Band
Don Vappie's voice and banjo: the living Creole sound of New Orleans.
“The banjo has a Jimi Hendrix.”
Singer, storyteller and banjo virtuoso Don Vappie leads Jazz Créole with David Horniblow (clarinet), Dave Kelbie (guitar) and Sébastien Girardot (double bass). Rooted in the acoustic string-band sound of New Orleans, the quartet brings Creole song, jazz, blues and Caribbean rhythms together with warmth, invention and irresistible swing.
Don Vappie is more than an exceptional banjo player. A singer and storyteller with deep roots in New Orleans Creole culture, he gives every song a voice and a personality of its own. Winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize (2021) and inducted into the American Banjo Hall of Fame (2022), he carries forward a rich musical heritage without treating it as a museum piece.
With David Horniblow on clarinet, Dave Kelbie on guitar and Sébastien Girardot on double bass, Jazz Créole explores the remarkable sound of New Orleans's early string bands. The banjo supplies drive and sparkle; blues-inflected guitar, lyrical clarinet and supple double bass form an intimate, deeply swinging conversation. Creole songs, traditional jazz, blues, spirituals, Caribbean influences and Don's own compositions bring different sides of that musical history to life.
Behind the elegance lies a bold rhythmic idea: tracing the connections between early string-band pulse, second-line rhythms and the grooves that later shaped New Orleans R&B and funk. Joyful, generous and unmistakably personal, this is living Creole music performed by four musicians who know how to tell a story together.
A concert built around Don Vappie's expressive voice, celebrated banjo playing and gift for storytelling. The quartet's clarinet, guitar and double bass create the warm, agile sound of a New Orleans string band, opening a world of Creole songs, early jazz, blues, Caribbean rhythms and original music. An ideal invitation for jazz festivals, theatres and programmes exploring the living culture of New Orleans.
“He can start the party with his banjo — he sure can!”
“Don Vappie is not only a fine banjo virtuoso, but also a delightful singer.”
For presenters
Don Vappie & Jazz Créole
booking@longplay.media
