Help save the Music
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction, countless agencies, corporations, organizations, clubs and individuals have dedicated time and effort towards making sure New Orleans and its residency are once again able to stand on their own two feet.
Several in fact, have specifically targeted their efforts on reestablishing both the music and musicianship back in the city that gave birth to jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The needs musicians face range from simply receiving replacement instruments so that they can go to work, all the way up to homes so that they can raise their families in the city they love.
Listed below are the several of the leading efforts along with website information and brief statements from the organizers.
New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund
http://www.nomrf.org/index.htmlOur great musical melting pot is literally coming apart at the seams. For more than two hundred years the people of New Orleans and its musicians have given us a gift. Now they need us to return the favor.
Efforts on behalf of New Orleans musicians are pouring in from throughout the country.
Many musicians live on the financial edge in good times. Katrina and the flood have pushed them over that edge. Many have lost their homes and everything they own. Jeff Beninato, a former dB's member and New Orleans native, evacuated to Chicago to escape Hurricane Katrina. He met with some great people at Chase Bank in Chicago and set up a New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund. Donations to the fund will go to help get these deserving artists get back on their feet. It will provide money for food and shelter to those without. The New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization
New Orleans Director of Music Development Scott Agies is also on board with the fund, and donations will help every spectrum of New Orleans music.
The Tipitina's Foundation
http://www.tipitinas.com/default.aspUntil the recent devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the Tipitina's Foundation has devoted its efforts to uplifting the New Orleans music community through its Music Co-op Office, Instruments A-Comin' benefit concerts and the Tipitina's Internship Program. That mission has changed, as we now fight to save and rebuild that very community. We are currently finding musicians housing and instruments while we raise funds through donations and nationwide benefit concerts to meet the challenges facing us in the coming weeks and months. Tipitina's Uptown, 501 Napoleon Avenue, will open up as soon as we can return as a Musical Community Center with a Music Co-Op, as we all come together to preserve the spirit of New Orleans.
The New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund
http://www.nomhrf.org/The New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to aiding New Orleans musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina and reviving the city’s unique musical culture. Founded by Benjamin and Sarah Jaffe of Preservation Hall, N.O.M.H.R.F. offers grants to leaders in the music community, extends financial assistance to New Orleans musicians of all genres, and helps connect musicians with instruments and gigs.
N.O.M.H.R.F. distributes New Orleans Music Community Leader Grants to individuals and institutions that will be the foundation of the city’s musical rebirth. Grants are disbursed in two phases: the first to assist in returning to New Orleans, the second to enable grantees to pursue specific projects within the city. By aiding music educators and venues as well as performers, N.O.M.H.R.F. supports the overall structure of the New Orleans music community, sustaining its traditions and providing for its future.
All professional musicians working in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina are eligible for immediate monetary relief, as long as funds are available. Musicians apply for assistance online or by phone. All qualified applicants receive the same amount of money to use as they see fit, as individuals’ needs vary widely. Additionally, N.O.M.H.R.F. advises musicians on other resources available in their area.
New Orleans has always been a unique source of music in America, producing widely influential jazz, rhythm & blues, funk, and hip-hop artists. While losing this source may seem unimaginable, it is a concrete concern for the thousands of musicians who left the city with their lives but nothing else, including the means to fill them with music. In addition to the overwhelming personal loss of homes and belongings, New Orleans musicians now lack the economic basis to pursue their art. Katrina and her aftermath have devastated performance venues, dispersed audiences, and destroyed instruments and equipment.
New Orleans music, which has touched so many around the country and world, needs support from all corners at this critical time. We now know what it means to miss New Orleans. Let us know what it means to reinvigorate it, and fill it again with joyful noise that resounds around the world.
The New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village
http://www.habitat.org/disaster/2005/katrina/Habitat for Humanity International and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, working with Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis, announced plans for a “Musicians’ Village” in the Crescent City.
The Musicians’ Village, conceived by Connick and Marsalis, who are also honorary chairs of Habitat’s Operation Home Delivery hurricane rebuilding program, will consist of Habitat-constructed homes for displaced New Orleans musicians. Its centerpiece will be the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, dedicated to the education and development of homeowners and others who will live nearby.
Funds raised for Habitat from sales of the “Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now” album; Nonesuch’s “Our New Orleans” CD; and “Amazon.com A-List for Hurricane Relief” program will help fund the Musicians’ Village.
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