as a guest musician with numerous Danish jazz bands.

"Finn Burichs New Orleans Jazzband" was formed in 1995. With this band, Finn has visited most of Denmark’s jazz clubs, festivals and concert halls. Often under the name "Finn Burich International New Orleans Jazzband", he has presented leading international artists including Lillian Boutté (USA), Enrico Tomasso (UK), Harry Kanters (Netherlands), Monique Thomas (France), Thomas l´Etienne (Germany), Phil Parnell (USA), Don Vappie (USA), Sammy Rimington (UK), Geoff Bull (Australia), Norbert Susemihl (Germany), Tricia Boutté (USA/Norway), Norman Emberson (UK), Patrick Artero (France), Leroy Jones (USA), Denise Gordon (UK), Topsy Chapman (USA) and Adrian Cox (UK).

*** Finn Burich was born in Haderslev, Denmark in 1958. When, at the age of twelve he started listening to Louis Armstrong on the radio, his love affair with jazz music had its start. One year later a friend, who was a jazz pianist himself lent him a valve trombone under the condition, that Finn would join his traditional jazz band. After a little time Finn bought his own trombone.

In the next years Finn was playing with different bands, exploring various styles. He then joined the "Neanders Jazzband", a very popular Danish Trad. band. He was a member and later bandleader of that band for 19 years, during which he played most important Jazz Festivals in Denmark and elsewhere. In 1997 the band visited New Orleans to play the famous New Orleans French Quarter Festival.

By that time Finn had got more and more involved with New Orleans Jazz. He invited Lillian Boutté and later Thomas l´Etienne to join the band on extended Danish tours. They soon became close friends. In 1992 he had started his own quartet, which after a while was concentrating exclusively on the New Orleans sound featuring guest artists such as Sammy Rimington and New Orleans banjoist Don Vappie.

Banjo, guitar, bass & vocal
USA, New Orleans

http://www.donvappie.com

Born and raised in New Orleans, USA, Don Vappie is regarded as one of the city’s leading and most original banjo players. He also plays guitar and bass and is an outstanding singer. He is at home in several styles, including R&B and modern jazz. A member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band since 1988, Don Vappie has played with musicians such as Willie and Percy Humphrey, Chester Zardis and Louis Nelson. He has his own band in New Orleans and works both freelance and as a studio musician. In 1999, he appeared on a CD with Wynton Marsalis.

Anmeldercitater: "... en formidabel musiker af den type, der vist kun udklækkes i New Orleans. Her var vi lysår fra den bastante og udpinte skolelærer-banjo, her var en instrumentalist, som ubesværet kunne veksle mellem et elegant fingerspil og et tremolerende akkordspil og uophørligt skabe overraskende tonerækker af sjælden - både underholdende og kompositorisk - art" - "...

Don Vappies måde at behandle en banjo på, skaber en sand fryd i hele kroppen - lige fra en salig prikken og stikken i hovedbunden, glippen med øjnene og blafren med ørerne til en gysende rislen ned ad ryggen og helt ud i tæerne" - "... Don Vappie har en flot stemme, der minder om en ung Nat King Cole"

*** Don Vappie, born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1956, is presently one of New Orleans's premier musicians. Often called the best and most original banjoist in New Orleans today, Don also plays R&B, modern jazz and popular music and is quite comfortable on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, acoustic bass, electric bass and lead and background vocals.

In the past three years, he has become known for his transcriptions and arrangements of classic early jazz compositionsas performed by Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, Joe "King" Oliver and others. Since their inception, Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders have delighted audiences with stellar performances of these early jazz classics.

The groups has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio). A 3-part two hour series, "In Search Of King Oliver", featuring the band's newest CD of the same title, was recently made available through PRI (Public Radio International). During the 1998 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Don was honored by being chosen as music director for a world premier concert of newly discovered music composed by Jelly Roll Morton.

Don continues to grow musically and can always be guaranteed to touch the emotions of his audience through his music. Whether in live performance or on a recording, his presence will be felt.

Clarinet, tenor sax & vocal
Germany
Creole Clarinets

Thomas l´Etienne was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1956. His family has German/French and Russian roots. After taking guitar and balalaika lessons, he received his first clarinet at the age of fifteen. In the late 1970s, he visited New Orleans several times, playing with Kid Thomas, Louis Nelson, Jeanett Kimball, Emanuel Sayles and others.

