Alfred Banks doesn’t like suits, so he’s still figuring out what he’s going to wear when he performs with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra this week. Whatever he settles on, though, it’ll more than likely include a pair of fresh sneakers.
The New Orleans rapper on Wednesday, May 8, will be backed by the LPO to perform his original music at the Ashe Power House Theater. It’s a massive moment for Banks, who has always embraced being the “underdog” and used it to fuel a hustle that’s carved out his lyrics-driven space in New Orleans hip-hop.
Of course, that mentality and grind has led him to success over the last 15 years, so he isn’t going to abandon it, he says. But performing with the LPO means something, especially during a season that’s also included shows by Big Freedia and Afro-Caribbean artist ÌFÉ.
“I’m here,” Banks says. “I’m treating this as the show where I’ve arrived, especially in New Orleans, as a name. I’m no longer an up-and-coming artist. I’m still on my grind, but I’m a name now.”
Banks’ eight-song set will include new arrangements of “Sunday Drive,” “Garden District” and “Go Up” along with “Kaleidoscope” from his SaxKixAve duo with saxophonist and producer Albert Allenback. New Orleans-based composer Sebastian St. John composed and arranged Banks’ music for the concert, and St. John and New Orleans party starter Antwigadee! will join the ensemble to perform with Banks.
Inside the mind of Mister Banks
Conducted by LPO Music Director Matthew Kraemer, the concert opens with the local premiere of “Elaine Sun,” a new work composed by New Orleans musician Charles Lumar II. Lumar, who plays bass in the band People Museum, created the piece in partnership with the Kennedy Center.
Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” — which will be familiar to anyone who’s watched “The Last of Us,” “Arrival” or “The Handmaid’s Tale” — and Marcus Norris’ “My Idols are Dead” also are on the program.
“When I heard [Banks’] music, there was so much room and space to play with,” says St. John. “It’s so sonically pleasing. You can tell that music live with an orchestra would just kill it.”
Born in Lafayette, St. John has lived in and performed with bands in the Midwest, West Coast and Europe, before settling in New Orleans in the early 2010s. He has composed pieces for studio recordings, commercials, burlesque groups and parades, but St. John views this concert as the start of a new chapter in his career, he says.
St. John approached Banks a couple of years ago about adapting his music for an orchestra. They were considering self-funding the project, but the LPO caught wind and offered to take on the project, St. John says.
Over the past 30 years, the LPO has commissioned works by composer Terence Blanchard and others, and has featured many guest performers. New Orleans rapper Choppa performed his song “Choppa Style” with the organization in 2020.
But in recent years there has been a focused effort, fueled by composer and LPO creative partner Courtney Bryan, for closer collaborations with New Orleans and south Louisiana musicians and composers. Those concerts, along with other programs that take the LPO out of the Orpheum and into smaller venues, introduce the orchestra to new audiences.
Tank and the Bangas performed with the orchestra in 2022, and Big Chief Juan Pardo recently collaborated with the LPO. The recording of the Lost Bayou Ramblers’ concert with the LPO recently won a Grammy Award, and last week, Big Freedia made the Orpheum release its wiggle for the second time.
“It was truly a way for us to be in celebration and in community with artists that make their lives here,” says LPO Executive Director Anwar Nasir. “That’s something we feel is a big part of who we are as an institution. We can put the Louisiana into our name and anchor ourselves as a New Orleans institution.”
The show runs May 8-25.
Banks’ concert also is part of the LPO’s Music in the Museum series, which takes the orchestra into more intimate venues, like Ashe Power House Theater and Ogden Museum. Last December, pop artist Dawn Richard and composer Spencer Zhan presented their neo-classical project “Pigments” at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Being backed by an orchestra rather than a DJ means Banks has to adjust his performance style, he says. He’s focusing on confidence, but there isn’t much room for the kind of freestyling he’s become a master at.
“It’s really just embracing the epicness of this moment and letting it flow through me,” Banks says. “It’s not necessarily me trying to tell the crowd, ‘Hey, listen to my music and check me out.’ It’s more like, ‘Nah, I’m here already.’”
Tickets are $38 general admission and $11 for students via lpomusic.com. Find more about Banks, including his new song, “Rest of the Year,” at linktr.ee/underdogcentral.
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