Trombone Shorty signs to Verve

New Orleans 'Supafunkrock' Phenom Trombone Shorty Bursts Onto National Scene With 'Backatown' (April 20/Verve Forecast)

Produced By Galactic's Ben Ellman, Featuring Guest Appearances By Lenny Kravitz, Allen Toussaint And Marc Broussard, Album Caps Deluge Of Honors, TV And Festival Appearances + More For Trombone Shorty

In 2010 alone, 24-year-old New Orleans singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist and all-around musical powerhouse Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews has signed with Verve Forecast Records and performed on Good Morning America and ESPN's SportsCenter in the run-up to the Super Bowl. He has seen recordings he contributed to earn a Grammy® award (Buckwheat Zydeco's “Lay Your Burden Down”) and an Oscar® nomination (Dr. John's "Down In New Orleans" from the hit Disney film 'The Princess and the Frog'). He has taped two appearances - as himself - for the upcoming HBO series 'Treme' from ‘The Wire’ creator David Simon, and played with his band Orleans Avenue as honored guests on Saints owner Tom Benson's float in a victorious post-Super Bowl Mardi Gras parade.

He's just getting started.

On April 20, Verve Forecast will release Trombone Shorty's new album 'Backatown,' an explosive, homegrown combination of funk, rock, R&B and hip-hop he calls “Supafunkrock.” The album was produced by fellow New Orleanian Ben Ellman of Galactic and features fourteen songs, all but one of them written or co-written by Andrews. Guests on the album include Lenny Kravitz, Marc Broussard and Allen Toussaint, who contributes piano to a take on his own composition "On Your Way Down," the album's lone cover.

'Backatown' is a local term for an area of New Orleans that includes the historic Treme neighborhood - or 6th Ward - from which Trombone Shorty hails. Home to Congo Square, birthplace of Louis Armstrong, it has been called "the most musical neighborhood in America's most musical city." A virtuoso prodigy trombonist, brilliant trumpet player, and soulful, charismatic singer, Shorty has been performing with some members of Orleans Avenue - which includes Dwayne "Big D” Williams (percussion), Mike Ballard (bass), Joey Peebles (drums), Pete Murano (guitar) and Dan Oestreicher (baritone sax) - since childhood. The group taps into these roots to create a streetwise, gritty sound all its own on 'Backatown.'

Shorty, who possesses "the presence of a rock star" (NY Times) and has built his reputation on "blistering, bold, exuberant and cutting edge" (USA Today) live performances, is currently on tour with Orleans Avenue, and has already confirmed several major 2010 festival appearances, including one of the prestigious closing sets at Jazzfest, a triumphant return to Bonnaroo, a debut performance at the Hollywood Bowl for the Playboy Jazz Festival, and more.

Though 2010 promises to be Trombone Shorty’s breakout year, he’s no stranger to the spotlight. In 2005, at age 19, he toured the world as a member of Lenny Kravitz’s band (“Shorty’s a genius,” says Kravitz, “he plays his ass off and he’s a beautiful human being”). In 2006, he joined U2 and Green Day for a rousing performance to reopen the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina (“We were just mesmerized by him,” U2’s The Edge said after an earlier encounter with Andrews’ live show). And in 2008, he performed at the NBA All-Star Game with Harry Connick Jr., Kermit Ruffins and Branford Marsalis.

Watch Galactic's New Video for "Do It Again" feat. Cheeky Blakk

Galactic - "Do It Again" feat. Cheeky Blakk

Remembering Snooks Eaglin

c/o Burning Wood's Sal Nunziato

If there was anyone who embodied the spirit, love, and warmth of New Orleans, it was Snooks.

I have many memories of Snooks Eaglin, dating back to the very first time I set foot in the great city of New Orleans, as well as some great NYC memories, too. Snooks played here a lot, but I was told that after 9/11, he was afraid to fly. Normally, I'd give an earful to someone with that mentality, but coming from Snooks, I found it endearing. I think I would have just said, "I know, man. I know." He had done enough.

Barring some miracle, it doesn't look like I'm getting to New Orleans for this year's Jazz Fest. First time I'm missing it in 10 years. I guess I'll just have to listen to some Snooks and miss them both.

Here's a quick mix of some of my favorite Snooks Eaglin tunes. The mix opens with a (very short) story from Herman Ernst and then a live version of "Josephine" from a WWOZ tribute to Snooks from last March, with Ernst, David Torkanowsky, and George Porter Jr. The rest is all Snooks.

