Hot Funky Butt Jazz – 2018

At the stroke of midnight in the heart of 1900s New Orleans, Union Sons Hall would transform into the Funky Butt — a dance joint named for the throng of sweaty, soulful bodies moving to a provocative new groove called “hot music.” Known today as Jazz, this sound revolution began with a black cornet player named Buddy Bolden who birthed an intoxicating brew of Afro/Caribbean, Latin, Native and European rhythms that became the essence of the Big Easy and set the Jazz Age in motion. Featuring an ensemble of more than 50 actors with and without disabilities, Hot Funky Butt Jazz tells the story of the creative and resilient personalities who stepped out of the shadows to defy racism and create an improvisational sound so unique, it changed music and culture forever.