You're invited to a Surprise Birthday Party for Bunk Johnson! Join the Bunk Johnson Jazz and Heritage Festival and Shadows-on-the-Teche in celebrating New Iberia’s own jazz legend, Bunk Johnson, with dinner, a movie premiere, music, and cake on Saturday, December 16, 2021, at 6:00 PM on the front lawn of the Shadows-on-the-Teche (317 E. Main Street, New Iberia). The night begins with red beans and rice, Bunk’s personal favorite. Music from the Bunk Johnson Brazz Band, who will be joined by Barry and Emile Martyn on drums, will follow. Complete the night with a piece of cake while viewing the premiere of a new film documentary The Legacy of Bunk Johnson in New Iberia produced by Barry and Emile Martyn.
Tickets to Bunk’s surprise party are available online here. Admission is $25 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-17). Ticket includes both the program and food.
Ret. Judge Charles Porter, President of the Bunk Johnson Jazz and Heritage Festival Board, says of Barry Martyn, “It is a joy to hear Barry introduce jazz music according to the history of New Orleans legends of character, creativity, and commitment to New Orleans Heritage. New Orleans and New Iberia Jazz are an essential part of the future of Louisiana. Now let us pass the torch to the young dreamers.”
All proceeds from the event will be used to support the Bunk Johnson Creative Arts Academy, a place where musicians will benefit from individual attention, numerous performance opportunities, and exceptional peer mentoring. The Creative Arts Academy is open to students ages 12-18. For more information, please visit their website.
ABOUT BARRY AND EMILE MARTYN
Barry Martyn has been a jazz drummer, bandleader, producer, and historian for over 65 years. Born in London, England in 1941, Martyn was first introduced to New Orleans jazz at the age of 12 while listening to Alistair Cooke’s Letter from America on the radio with his mother. It has been an integral part of his life ever since. He began playing drums in 1955, was leading his first band, Kid Martyn’s Ragtime Band, in 1956, and made his first recordings in 1959. Two years later, in 1961, Martyn visited New Orleans where he met Bill Russell, studied drums under Cie Frazier, and founded Mono Records, quickly becoming part of the New Orleans traditional jazz community. He performed with Kid Sheik and Noon Johnson at the Black Masonic Hall in downtown New Orleans, toured Europe with New Orleans jazz veterans George Lewis, Albert Nicholas, Louis Nelson, Captain John Handy, Percy Humphrey, and others. In 1972, Martyn moved to Los Angeles where he founded the Legends of Jazz, an ensemble which made several worldwide tours and numerous recordings. He has authored and co-authored numerous well-regarded books including Song of the Wanderer and Bill Russell’s New Orleans Music. At the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Martyn occupies a prominent seat under the Jazz Tent with the Andrew Halls Society Brass Band.
Emile Martyn, Martyn’s son, is a jazz drummer who grew up in New Orleans and spent the first part of his career playing the New Orleans music scene with some of the top jazz musicians in the world. He started a band with the late great trumpeter Paul Bonner and soon recruited his brother Ben Martyn for vocals and bass. The three have played venues of all kinds all over the world.
Together, Barry and Emile Martyn perform, film, write, and lecture about the history of New Orleans jazz. For more on the Barry Martyn, visit his website. For more on Emile Martyn, visit his website.