In 1982, Lillian Boutté invited him to join her on a European tour with "Lillian Bouttés New Orleans Band". The tour was a great success, both musically and personally: they married two years later in New Orleans. In Denmark, Thomas l´Etienne is probably best known as musical director of "Lillian Boutté And Her Music Friends" and the "Gospel United" tours.

*** Thomas l´Etienne was born in Hamburg in 1956. Followingt the call of his Russian origins he started playing the balalaika at the age of 12 and one year later the guitar. His dream of playing the clarinet became true, when on Christmas 1970 Santa Claus followed Thomas´ wishing list. It did not take him long to make up his mind, which style og music he wnted to pursue: Having listened to his parents´ Louis Armstrong records from an infant age on, he now started to fall in love with the sound of New Orleans clarinetist George Lewis.

He co-founded his first band, "Papa Tom´s Lamentation Jazzband", which in a few years developed from a pupil´s band to one of the leading bands on the European New Orleans jazz scene. In 1980 he made his first trip to New Orleans, which he visited every year from then on. Here he had a chance to play with the most New Orleans veterans and to broaden his horizon of New Orleans music.

In 1983, while Thomas was writing a thesis for a Ph.d. in German literature, he was asked to join New Orleans singer Lillian Boutté on a 6 month tour. Thomas agreed. He soon became the musical director of the band. It was not only musical reason that made him stay with the band and to give up a Ph.d.: He fell in love with Lillian and married her in 1984.

Lillian Boutté´s and Thomas l´Etienne´s Music Friends have become one of the most important and influential bands on the scene. They have travelled the world and played with the "Who is who" of jazz (among them Clark Terry, Milt Hinton, "Sweets" Edison, Doctor John and New Orleans piano great Edward Frank).

Trumpet & vocal
France

Jérôme Etcheberry was born in Arcachon, France, in 1967. He is an acclaimed French jazz trumpeter, singer, arranger and composer, regarded as one of today’s leading specialists in classic jazz and traditional swing. After studying at the Bordeaux conservatoire, he began his professional career as a soloist in the French Air Force’s big band.

In 2002, he joined the prestigious, long-established French group Les Haricots Rouges, which brought him to Paris. Since then, he has firmly established himself on the international jazz scene through numerous collaborations and concert tours around the world. His playing is deeply rooted in traditional jazz and the influence of great musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke.

One of his most notable and acclaimed projects is his own octet, Satchmocracy. With this project, he has reinterpreted Louis Armstrong’s repertoire and masterpieces in an innovative way, bridging the original New Orleans tradition and a contemporary jazz approach. Etcheberry is known for his warm, expressive tone and strong swing, and performs in a wide range of European ensembles.

Clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax & vocals · Denmark. Finn Odderskov was born in 1947. Over the years, he has played in many bands, ranging from traditional jazz through swing and blues to modern jazz. As a freelance musician, he has worked extensively for Danish radio and television, and at times in theatres around Denmark. As a sideman, he has played with Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Roffe Erickson, Thad Jones, Bud Freeman and Ben Webster. He received the "Jazzpris Silkeborg" award in 2007.

Trumpet, flugelhorn & vocal
England

Enrico Tomasso was born in Leeds, England, in 1961. He began playing trumpet at the age of four after hearing Louis Armstrong’s ”Basin Street Blues” on one of his father’s LPs. When Louis Armstrong landed at an English airport in 1968, seven-year-old Enrico was waiting with his trumpet. He played a welcoming version of "Basin Street" as Armstrong came down the aircraft steps.

Louis was so delighted to hear a young boy take up his music that he invited him to come along every evening during his two-week engagement. Enrico received lessons before Louis went on stage. Their friendship lasted for the rest of Louis’s life, and he continued to offer invaluable advice and encouragement to his young protégé in letters from the USA. Enrico’s father, a well-known jazz clarinettist, introduced him to American jazz legends including Benny Goodman, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hackett, Billy Butterfield and Maynard Ferguson.

His father gave him transcriptions of classic jazz solos, took him to live jazz engagements and found the best trumpet teachers. Today, Enrico is regarded as one of the finest jazz trumpeters on the scene. He has won the British Jazz Awards’ ”Best trumpet category” six times. On stage, he has an exciting presence and a lively personality.

His command of the instrument and melodic inventiveness place him among the best. His mastery of jazz styles from New Orleans to bop has made him popular in recording work requiring distinct styles, including the remake of "The Great Gatsby", John Altman’s film scores and Bryan Ferry’s award-winning CDs. He is Europe’s leading interpreter of Louis Armstrong and a sought-after solo artist at festivals, theatres and jazz clubs across Europe.

