A day before Lionsgate releases the new biopic Bolden, about the mysterious life of the musician credited with inventing jazz, a block party will celebrate his legacy in his former New Orleans home.
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT this Thursday, May 2, PJ Morton will host The Buddy Bolden Block Party, kicking off a new initiative to restore the home and enrich the legacy of Charles “Buddy” Bolden – New Orleans’ nearly forgotten father of jazz.
The event is free and open to the public, featuring food, music from Mannie Fresh, and more. Heralding Morton’s fundraising efforts for the building renovations, the party promises to focus attention on Buddy Bolden ahead of the movie’s release, set for May 3.
Fresh off playing Jazz Fest and receiving the key to New Orleans from the mayor last month, PJ Morton will return home for the Block Party in the midst of his Keys & A Mic tour, which began this week with nine out of 10 dates sold-out.
Morton says the Bolden story has not been told or preserved properly, something he discovered when his family’s church unknowingly acquired Bolden’s double shotgun property. Through his new non-profit the Buddy’s House Foundation, Morton plans to rehabilitate the property into both a museum and a music clubhouse for kids.
Plans call for dividing the home into two sections: the “Past House” will become the museum, while the neighboring “Future House” will house a recording studio and programs with songwriters, producers, publishers, and other professionals.
For more on Morton, click here. For more on Bolden’s life, click here.