NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — As we settle into a beautiful Friday night in New Orleans, many of us will naturally look for live music.
Music is part of the recipe of America’s freedom. Jazz is America’s gift to the world, just as much as jazz is New Orleans’ creation out of the minds of free people of color and the enslaved during the early 1800’s.
Jazz music is certainly worth celebrating during June, which in 1979, was designated Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter.
Gladney is a celebrated multi-instrumentalist with a musical heart that has been beating for six generations of musicians in his family. He, along with his band, celebrate humanity and music at the New Orleans African American Museum.
“In 2021, I released my debut single Selenite. This song needed to be my first single because I feel like the message is the truest expression of my art and what I want to give to the world. The lyrics talk about the light inside all of us. I’m from the Lower Ninth Ward and I’m a sixth generation native. My music has been a mélange of New Orleans, along with my more spiritual esoteric leanings towards John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders,” explains Gladney.
Black Music Month celebrates the contributions of African American musicians as part of the fabric of America’s cultural heritage. American music, however, is much older than the origin of any designated month and artistic expression is the very essence of what it means to live in New Orleans.
Gladney believes in the power of music, saying, “music has afforded me the opportunity to leave this state and this country and really see the world for what it is. Through music, we really are able to commune with other people. With it being black music month, I’m happy to be Black. It’s also pride month and I’m happy to be queer, as well. The New Orleans African American Museum has given me the opportunity to honor both sides of myself at the same time with this show.”
Gladney’s next show will be at Snug Harbor July 12th.
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