Brisbane-based singer, Herb Armstrong brings the iconic sounds of New Orleans jazz to Adelaide Fringe with his show 'A Night In New Orleans'.
A larger than life man with an even bigger voice, Herb takes audiences on a walk through the French Quarter with the classic sounds of The Crescent City ringing in your ears.
For Herb, it's all about bringing a little piece of where he was born and raised to the country he now calls home. “I give audiences what they will be missing: New Orleans funk,” Herb says.
“Harry Connick Jr., Dr. John, Fats Domino, The Neville Brothers – so many people I can name. I'm home when I do that show; I bring New Orleans to Oz with me.”
Promoting himself as the grandson of jazz legend Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Herb was born and raised in New Orleans where he first heard of his lineage.
As Herb tells it, his great-grandmother worked as a cabaret dancer at The Cotton Club where she met Louis. From this union came a daughter, who in turn gave birth to Herb. “I was raised in Storyville which they called Rampart Street,” Herb reflects.
“That's where jazz started, in Storyville in New Orleans; it's now the home of the Superdome.”
A seasoned live performer, Herb will be accompanied at 'A Night In New Orleans' by his long-time big band, giving Herb a chance to show off his skills as a band leader. “When I see the audience I can never plan a show, I never write nothing down,” he says.
“I tell the band what number it is, so if I make a change they know what to do. My band's been with me for 15 years – they're called The Royal Street Krewe and it's been the same band members the whole time.
“I had an old guy who had seen my grandfather in 1964 come to my show and he said I'm doing him [Louis] so proud, that I was just like him. He captivated an audience, and I always do too – not bragging, but a little bit,” he laughs.
“I always know what I'm doing when I'm onstage.”
After Adelaide Fringe, Herb sets out on a run of festival dates, and he also says he's keen to get back to some of his favourite venues to perform.
“I plan on going to the Airlie Beach Music Festival, and I plan on going to the Caloundra Music Festival for the first time. I'd also like to return to the Woodford Folk Festival, I haven't been there in ten years.”