Clarinet, alto sax & vocals · Denmark. Lars Dalsgaard was born in 1953. He began playing clarinet at thirteen and took private classical clarinet lessons for five years. He also studied jazz clarinet on several visits to the USA and New Orleans, and took up the saxophone. For more than 45 years, he has played with bands from Aarhus and Copenhagen, including

Ib Lindschouw´s New Orleans Jazzband, Cardinal Jazz Band and Mike Owens Woodland Jazzband. He has also occasionally played with pianists Champion Jack Dupree and Dave ”Fat Man” Williams, and trumpeters Keith Smith, Kid Thomas and ”Wild” Bill Davidson. Lars is particularly inspired by clarinettists such as Joe Darensbourg, Jimmy Noone and Barney Bigard. He currently plays an active role in JazzVegaz and continues to perform classical music in symphonic settings.

Trumpet · Denmark. Ove Larsen was born in 1945. A trumpeter from Funen with an international career, he has played with several Danish and international bands. Ove is a discreet performer who lets his personality shine through his trumpet playing. He is a delight to listen to, and the influence of Louis Armstrong is apparent. He was named Funen’s Jazz Musician of the Year.

Bass · Denmark. www.torbenbjoernskov.dk. Torben Bøtker Bjørnskov was born in Skanderborg in 1966. He trained as a bassist at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. Over the past ten years, he has toured much of the world with Lillian Boutté, and won an international jazz award for best soloist in Spain in 1994. TBB has played with numerous Danish and international artists, including Benjamin Koppel, Christina Von Bülow, Jesper Riis, Thomas Fryland, Ann Farholt, Erling Kroner, Marie Bergman, Tivoli Bigband, Pinetop Perkins, James Moody, Tom Harrel, Billy Hart, Leroy Jones and many others.

*** Torben Bøtker Bjørnskov: Contrabass, (1966), started his career on a plastic-guitar playbacking to his parents popular records. Later he graduated from The Rhytmic Music Conservatoty in Copenhagen in 1993. For about ten years he´s been a member of "Lillian Boutté And Her Music Friends" and toured around the world. In Copenhagen Torben has played with who´s who on the jazzscene, been a member of "Tivoli Bigband" and worked in various theatres and musicals, and today he is a teacher on the Royal Academy Of Music.

In 1994 he was nominated "best soloist" at the international jazzcompetition in Gexto, Spain. He has toured and/or recorded with: James Moody, Tom Harrel, Pinetop Perkins/George Kilby Jr., Billy Cobham, Billy Hart, Ed Neumeister, and Ensemble New, among others...

Piano · Netherlands. Harry Kanters is a highly sought-after pianist with an extensive repertoire and a command of various traditional jazz styles. His specialities include ragtime, New Orleans, stride, swing and early bebop. In 2016, Harry celebrated his 40th anniversary with a sold-out concert at Breda Jazz Festival. Alongside his freelance work, he is a member of ”Belgium New Orleans Night Owls” and organises concerts with international guests around themes such as ”Basie, Bean & Fats Project” and ”Tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio”.

*** Harry Kanters is a virtuoso pianist in the various styles of the traditional Jazz. His specialty includes Ragtime, New Orleans, Stride, Swing and early Bebop. With his extensive repertoire, Harry is a popular pianist with ‘All Star’ line-ups and a much sought after guest-soloist with various bands and internationally recognized. He further organizes concerts with international guests.

Harry was member of the well-known JoJo Swing Band as well as the popular Swing Cats. You can hear him on dozens of records and CDs, and is featured in Jazz clubs and festivals from Breda to New Orleans to Tasmania. Harry shared the stage with many Jazz-greats, check out his website! (www.harrykanters.nl )

Drums · Denmark. www.espenvon.dk. Espen Laub von Lillienskjold was born in Hjørring in 1982. He earned his diploma at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus (2000–2005), followed by its soloist programme (2006–2008). In 2002, he began working with Klüvers Big Band, becoming a permanent member in 2004. In 2007, he spent three months in New York studying with drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Ben Street.

