French Quarter - Jazz Program - Betty Shirley Trio with Simon Lott and Steve DeTroy
The New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
and the
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve
present a
Jazz Program
featuring the
Betty Shirley Trio with Simon Lott and Steve DeTroy
Saturday at 3:00 pm
At the National Park Service French Quarter Visitor Center
419 Decatur St, New Orleans
Betty Shirley is an old school vocalist extraordinaire, artist, and teacher whose extensive repertoire ranges through modern and traditional jazz, blues, R&B, bossa nova, and her own original, soulful compositions. Critics laud her range and vocal skills, while audiences love her engaging and warm performances. Shirley combines her innate humor and sensitivity with her amazing vocal range and scatting ability to freshen up any jazz vocal landscape.
Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Shirley was raised in Chicago, but took off for New York at 16 to become a jazz singer, and she soon was performing at legendary clubs like Birdland and the Village Gate. She moved to New Orleans in the early 1990s, and quickly became a regular performer and fan favorite at festivals and clubs like Dos Jefes, the Royal Sonesta, and Snug Harbor. She’s toured Europe and South America, and played with some of the best: Ellis Marsalis, Benny Green, and Art Blakey, Jr., for example. She’s won numerous accolades, including being named a New Orleans magazine Jazz All-Star and earning a Big Easy Best Jazz Vocalist honor. Shirley has released four records, including the 2025 SuMayy, recorded with Simon Lott on drums, Quinn Sternberg on bass, and William Thompson IV on piano.
Simon Lott is a drummer extraordinaire, a multi-persona with musical sensibilities that range from rock solid grooves to adventurous melodic electronic experiments. Lott has been a go-to drummer for local combos and for major stars: Sandra Bernhard, Harry Shearer, Joan Rivers, Michael J. Lewis, George Porter Jr., Charlie 2na, Willie Tee, Jonathan Batiste, Larry Coryell, members of Galactic, Charlie Hunter, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Cheeky Blakk, Ivan Neville, Leroy Jones, Germaine Bazzle, Ellis Marsalis, Oteil Burbridge, Charlie Gabriel, Ike Stubblefield, John Medeski, and many more.
Lott, a Baton Rouge native, also develops his own collaborative projects as his creative genius leads him. One recent effort is Clouds, an ensemble held down by long-time collaborator Jesse Morrow on bass and Seth Finch on piano.
Steve DeTroy started playing piano in the church and with his father , a jazz pianist, and studied under Junior Mance in college. DeTroy, an East Coast native, found his way to New Orleans and cut his chops with Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s Roadmasters and jazz and blues bands. Today, he is a respected music educator and player, and can be found performing in clubs around the city, often with trad jazz bands like The New Orleans Catahoulas and the New Orleans Jazz Vipers.
This program is free and open to the public.
Fees
Free and open to the public
Location
National Park Service French Quarter visitor center - 419 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130. (Near the statue of Bienville.)
Latitude and Longitude 29.954800, -90.064754
Schedule
Date:
Time:
Duration:
3:00 to 4:00 pm Central Time
Event Type
- Performance
- Talk