1. Snooks Story
2. Josephine
3. Profidia
4. By The Water
5. My Love Is Strong
6. (Mama) Talk To Your Daughter
7. Would You
8. I Get The Blues When It Rains
9. Red Beans
10. Young Boy Blues
11. Guess Who
12. Tomorrow Night

ZIP FILE

In Pictures: Eric Lindell @ Sullivan Hall

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Eric Lindell - Sullivan Hall, NYC 2/20/10


Eric Lindell - Sullivan Hall, NYC 2/20/10


Eric Lindell - Sullivan Hall, NYC 2/20/10

In Picture: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ Highline Ballroom

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave - Highline Ballroom, NYC 2/19/10



Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave - Highline Ballroom, NYC 2/19/10


Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave - Highline Ballroom, NYC 2/19/10

In Pictures: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Jam @ BB King's

by Greg Aiello

Mardi Gras Jam @ BB King's


George Porter Jr @ BB King's


Leo Nocentelli @ BB King's


Henry Butler @ BB King's


Adam Deitch @ BB King's


Eric Krasno @ BB King's


Tami Lynn @ BB King's

by Dino Perrucci Photography

George Porter Jr. - BB King's, NYC 2/16/10



George Porter Jr. & Eric Krasno - BB King's, NYC 2/16/10


Leo Nocentelli & George Porter Jr. - BB King's, NYC 2/16/10


Adam Deitch - BB King's, NYC 2/16/10


Henry Butler - BB King's, NYC 2/16/10

In Memory: Ernest “Doc” Watson

(June 2, 1932 – February 19, 2010)

“I like all kinds of music, but now I feel I owe it to myself and my musical heritage to keep this jazz going. Over the past twenty years, black musicians have more of an interest in preserving what we have done, and getting people to realize what we’ve done. We’ve contributed the only real American art form – jazz.

We shouldn’t change it every week, like pop music.”

At 77 years old, Ernest “Doc” Watson was the last surviving member of the old guard of The Olympia Brass Band, the enigmatic brass band led and popularized by Harold “Duke” Dejan and Milton Batiste. A musician all his life, Ernest started his journey as a French horn player with the Booker T. Washington High School Band. After switching to alto saxophone, he joined up with Ellis Marsalis in his early dance band, The Groovy Boys, before joining the service in 1952. It wasn’t until later, as a member of Little Millet and the Creoles, that Doc switched to tenor saxophone. Having spent much of the sixties playing with the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, Doc was approached by Harold Dejan to join the Olympia Brass Band as a replacement for David Grillier in the mid-seventies. He stayed through the group as long as it remained active, and continued to play weekly at Preservation Hall through the end of 2009.

He will be greatly missed.

Upcoming: Eric Lindell @ Sullivan Hall tonight

JOIN US TOMORROW NIGHT AT SULLIVAN HALL FOR ERIC LINDELL!

CEG in association with Equifunk in NYC Present

ERIC LINDELL
w/ Clinton Curtis, Memphis & The Howard James

Saturday February 20th, Sullivan Hall | Click here for details

Happy Mardi Gras! Tune in to WWOZ all day.

In Pictures: Mardi Gras Ball @ Le Poisson Rouge

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Bonerama w/Tab Benoit - Le Poisson Rouge, NYC 2/13/10

Big Sam's Funky Nation - Le Poisson Rouge, NYC 2/13/10

More from last night:


Craig Klein - Le Poisson Rouge, NYC 2/13/10


Tab Benoit - Le Poisson Rouge, NYC 2/13/10

In Pictures: Jonathan Batiste Band @ BB King's

By Dino Perrucci Photography



Jon Batiste Band - BB King's, NYC 2/13/10



Jon Batiste Band - BB King's, NYC 2/13/10

Upcoming: Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball feat. Loose Marbles & Hungry March Band @ Element

NolaFunky A/V Lagniappe

Home of the Groove: "Mardi Gras Indian Variation

Well, it's way past time for more Carnival tunage up in here. TheHOTG webcastis streaming music of the season 24/7 through Mardi Gras Day, too. So, hit that anytime for more fun. But, right here, right now, I'm posting a track each from the Wild Magnolias and the Wild Tchoupitoulas for our holiday festivities; and, in between, we'll have intense, live Mardi Gras Indian-influenced funkitude from Professor Longhair, plus a pretty obscure seasonal groove offering that owes an obvious debt to Fess. So, prepare to loose that Who Dat! booty. It's Mardi Gras comin', y'all.

American Routes ~ Second Lines and Black Pots: American Routes Live in Louisiana

February 10th, 2010 ~ Come stir the pot with American Routes as we bring you a sampling of great live music from our home state: Louisiana. First we'll stop by the soon to be legendary BlackPot Festival in Lafayette for some new flavors of Cajun and Creole tunes, as well as some old favorites by special guests. Then we'll walk through the streets of New Orleans with the Prince of Wales Social Aid and Pleasure Club during their annual second line parade.