He joined the Matthew Herbert Big Band (England) in 2008 and recorded an album with the band that year at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios. Espen can be heard on recordings by Espen Laub Illumination Quintet, Khrat, Phil Parnell3, Klüvers Big Band, Matthew Herbert Big Band, Blood Sweat Drum’n’Bass Big Band, Willy Egmose Trio, JKA And The Band, Burich/l’Etienne NO Ensemble and Lillian Boutté Music Friends.

Piano
DK

Martin Schack graduated from the West Jutland Academy of Music in 1999. He is a highly sought-after pianist, particularly for his outstanding rhythmic timing. In 2000, he became the first jazz musician to receive composer Jacob Gade’s scholarship of DKK 100,000. Martin has performed with the DR Big Band, Finn Ziegler, Jesper Thilo, Alex Riel and others.

Drums
DK

Uffe Dalsgaard Hansen has played drums with numerous jazz bands for more than thirty years. He has toured Europe and the USA, playing in rhythm sections for blues pianist "Champion" Jack Dupree, trumpeters John Brunious and Ken Colyer, pianist David Paquette and clarinettist Sammy Rimington, among others. He has a sure feeling for the New Orleans beat in every tune and is also an excellent interpreter of songs such as Muskrat Ramble and Love Song of The Nile. His full, precise drumming recalls great jazz drummers such as Zutty Singleton and Paul and Louis Barbarin.

Drums
Belgium

Frederik Van den Berghe is a drummer from Ghent, Belgium. He started playing drums at the age of 10 when he heard the jazzmusic of New Orleans: Kid thomas and Sammy Penn, Percy Humphrey and Cie Frazier. Later he discovered rhythm and blues and started his own bluesband. As a bluesdrummer he toured all over Europe, the Usa and Asia. These days you can find Frederik in different bands: Compro Oro, a latin/afro fusion jazz band, Lester's Blues, a Lester Young tribute band, Antwerp Gipsy Ska Orchestra, Ska and reggae, the Whodads, a 10 piece band that plays 60ies surf instrumentals

Bass
DK

Since the early 1990s, Stig Torndyb has played with numerous prominent jazz musicians and bands. His approach to playing and his acoustic bass sound make him a sought-after bassist in swing and New Orleans music.

Bass
DK

Erling has a fine swing and an exceptionally dynamic drive in his playing. Born in 1954, he lives in Rødekro. He is self-taught, but took double-bass lessons with Per Knudsen and saxophone lessons with Kasper Struck for several years. He leads his own ”Tjørnelunds Jazz Band”, a collaboration between German and Danish musicians that grew out of ”Hans Jørn Wolff Jazz Band”, with whom he played for many years. He also played for more than twenty years with the now-retired ”Jazzveteranerne”. Alongside conventional New Orleans and swing bass, he plays slap bass and is a sought-after guest with many jazz bands.

Bass
DK

Jens Kristian was born in Aarhus in 1978. He studied double bass as his main subject at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus and graduated from RMC in Copenhagen in 2006. In 2009, he entered the classical conservatoire in Odense, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in classical double bass in 2012. He works as a professional freelance musician and teacher, primarily playing jazz, swing and traditional jazz, as well as taking part in several crossover projects.

These include Chris Tanner’s Rifftet, Norbert Susemihls Joyful Gumbo, free-folk band Optur and Jazz/Rap/Poetry with Mc Einar & KunTakt. He also releases work under his own name, including ’JKA Quintet – from the nocturnal Chironian’. He has previously toured with Randers Big Band, SMKS’ Chamber Orchestra and others, and took part in four or five projects with Odense Symphony Orchestra during his bachelor’s studies at SMKS. He has appeared on around fifty releases.

Trumpet & vocal
USA, New Orleans
Leroy Jones – Spirit of New Orleans

Leroy Jones was born in New Orleans, USA, in 1958. He began playing trumpet at ten in his school band. By thirteen, he was leading Danny Barker’s youth brass band, the "Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band", which played at church events, funerals, parades and charity concerts in New Orleans. It later became "The Hurricane Brass Band", which in turn gave rise to "The Dirty Dozen Brass Band". Leroy leads his own quintet, is a member of the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra and leads the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He has toured the USA, Canada, Europe, South America, Asia and Australia.

Discography: "Mo´ Cream From The Crop", "Props for Pops", "Back To My Roots" - Sony/Columbia.

*** Born in New Orleans on February 20th, 1958, Leroy began studying the trumpet at the age 10, in school band. By the time he was 13 years old, he was already playing gigs and leading Danny Barker´s Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band. The Fairview Band performed at church events, Social & Pleasure Club events, Funerals, and Second Line Parades all over the city of New Orleans.

