NolaFunk Lagniappe

Top Ten New Orleans Funk Jams

Here's a mix including most of the NolaFunk Jams

"The artists of New Orleans’ thriving funk scene during the 60s and early 70s took the sounds that filtered through the port town from the West Indies, Africa, Haiti and France and weaved them into an entrancing gumbo that’s excellent for dancing. Lee Dorsey, Allen Toussaint, The Meters, Dr John, Betty Harris… none of this lot are going to beat the fuck out of their lover. Their lover might dog them, but they’ll carry on regardless, singing songs of heartbreak whilst they do the washing up. And when their lover comes back to them… it’s time to dance. The ten songs here all make us want to either cry, hit the dance floor, or, on more than one occasion, both."

Cyril Neville Talks Back

"I love New Orleans. Everything about me as far as an entertainer and as far as an individual is concerned, was forged right there in New Orleans. I came of age during the ’60s. I was 12 years old in 1960 when the second battle of New Orleans started for the desegregation of the schools. That was the pressure cooker that I came up in the ’60s and ’70s. Even though I caught holy hell, I still love New Orleans. That’s my home. Always has been and always will be. You can take me out of New Orleans, but you can never take New Orleans out of me. I still wake up at 3:30 in the morning almost three years down the line from Katrina wishing I could get up like I used to get up and drive to Orleans and Claiborne to get me some wings, or drive to the gas station around the corner and get me two Hubig's Pies."

Honoring a Legend: A Tribute to Mr. John Brunious

"John Brunious was one of the most respected and inspiring trumpet players that has ever come out of New Orleans. He was dedicated to his instrument and to sharing his love of traditional New Orleans Jazz. He wanted to preserve this music not only for today, but for generations to come. John loved his family, his music, and his many friends and fans. On a personal note, he was a generous, good man and a dear friend, and we loved him. We will miss his humor, great stories, and his presence in our lives."

Lifetime Achievement in Music: Wardell Quezergue

“We had an office on Orleans Avenue and he came in and he said ‘Quiz’—he used to call me Quiz—he said, ‘I have something I want you to hear. I want you to record this on me.’ ‘Okay, let me hear it.’ He started to diddle with his hands on my desk—dump de-dump dump dump diddle ump de-dump dump dump. I said, ‘That’s a good beat.’ Where’s the melody?’ He said, ‘That’s where you come in!’ So while he was doing that, I had to come up with the melody to go with the beat. He was the drummer on ‘Big Chief.’ He hit that drum so hard, he had blood coming out between his thumb and forefinger.”

Home of the Groove's "Tami Lynn's Unlikely Hit Had A Funky Flip"

Produced by prolific songwriter and hit-maker Bert Berns in New York City, and originally issued in the US on ATCO (#6342) in 1965, this single was not a success for Tami Lynn at the time. But in 1971, a British producer, John Abbey, re-discovered it and was responsible for releasing the record in Great Britain on the Mojo label, part of the Polydor group. Due to enthusiastic response on the Northern Soul scene, the A-side, "I'm Gonna Run Away From You", became a hit, staying on the charts for over a year, and making the experienced but unknown jazz singer a sudden pop star in that country.

Top CDs from 2007

At the beginning of the New Year many show hosts on WWOZ take a look back at some of their favorites CDs from the previous year.

Meet WWOZ host George Ingmire

"Gambit honored George Ingmire, host of the Wednesday New Orleans Music Show, as one of the city's top movers and shakers in the publication's recent listing of 40 under 40. But there is a lot more to this Virginia native. George is a walking encyclopedia of local music fact and fiction, able to distill obscure historical and/or musical threads and weave them into compelling narrative musical adventures."


A Confederacy of New Orleans Characters

"Dr. John, the New Orleans piano professor, told me in an interview a few years ago, "N'awlins has always had a lotta characters," pronouncing the word in his own funky brogue as "CHAR-AC-ters."

"Lemme put it to ya this way, if I had two Bourbon Street strippers and a roofer right now, I'd keep the roofer."

Jazzy Joint:$15M Music Hall of Fame to retune Rampart

Jerome “PopAgee” Johnson will turn the old Eagle Saloon on Rampart Street into the New Orleans Music Hall of Fame.



New Orleans Music Hall of Fame Website

Happy Birthday K-Doe!

Ernest Kador, Jr.
February 22, 1936-July 5, 2001

K-Doe battling James Brown at a famous dance competition in New Orleans at the Municipal Auditorium in 1963. Folks in New Orleans still talk about this legendary bout.Credit: Earl Perry

The dynamic team of Ernie K-Doe and Allen Toussaint has reunited in recent years on several occassions. Allen and Ernie worked together on many hits together in the '60s, including "A Certain Girl", "Tain't It the Truth" and the No. 1 smash hit "Mother-in-Law". Here they are performing together at Tipitina's on Toussaint's Birthday in 1998.
Credit: Michael P. Smith


Read the classic NY Times article "Mother-In-Law of All Visits"


Also read "Ernie K-Doe For Mayor", "All Dolled Up In His Lounge and Shrine", & his Obituary.


Listen to K-Doe's hits HERE.

Artist Spotlight: Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk (New Orleans Funk)

2/21 Ivan Neville's Dumstaphunk @ Sullivan Hall

"Dumpstaphunk is the best funk band from New Orleans right now."
(The New York Times)

"...musically hard-nosed and rooted in 1970s inner city funk."
(Offbeat Magazine)

Formed in 2003, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk was initially put together by keyboardist Ivan Neville on a whim in order to perform a solo gig at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Ivan called in cousin Ian Neville (guitar), the double-bass bottom of both Nick Daniels and Tony Hall, and drummer Raymond Webber to round out the show. The project has since grown into what is now widely considered to be New Orleans’ most popular musical export. The band was recently voted 2007’s “New Orleans Best Funk Band” by both Offbeat Magazine and Gambit Weekly.