Groovescapes: "The OG Vol. 6: The Rebirth Brass Band"

S

uffice it to say that the city of New Orleans is caught up in an unprecedented state of merriment. Tuesday, an estimated 800,000 people showed up at the Saints’ Super Bowl parade – a glorious occasion, if I might say so myself. Now, what can only be predicted to be the largest Mardi Gras celebration in history is just about to kick off. In keeping with the spirit of the season – and the brass band theme – I’ve got an OG lined up for today that’s sure set the weekend off right. My subject for this week’s column is Crescent City favorite, the Rebrith Brass Band.

MP3: Rebirth Brass Band – When the Saints Go Marching In / Who Dat

MP3: Rebirth Brass Band – My Song

Formative Power of New Orleans' Marching Bands

“If you’re in here you’ve got to be willing to work,” he said. “One slip of the tongue, that’s one less person. One slip of the hand, that’s one less person. We need everybody.”

In the cramped band room of the West Bank charter school, that “everybody” is more than 100 students strong. It includes novices who only recently picked up an instrument and students with so much musical experience their horns feel like extensions of their hands.

Such large, ambitious marching bands have become a relative anomaly in a city famous for its second-lines, brass bands and musical luminaries, however. More than four years after Hurricane Katrina, band leaders say they are fighting to ensure the tradition thrives in a dramatically altered public school landscape.

The decline of that tradition, they fear, would mark the loss of an activity — a passion — that, over the decades, has kept scores of the city’s teenagers connected to school. The best band directors realize that strong marching bands can bolster strong academic programs in the long run, particularly if the music and academic classes are well integrated. And in some cases, “if you keep an instrument in a kid’s hand, it will keep a kid from picking up a gun,” said Elijah Brimmer, a longtime band director in the city.

Upcoming: Abita Beer presents Sugartone Brass Band @ S.O.B.

WWOZ: Thirty Years of "Bringing New Orleans Music to the Universe"

By Wade Luquet

In a small office just off of the main studio, music director Scott Borne sits among stacks of boxes containing 25,000 CD's with a machine that picks up a CD from a stack, copies it and then digitizes it. The music from that CD will now be safely housed on a server in the second floor studio and offices of public radio station WWOZ located in an historic building on the river in New Orleans. Just in case, the digital version of all 250,000 songs will have a copy on a server well outside of the city. The staff and volunteers nearly learned a tough lesson in 2005 when the breaks in the faulty federal levees after Hurricane Katrina left their Treme neighborhood under water. WWOZ was lucky: only some minor roof damage, less than a foot of water, and some tower damage. The music collection was in tact and their equipment was mostly undamaged. The station went back on the air as web-only "WWOZ in Exile" out of a radio station in New Jersey within a week, and was able to open a broadcast studio in Baton Rouge by October.

By December 2005, four months after the flooding, they were back on the air in their present studios in the French Quarter. For many, WWOZ coming back on the air was one more step for New Orleans returning to its "new normal."

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Win Tickets to see Dr. John & the Neville Brothers this Saturday @ Wellmont Theater

A Double Shot of New Orleans Music This Saturday

Art Neville was the keyboardist and a singer for the Meters, one of the most influential bands in American-music history—and quite possibly the greatest funk band of all time. Later on, his youngest brother, Cyril, joined the group as a percussionist and vocalist. Something must’ve clicked because when the Meters broke up in the late ’70s, Art and Cyril, along with their other brothers, Charles (sax) and Aaron (singer), formed the Neville Brothers. With their delicate harmonies and predilection for funk, they became one of the top purveyors of the NOLA sound.

Mac Rebennack was born in New Orleans in 1940. His musical career, as a guitarist, took off in the late ’50s. But following an accident, he had to drop the guitar, so he focused on playing the bass and then, with Professor Longhair as an important influence, turned to the piano. Several years later, in the early ’60s, Mac Rebennack moved from LA to L.A. and somewhere along the way, with time and the help of his winning combination of blues, jazz, pop, boogie-woogie and Zydeco, the singer-songwriter was reborn as Dr. John. His live shows, known for R&B, psychedelic rock and a little a bit of voodoo hoodoo, earned him a cult following—and the attention of Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger. Ultimately, though, he’ll probably always be known for the albums Gris-Gris, Dr. John’s Gumbo, In the Right Place and Desitively Bonnaroo (a name music-festival fans might recognize).

And the best news of all is that both the Neville Brothers and Dr. John (above, playing “Iko Iko”) are playing The Wellmont Theatre tomorrow night, and The House List is giving away two tickets. Want to go? Then fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Nevilles/Dr. John, 2/13) and a brief message telling us what you love about New Orleans music. The winner will be notified later today.

