NEW ORLEANS — Every year, Trombone Shorty takes a break from touring the country and makes a trip back to New Orleans to perform at the annual toy drive and concert, Tunes for Toys. Admission to the concert was free with the donation of one toy for a night of tunes.
The mission of the Trombone Shorty foundation is to inspire the next generation of young people through music, young people like Akeel Haroon.
“I’m making splashes, making a scene now,” Haroon. “I like that Shorty is going out of his way to give back to the community, and use music in a healing way.”
Following in Trombone Shorty’s footsteps, Akeel knew he wanted to be a musician at just six years old.
“My background is a young musician in New Orleans that just a lot of different mentors have been pouring into,” Haroon said.
One of those mentors is his own father.
“We from a long tradition of artist, a lot of influence over the years, but I work hard at providing him the opportunities to shine,” Akeel’s father said.
Grammy Award Winner and Deezle Harrison is another New Orleans artist who made it big. He says just living in New Orleans laid the groundwork for his career.
“Music really saved my life,” Harrison said. “Being a part of that was great. Then coming up here, there were people walking down the street playing their horns, people playing on the bus, people playing from the corner.”
Success stories like these are why the Trombone Shorty Foundation holds events like Tunes for Toys.
“To say it’s the birthplace of my dreams, it’s the birthplace of so much,” Haroon said. “I love New Orleans.”
On Saturday, those toys will be distributed to children in need. In New Orleans, Amelia Strahan, WWL Louisiana.
Toys will be given away from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Warren Easton Charter High School's Legacy Field, 3019 Canal Street.
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