The band has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institute Festival of Culture & Folklore. The Fairview band later evolved into the Hurricane Brass Band, which became the seed of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Leroy Jones was a significant figure amongst the new breed of aspiring young musicians participating in Barker´s renaissance of New Orleans brass bands.

After a very brief stint in the Jazz Studies Program at Loyola University´s Conservatory of Music, Jones joined the musicians union and went on to pursue his career as a professional musician. He has played with nearly all the famous jazz bands in town, and has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.

The past decade Jones has been a member of the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra, performed on numerous recordings with various artists, leads one of the Preservation Hall Jazz Bands and has two critically acclaimed solo releases, "Mo´ Cream From The Crop" and "Props for Pops" on the Sony/Columbia label. Jones continues to travel and record the world over.

Drums
England

Norman Emberson has worked with Sammy Rimington and Lillian Boutté for many years. He was drummer in Chris Barber’s Band from 1979 to 1989. Norman was a close friend and pupil of the renowned New Orleans drummer Freddie Kohlman. He works freelance and leads his own band.

*** Starting off on guitar, Norman became interested in New Orleans Style Jazz and started playing drums in 1966. Just three years later he was asked to travel to Italy, where he played and recorded with New Orleans Preservation Hall musicians Emmanuel Sayles (banjo) and the legendary New Orleans pianist Alton Purnell. On returning to England he joined Mike Casimir´s New Orleans Stompers and then Sammy Rimington Quintet.

It was with Sammy that he was seen by England´s leading musical entre- preneur and bandleader Chris Barber, and was invited to join his band, following Pete York. Then followed ten years of playing around the world with Barber, where up to date he can be heard on 40 records with the band. During this time he met and recorded with the great Dr.

John from New Orleans, who gave him a grounding in the New Orleans R&B drumming styles. Since leaving the band in 1989, Norman has embarked on a free-lance career playing all over Europe with a wide variety of groups. He became member of Lillian Boutte´s Music Friends and is the regular drummer for the Neville Dickie Band in England, in addition to running his own jazz band and brass band, for all occasions.

A regular visitor to the Ascona Jazz Festival, he has also participated in workshops in Ascona teaching the art and style of New Orleans drumming, and together with Lillian and her band he participates regularly with her school workshops throughout Europe. Norman is well known and respected on the European jazz scene and has proven his ability to perform not only New Orleans jazz, but also ragtime to early bop, R&B to gospel.

Clarinet, alto-, & tenor sax
England

Sammy Rimington has devoted his life to New Orleans music. He began playing professionally at just eighteen, joining Ken Colyer Jazzmen, then one of Europe’s leading bands. Sammy can be heard on no fewer than 140 LPs and more than fifty CDs. He has performed with countless jazz greats, including George Lewis, his personal friend and teacher, Kid Thomas, Jabbo Smith, Doc Cheatham, Red Allen, Muddy Waters and the Chris Barber Band.

In 1965, Sammy toured and recorded with the legendary "December Band", whose members included Kid Thomas, Jim Robinson, Captain John Handy and Sammy Penn. He was a member of "Louis Nelsons New Orleans All Stars", touring Japan with the band in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Sammy took part in the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1969.

He returned to the festival in 1989 with Louis Nelsons All Stars, in 1990 with his own band and in 1994 with Doc Cheathams All Stars and Danny Barkers Band. Sammy has his own band in Europe and frequently appears as a soloist. Every year, he travels to Australia and the USA

and Japan to perform as a soloist. Sammy Rimington has made a major contribution to New Orleans music and its international reach, both through his highly personal, sensitive interpretations and through the European tours he and his wife Louise have organised with New Orleans musicians over many years.

American musicians who have toured Europe as soloists with Sammy Rimingtons Band include Kid Thomas Valentine, Louis Nelson, Jabbo Smith, Doc Cheatham, Danny Barker, Kid Sheik, Thomas Jefferson, Sing Miller, Louis Barbarin, Sam Lee, Jeanet Kimbal, Chester Zardis, Dave Williams, Frank Fields, Alvin Alcorn, Emanuel Paul, Emanuel Sayles, John Brunious, Wendell Brunious, Stanley Williams, Topsy Chapman, Juanita Brooks and Sylvia "Kuumba" Williams.