"Ivan's so good...I play with him." (Keith Richards)

Founders Ivan Neville and Ian Neville (sons of both Aaron Neville and Art Neville respectively), along with Nick Daniels, Tony Hall, and Raymond Webber, were brought up in an atmosphere of sounds that have arguably become the most defining in all of New Orleans music. But don’t let the pedigree of lineage from the Meters and Neville Brothers fool you either. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk now stands on its own as the legitimate torchbearer of all things funky both in New Orleans and beyond.

Jambase feature story: "Stankier Than The Rest" or recent NYC show recap HERE.

"Dumpstaphunk is ready to usher in a new age of funk to the masses." (Jambase)

Read Harp Magazine's post-Katrina "History's Greatest Homeless Band" or this 2005 feature: "Funkyknuckle Rides Again"

"Dumpstaphunk play perhaps the purest brand of funk around" (Honest Tune)

There's a quick NY Times piece HERE, a 2006 Q&A HERE, and an interview with Ivan HERE.


Check out Offbeat's REVIEW of their debut EP "Listen Hear"

Official website HERE
Ivan's website HERE
Myspace page HERE

Dumpstaphunk @ Sullivan Hall

By Scott Bernstein

Warren Haynes sat in with the band.

By Dino Perrucci Photography

NolaFunk Lagniappe

New Orleans Musicians on New Orleans...





All Things Considered presents Library of Congress: Saving New Orleans Music

The Library of Congress has rescued New Orleans public radio station WWOZ's extensive live broadcast collection. The collection, which was almost lost in Hurricane Katrina, includes great recordings by many New Orleans musicians, including Deacon John, Beau Jocque, and the late James Booker. It's a rare historical testament to the city's roots music.

Listen to the audio documentary HERE, and a related article HERE.



George Matters! LISTEN to George Porter on the WBAI 99.5FM "Morning Dew" program.
Dave Nolan says:

"He spoke for over half an hour about New Orleans, its recovery, and public perceptions that the Neville Brothers had abandoned their home town. Some of the best radio I have heard in ages. We just tried to shut up and get out of George's way and let him talk about his take on the whole situation down there - from his home in the Carrolton/Uptown area that was under 4 feet of water, to the lower 9th ward where friends of his including some of the Nevilles were under 14 feet of water and more..."

The 60-Second Interview: Davell Crawford

There is a debate here, at times, as to whether the New Orleans music scene, post-Katrina, is dead, or whether it is more vibrant than it ever was before. I have my own views on the matter, but I'd like to hear yours.

I don't think dead -- ever. That's impossible, considering all the music that has come from our great city throughout the years and throughout American history. I don't think it's any more popular than ever, but it is being well-received. Young people around the country and around the world are now interested in roots music, which not only includes New Orleans music, but Louisiana music as a whole, including zydeco and Cajun, and I think that's a wonderful thing.

Read NO Notes' BLOG POST about Joe's Cozy Corner, the infamous New Orleans landmark.



Watch OK Go & Bonerama on David Letterman:





Preservation Hall's John Brunious dead at 67

Trumpeter John Brunious, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's leader and senior member, died Tuesday in Orlando, Fla., after suffering an apparent heart attack. He was 67.

Mr. Brunious joined Preservation Hall around 1987, after substituting for longtime trumpeter Percy Humphrey. With his shock of white hair and the traditional white shirt and black pants of old-school New Orleans jazz bands, Mr. Brunious tutored rapt tourists on jazz funerals, second-lines and dirges before launching into "Just a Closer Walk With Thee."

Watch Eric Lindell perform on Late Night with Conan O'Brien:





Check out Home of the Groove's "Random Reviews Of 2007 Releases + Cool Boogaloo", which highlights lots of recent New Orleans album releases.








The Empress is Alright

A pall was cast over Mardi Gras morning in the Treme when Antoinette K-Doe, widow of the legendary R&B character Ernie-K-Doe, was taken to Tulane University hospital early in the day complaining of chest pain. After surgical procedures to address heart and renal problems, the Empress of the Universe spent the weekend resting, and returned home yesterday to convalesce. Friends of K-Doe emphasize that the Mother-in-Law Lounge is not open until further notice, and that she is not receiving visitors. Supporters, fans, and well-wishers are encouraged to send correspondence to her at 1500 N. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116.

His Darling New Orleans

"In August 2005, Legacy producer Leo Sacks was sitting in a pizza parlor in midtown Manhattan, watching the surging floodwaters swallow New Orleans. As the extent of the calamity became clear, Leo told his friend Andy Kowalczyk: “We need to start the healing; we need to make a record right away. Their favorite street paraders, piano ticklers, trumpeters, rhythm-and-blues singers, Mardi Gras Indians and funkateers were scattered to the four winds. “I felt helpless to care for the people and the city that I love,” Leo says today.

And the Grammy goes to ... TERRANCE SIMIEN

Simien and Zydeco Experience grabbed the first Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album Grammy on Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Live! Worldwide, the band's Grammy winner, features live recordings done across the globe over the past 25 years of Simien's career. The victory is the peak of a seven-year effort by Simien, along with his wife and manager Cynthia, to establish a Grammy category for zydeco and Cajun musicians.