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Butterfly Music Series: Henrietta Alves

Sun, November 16th at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.

This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.

This installment of the Butterfly Music Series will feature pianist Henrietta Alves. Previous performers have included Amina Figarova, David Torkanowsky, Tonya Boyd Cannon, Sam Kuslan, and others.

Attendance is included with museum admission. Preregistration for this event is recommended. Seating is limited and not guaranteed with attendance.

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About Henrietta Alves

Henrietta Alves—called “a New Orleans legend” by WWOZ, “the Amazing Henrietta” by AntiGravity Magazine, and introduced by Quint Davis as “a New Orleans institution”—has been a beloved local musician and songwriter for more than 40 years. Her popular Mardi Gras song was recorded with Smokey Johnson (Fats Domino’s drummer) and George French (Fats’ bassist and Cosimo Matassa studio musician). She began recording in the early 1970s in Memphis with producer Willie Mitchell and has contributed to numerous New Orleans projects, including a jazz album with Flora Purim and a WEZB compilation of the city’s top pop acts.

A versatile, ageless singer now in her 80s, Henrietta performs weekly at Holy Diver in Tremé and has maintained a strong presence across the region for 45 years with regular appearances at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, Pat O’Brien’s Piano Bar, and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi. She’s performed Brazilian jazz at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — she and bandleader Edu were famously the first couple married at Jazz Fest in 1982 — and has sung the National Anthem at Saints games on multiple occasions.
On television she’s frequently cast as the quintessential “older New Orleans–style singing pianist,” appearing in series such as HBO’s Togetherness and TNT’s Claws. Nationally she’s performed at iconic venues including the Troubadour, Chateau Marmont, the Roosevelt Hotel (L.A.), Catch a Rising Star and Mimi’s Piano Bar (NYC). Internationally she has brought her New Orleans–inflected music to audiences in Japan, Italy and Brazil, and she has played private events for corporations and celebrities. Renowned for her warm, intimate connection with audiences, Henrietta continues to captivate crowds of any size.

About the Work

For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.

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Details

Date:
Sun, November 16th
Time:
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Event Categories:
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Venue

NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts