French Quarter - Jazz Program - Classic Cosmopolitans with Kay Lewis and Loïc Da Silva

Kay Lewis and Loïc Da Silva will be showcasing jazz music from Louisiana and French culture, exploring both how they developed separately and where they intersect.

Kay Lewis is a New Orleans born and now NYC based singer, performer, and cultural curator. Growing up in a musical New Orleans family, she absorbed jazz from her father's (New Orleans bassist/tuba player Kerry Lewis Sr.) gigs and explored classical piano and clarinet under the tutelage of her uncle, Damien Gibson, a classical multi instrumentalist. She was encouraged by a high school teacher to treat her voice as her main instrument, and went on to earn master’s degrees in classical voice and performing arts administration, studying at Xavier University of Louisiana and NYU. Her performance work blends swing, jazz, and theatrical storytelling, and she has appeared with Dandy Wellington, the Satin Dollz, and her brother Kerry Lewis Jr., among others. Beyond performing, Kay co-produced her show, Belle Noire: An Ode to Black Songstresses of Eras Past, which debuted in New Orleans, created/hosted the King Cake Soirée, and co-hosts Turtle Bay's Back Porch Series with Ricky Alexander.

Loïc Da Silva (AKA Cordeone) is an NYC based Portuguese/French multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer. He began playing Portuguese Balls at age 9 and went on to teach himself a wide range of instruments, from the accordion to bandoneon, Portuguese guitar, piano, classical guitar, Brazilian percussion, drums, and bass. He turned professional at 18 and has since collaborated with artists such as Cyrille Aimée, Ute Lemper, Pedro Giraudo, Marcel Loeffler, and Michael Pipoquinha. His own compositions blend jazz with Afro-Luso music, hip hop, tango, and reggae in an effort to capture his personal and artistic identity.