Vocal
DK

Miriam is from Zimbabwe and has lived in Denmark since 2007. She has performed at church concerts, venues and festivals in Denmark and abroad, and is regarded as one of Denmark’s major new vocal talents. This experienced singer with a powerful voice is deeply inspired by legends such as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin.

She performs with the energy and spirit of ”The Great Ladies”. Since moving to Denmark, church concerts have always been close to this jazz and blues singer’s heart. Gospel music means a great deal to her, as she is a believer herself. At church concerts, Miriam sings jazz, blues and gospel: favourite hymns from her schooldays, well-known New Orleans evergreens and a couple of songs from her two latest live CDs, ”Miriam Mandipira and Her Danish Friends” and ”Shades of Spring”.

Vocal
DK

Ann is one of the most versatile and swinging jazz singers on the Danish scene. An experienced, mature jazz artist, she has a strong rapport with her musicians and audiences. Her influences include Ella Fitzgerald, the Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole and Anita O´Day. Her work with Richard Boone helped refine her talent for scat singing. For several summers, she also showed her popular-entertainment skills as one of the singers at Bakkens Hvile.

Piano & vocal
DK

Based in Esbjerg, Gert Jacobsen is a much-used pianist thanks to his versatility and considerable musical talent. He has an extensive repertoire and a command of many styles. He has accompanied artists including Jesper Thilo and Benny Waters (USA).

Vocals · Norway. Tricia Boutté is Lillian Boutté’s niece. She entered singing competitions at five and has worked professionally since she was fifteen. Her styles include jazz, R&B, pop, soul and gospel. She has worked with many well-known and legendary New Orleans musicians, including Allen Toussaint, Aaron, Cyril and Charmaine Neville, and Fats Domino. She has performed at festivals and clubs around the world and made numerous television appearances.

Vocals · France. Monique Thomas was born in Philadelphia, growing up with jazz, gospel, soul and black American music. She began singing and playing piano at a young age. To develop her skills, she studied jazz and classical music at William Paterson University of New Jersey. During her studies, she began performing in clubs in and around New York and at festivals such as the Redbank Jazz Festival.

In 1998, Monique moved to France, where she began teaching jazz singing at Ciam Ecolé de Musiques in Bordeaux. Alongside teaching, her solo career has taken her to most of France’s venues and festivals and to many other European countries. Her influences include Sassy, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae and Shirley Horn.

Monique first visited Denmark in January 2017, performing two concerts, at Gladsaxe Jazzklub and Kulturhus Portalen in Greve, with Burich-l´Etienne N.O. Ensemble. Both concerts sold out and received considerable praise from promoters and audiences alike.

Piano
DK

Hans Esbjerg was born in Tarm in 1967. After taking lessons as a teenager with jazz pianist and organist Willy Egemose, he trained at the Royal Academy of Music. He has taught at the Academy and at Aarhus University’s Institute of Music. In 1987, he won an award at the Danish Steinway Festival. In 2001, he received the "Boble-prisen", awarded annually to a young talent during Aarhus Festival. He is organist at Christianskirken in Fredericia.

Piano
USA, New Orleans
1955 - 2015
RIP

Phil Parnell was an outstanding representative of New Orleans piano playing, embracing many facets of the city’s music. His interest in music began at five, and jazz became his strongest influence as a teenager. He studied pianist Ellis Marsalis’s playing to develop his own skills, leading to studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

On returning to New Orleans, he began playing with some of the older jazz greats. He soon accompanied many well-known New Orleans musicians in the city’s dance halls, bars and festivals, on its paddle steamers and abroad, playing jazz, funk, Latin, rock and rhythm and blues. Through "Musicians for Music", New Orleans, Louisiana, he received a composition award from the "National Endowment of the Arts".

Phil performed and recorded with Johnny Vidacovich, Gatemouth Brown, Thomas Jefferson, Danny Barker, Leroy Jones, Bo Diddly, Astrud Gilberto, George Porter, Red Tyler, Thelma Houston, Lillian Boutté, Freddy Kohlman and Dave Bartholemew.

***
Obituary: Phil Parnell
September 29, 2015 by: JOSEPH IRRERA

Pianist and songwriter Phil Parnell passed away September 2, 2015 after a battle with liver cancer. Phil began performing at an early age: A picture that hung in his parents’ house showed him in a straw hat, striped coat and cane at age four in the lead role for his school play. Born in Dallas, Parnell started taking piano lessons at age five.

