There’s an international twist to the second annual Ebb & Flow Festival. This year’s theme is “Baton Rouge to Brazil: Where the Mississippi Meets the Amazon.” The festival’s Brazilian connections include two-time Latin Grammy winner Vanessa da Mata and the New Orleans samba school Casa Samba.
Billed as a revamped version of the Arts Council’s longstanding spring FestForAll, Ebb & Flow aims to usher in the start of festival season in Louisiana with a focus on our river city as a hub for creativity and innovation. Here are some highlights from the event’s music lineup.
THE MAIN EVENTS
Grandmaster Flash April 7, 5:30 p.m. Grandmaster Flash helped create hip-hop. Rising from the South Bronx in the 1970s, he developed such DJ turntable techniques as beat looping and back-spinning. Many of his now-classic beats are still sampled today.
Flash began spinning records for dances and block parties when he was a teen. In 1977, he collaborated with rappers for the first time. In 1981, Flash and the Furious Five released the groundbreaking The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel. The album features Flash’s groundbreaking cross-genre sampling of Blondie, Queen and Chic. The group’s 1982 follow-up, The Message, brought social consciousness to rap lyrics. Flash’s contemporary performances celebrate the roots of hip-hop through archival recordings, images and video.
Sheila E. April 8, 4:30 p.m. Singer and master percussionist Sheila E. glowed brightly alongside one of music’s greatest artists, Prince.
Prince produced her 1984 album, The Glamorous Life. After being a major presence for Prince’s late 1980s tours, she performed with him again in the 2010s.
Sheila Escovedo was already a veteran musician when she joined Prince in the 1980s. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, her father, Pete Escovedo, inspired her to play percussion.
When she was a young child, she mimicked her dad’s hand movements. At 5, she made her stage debut during one of his performances.
Her pre-Prince credits include jazz great George Duke and soul star Marvin Gaye. She’s also worked with Beyoncé, Cyndi Lauper, Ringo Starr and George Clinton.
MORE PERFORMERS NOT TO MISS
Soul Rebels April 7, 3 p.m. New Orleans’ Soul Rebels made their Late Show with Stephen Colbert debut in February. In 2017, the eight-piece brass band took its infectious blend of funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz and rock to Europe, Australia, China and Japan. The Soul Rebels’ many collaborations include Nas, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, G-Eazy, Curren$y, Trombone Shorty and Big Freedia.
Vanessa De Mata April 8, 3:30 p.m. Influenced by such classic Brazilian musicians as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Gonzaga, Vanessa da Mata began performing at 15. She moved to São Paulo to further her career and later performed with Jamaica’s Black Uhuru. Da Mata found success as a composer when her songs were recorded by Chico César, Maria Bethânia, Daniela Mercury and Ana Carolina. Her self-titled album debut appeared in 2002. She’s won two Latin Grammy Awards.
Courtesy Arts Council
TOP 5 REASONS TO GO
1. Experience Grandmaster Flash’s roots of hip-hop celebration.
2. Dance along to Prince protégé Sheila E.
3. Get a taste of Brazil with Casa Samba and Vanessa da Mata.
4. Get your creative juices flowing with art demonstrations from Baton Rouge Gallery, a juried art fair and a makers market.
5. Bring along the kids. There are plenty of children’s activities from Knock Knock Children’s Museum, Playmakers of Baton Rouge, local dance troupes and more.
THE BASICS
Ebb & Flow Festival April 7-8
Downtown riverfront, Louisiana Art & Science Museum, the USS Kidd and the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino
Free ebbandflowbr.org
Read more about other festivals going on this month.
This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
