Henri Smith and Ensemble
Friday, September 11th, 2026, 6:00pm
New Orleans comes home to Cape Ann. Jazz vocalist Henri Smith — a 13th Ward native raised among the Neville Brothers and Fats Domino, a longtime WWOZ radio voice, and a New Orleans Jazz Fest emcee — brings his Ensemble to the Meetinghouse for an evening of jazz, blues, and Creole soul.
Born and raised in New Orleans' 13th Ward, Henri Smith grew up inside the music — in a neighborhood thick with musicians, where names like the Neville Brothers, Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, and Papa French were simply part of the air. He carried that inheritance into a long career as a beloved voice on WWOZ, New Orleans' legendary jazz station, and as a performer and emcee at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Then Hurricane Katrina took his home, and the storm that scattered so much of New Orleans carried Henri north — to Cape Ann, where he rebuilt his life and his music. Today he's our neighbor, and his songbook of jazz, blues, Creole, and Cajun is a living thread between two communities that both understand resilience.
For this performance Henri brings his Ensemble, an all-star lineup carrying the New Orleans tradition forward. Expect a warm, joyful, deeply soulful evening — standards and second-line spirit, ballads and barrelhouse, the sound of a city that turns hard times into celebration.
Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation
In the spirit of giving back to the community, each concert is partnered with a Cape Ann non-profit organization. The public is invited to make a free-will donation.
Gloucester’s treasured Meetinghouse, an architectural masterpiece listed on the National Register of Historic Places and located in the center of the Historic District, was erected in 1806 by the First Universalist Society in America. The congregation was founded by Rev. John Murray, who conducted the first service in the Sargent family home on Middle Street in 1774. He was known for his powerful preaching style and fervent Christian belief in a loving, all-forgiving Creator in contradiction to the prevailing Calvinist teachings of the state-sanctioned Congregational Church. Because of Murray’s liberal religious beliefs he was appointed Chaplain to the Rhode Island Regiment under George Washington during the Revolutionary War and was instrumental in bringing aid from the Continental Congress to Gloucester, which was suffering greatly with no fishing industry possible under the British naval blockade.
Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church
Address: Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church — 10 Church Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