At age eight the family moved to New Orleans. His interest in piano came from his mother, who played in church and at home. Parnell became obsessed with jazz after hearing John Coltrane. Before long, he was inspired to follow a musical career by listening to many others, including Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, James Booker, Dr.

John and Ray Charles. “I was working for a painting contractor after school,” Parnell said. “I used to bring a boom-box cassette player with all my favorite jazz and it would drive the rest of the crew mad after a while. I was always doing something different from the other kids— usually solitary endeavors. I learned to ride a unicycle and to juggle, and was into trampoline, diving, gymnastics and art.”

As a teenager, Parnell studied piano with Ellis Marsalis. His son Joplin remembers, “Dad would often tell me the story of Ellis asking him to transcribe a song of his choice as homework. He brought back his attempts at transcribing Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” which earned him a good deal of respect from his teacher for being so ambitious.

Ellis left a lasting impression on my dad’s approach to piano and music. I recall a fan after a show at Snug Harbor coming up to talk to him and commenting on how similar their touch and tone sounded, not even having known that Dad had taken lessons from Ellis Marsalis.” In the late ’70s, Parnell attended Berklee College of Music, where he continued his studies in theory and piano technique and took saxophone as a second instrument.

After school he returned to New Orleans and began working with many different bands in various venues, including Bourbon Street. He played with Freddie Kohlman, David Lastie, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Justin Adams and many others. Over the years he performed with Bettye Lavette, Astrud Gilberto, Brian Blade and Bo Diddley. Parnell moved to London with his wife, Mandy, and his son in 1995.

A year later he released his first album, Dear Jo, featuring Johnny Vidacovich on drums. Around this time Parnell was discovering dance and house music, and he began working with Matthew Herbert and Dani Siciliano. Their recordings would re-define how electronics and live music can be employed together in the studio and on stage. In 2009, Parnell moved to Northern Denmark with his partner Iben Leer, whom he wed.

Phil Parnell embraced many styles of music, from electronic to gospel, cabaret to rhythm and blues. He recorded with Lillian Boutté and produced CDs for his own label. In 2008, as a member of Jamie Lidell and Street Material, he and the band opened for Elton John’s Red Piano Tour. Parnell’s music was used in the 2009 Zurich Film festival documentary winner The Sound After the Storm, about New Orleans musicians after Katrina.

“Phil Parnell was, in all his humility, a master musician from New Orleans, who out of love, ended up in Denmark,” said Esben Just, a Danish pianist and friend. “He cast gold dust and good vibes over all the ensembles that were lucky enough to have him play piano with them.” “I first met Phil on the steamboat Mississippi Queen sometime around 1996 or ’97,” trombonist Rick Trolsen said.

“We shared a cabin together. After the usual formalities and introductions, he offered me a beer. This was sometime in the early afternoon. I wasn’t accustomed to drinking that time of the day, but I accepted the offer (just to be polite). We quickly became friends. Over the years, he taught me a lot about music and we played many gigs together in New Orleans.

I always loved his enthusiasm with all of his endeavors: making beer, beef jerky, baklava, rolling his own cigarettes (some a bit ‘spicy’), and electronic music; his interests in yurts, and of course, his political theories. He has been a brother to me. His smile, his laugh will be forever present in my heart.” His son Joplin: “Let’s be thankful for the time he did have with us and spread the joy he gave us.

His life was all too short but it was sweet as peaches on a Southern summer’s day.” Phil Parnell is survived by his first wife, Mandy, his son, Joplin, his current wife, Iben Leer, a daughter and his brother Doug.

Vocal
USA, New Orleans
1947 – 2025
RIP

WWOZ 90.7FM New Orleans
Renowned New Orleans vocalist Lillian Boutte died Friday, May 23, at the age of 75, her family shared. She passed away after battling a prolonged illness.

Boutte’s career and influence stretched far beyond her hometown. She built a solid reputation in the United States, including playing multiple roles in the second New Orleans cast of the groundbreaking musical "One Mo Time," which then took her to tours of Europe. In the early 1980s she assembled a band to tour overseas, and performed in theaters and on television in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Italy, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Denmark, where she became a star.  In 1984, she married clarinetist and saxophonist Thomas L'Etienne.

For more than three decades, she made her home abroad, performing and promoting the spirit of New Orleans music across international stages. Along the way, she helped bring countless fellow musicians with her, offering them opportunities to perform and grow beyond the city’s borders.

Her music was rooted in New Orleans, but was not strictly traditional jazz, incorporating New Orleans music from gospel onward. In a 1986 interview with WWOZ, she said, "the people we entertain all over the world seem to like music, they don't try to characterize my music, they don't put it only as what some folks say 'Preservation Hall Music.' We play all of the music, we play the blues, we play the traditional jazz, we play many standard ballads, we play a little bit of boogie, we play soul, and a little bit of rock and roll."

She returned often to New Orleans, and WWOZ broadcast many of her performances from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the French Quarter Festival. In one performance in the French Market she shut down Decatur Street as her audience spilled out of Dutch Alley into the street.

In 1986 she was named "New Orleans Musical Ambassador" by Mayor Ernest "Dutch" Morial, onbly the second person to hold that title after the city's first Ambassador, Louis Armstrong.

Part of the city’s famed Boutte musical lineage, Lillian was the older sister of singer John Boutte and related to many others in the family’s rich musical tradition. As her health declined, relatives brought her back to New Orleans in 2017 to care for her.

Her brother, accomplished singer John Boutte, told WWOZ, "She unselfishly opened the door to Europe to so many cats. Doc Cheatham, the Humphrey Brothers. James Andrews was no more than 13 to 14 years old when they brought him to Jazz Ascona in Switzerland. She started that festival. And that festival now has changed that region -- there are universities and high schools there that have New Orleans jazz programs now.  I was knocked out by how many people were second lining in Ascona. And that's her legacy. That was Lillian. They call her the Queen because she was."

"The last performance I heard her was French Quarter Fest.  I turned to my friend and said 'how in the world is it possible that at her age she's getting even better?'"

Funeral details have yet to be announced. More on Lillian, including other photos, at wwoz.org/blog/1205846.

****

Lillian Boutté was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, where she studied music therapy at Xavier University of New Orleans. Her talent as a gospel singer quickly became known locally, and she gradually expanded her repertoire to include jazz, rhythm and blues, swing and blues. She recorded with Allan Toussaint, Dr. John, Mylon LeFleur, Lee Dorsey and the Olympia Brass Band, and worked with Benny Waters, Chuck Credo, Danny Barker, Humphrey Lyttleton, Jay McShane, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Milt Hinton, Al Gray and many others.

Together with Thomas l´Etienne, she was a regular presence on the American and European music scenes for more than twenty-five years. With the two as central figures, musicians from numerous European countries toured as "Lillian Boutté And Her Music Friends". In November 1986, Lillian was officially named her hometown’s musical ambassador — NEW ORLEANS MUSIC AMBASSADOR — an honour bestowed on no one since Louis Armstrong.

She marked the honour with a magnificent European tour, sharing the unique styles of New Orleans music with captivated audiences. In September 1988, Lillian returned home as the only local artist invited to sing the national anthem at the Republican Party convention in the Louisiana Superdome.

In later years, her name was mentioned alongside Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson. Her popularity was undeniable. In Denmark, she is fondly remembered for festival appearances and, especially, the annual winter tours she had undertaken since 1996, visiting most of the country’s concert halls and churches.

Lillian retired in 2016 and passed away on 23 May 2025 after many years of serious illness.

*** Lillian Boutté was born in New Orleans in 1949. At the age of seven she joined a local gospel choir. A few years later she headed her own band singing Soul and Rhythm & Blues music. She would have begun a professional career before finishing school had it not been for the wisdom of her mother, who knew even then that Lillian did not have to rush things to make a career in music.

In the seventies she worked with bands under her own name, but she also sung with the New Orleans legends, such as Lee Dorsey, Doctor John and Allen Toussaint. She moved to Cincinatti for a few years, where she started managing her own beauty shop. In 1980 writer, singer and dancer Vernell Bagneris called for Lillian to return to her home town to perform in the musical "One mo´ time" a Vaudeville show written by Bagneris featuring the music of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and the great classic blues singers.

This musical was a tremendous world wide success touring the USA, Europe and South America. Apart from making friends and winning fans all over the world, Lillian´s years with "One mo´ time" also helped her to develop a broader understanding of the music that had been around her all life: New Orleans traditional jazz. In 1983 Lillian left New Orleans to tour Europe for a longer period.

She founded the "Music Friends". She and the band were an immediate success on the European scene. Lillian decided to move to Europe. Because of Lillian´s international popularity and her merits for New Orleans Music, the City of New Orleans gave her the title of an "Ambassador of New Orleans Music" in 1986 which prior to her had only been bestowed on the great Louis Armstrong.