Your Name (required)

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Subject

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Stream Songs from "Preservation Hall – Benefit Album"

All Tracks featuring the PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND:

Andrew Bird – “Shake It and Break It”
Paolo Nutini – “Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea”
Tom Waits – “Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing”
Yim Yames – “Louisiana Fairytale”
Del McCoury – “After You’ve Gone”
Ani DiFranco – “Freight Train”
Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – “Blue Skies (Comin My Way)”
Jason Isbell – “Nobody Knows You”
Brandi Carlile – “Old Rugged Cross”
Richie Havens – “Trouble in Mind”
Merle Haggard – “Basin Street Blues”
Blind Boys of Alabama – “There is a Light”
Dr. John – “Winin’ Boy”
Louis Armstrong – “Rockin’ Chair”
Amy LaVere – “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home”
Steve Earle – “Tain’t Nobody’s Business”
Cory Chisel – “Some Cold Rainy Day”
Buddy Miller – “I Ain’t Got Nobody”
Angelique Kidjo with Terence Blanchard – “La Vie En Rose”

Bonus Tracks (Deluxe CD):

Anita Briem – “C’est Si Bon”
Paolo Nutini – “Pencil Full of Lead”
Yim Yames – “St. James Infirmary”
Tom Waits – “Corine Dies On The Battlefield”
Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – “Sailin’ Up Sailin’ Down”
Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger – “We Shall Overcome”

Upcoming: High & Mighty Brass Band Mardi Gras 2010

HMBB! is proud to be playing Michael Arnone’s Mardi Gras Party at Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ on Sat Feb 13th Also… Monday, Feb 15th we’re at Fat Cat and MARDI GRAS day we’ll be rocking Union Hall in Park Slope.

UNION HALL'S FAT TUESDAY PARTY!

featuring performances from

THE HIGH AND MIGHTY BRASS BAND

plus, also, too

ROYAL AMERICAN SOCIAL AID & PLEASURE CLUB

featuring jambalaya, hurricanes, DJs, $3 pints of Abita, and much much more - costumes encouraged! Come celebrate Mardi Gras at Union Hall!

Upcoming: Brother Joscephus opens for Porter/Nocentelli/Butler Mardi Gras SuperJam @ BB King's

Brother Joscephus & the Love Revival
Revolution Orchestra has enough Mardi Gras righteousness to cover the entire Tri-State area - New Jersey & Connecticut for the first time ever, and then NYC - all in a 4 day span, starting tomorrow!

FAT TUESDAY w/THE METERS' GEORGE PORTER, JR. & LEO NOCENTELLI!
Tues, 2/16 @ B.B. King Blues Club
7:30pm
237 West 42 St
New York, NY
This is the ACTUAL Fat Tuesday of Mardi Gras - this is IT, people! Come see BroJo warm up the crowd for Leo, George, Adam Deitch (Lettuce, John Scofield) and Henry Butler!! *** We have secured special $15 tix for this show! Get your special $10 off coupon to present at the door at the BroJo website!*** (if you don't see the coupon, please hit the refresh button in your browser) BBKingBlues.com

Upcoming: Mumbo Jumbo Mardi Gras feat. Funky Fritters @ Shrine

Upcoming: Sugartone Brass Band @ Berry Park

Review: Galactic @ Terminal 5

c/o Hidden Track

By Jonathan Kosakow on Tea Leaf Green

Words: Jonathan Kosakow
Images: Adam Kaufman

Galactic entered casually from both ends of the stage, and Ben Ellman could not hold back giving a New Orleans “Who Dat!?” which was quickly and happily returned by the New York crowd. Joined by Corey “Boe Money” Henry on trombone, the quintet-turned-sextet came ready for a long and eventful show. To celebrate the release of their new album, Ya-Ka-May (now available on Anti Records), the group was also joined by NOLA legend Cyril Neville, who lent his percussion chops and unmatched vocal soul to the majority of the more than two-hour set.

The light show was turned up a couple notches for Galactic’s set, and for once in Terminal 5 the neon-light dance party fit the bill as the electric jazz and funk had everyone in the room bobbing heads and shuffling feet. Galactic, not generally known for any individual member standing out on stage, meshed perfectly with the two guest performers, who each had their turn at center stage. Switching between lead vocals, trombone, and the occasional front-and-center rap, Boe Money’s fire on stage should have come with a “Caution” sign. It was a new flavor of Galactic as he made his way through the crowd and ended up on top of the bar. And as he blew his horn in the crowd, all 2,000 New Yorkers ate it up like they’d never tasted Creole before.

Neville remained reserved throughout, but when his voice rang, it hung heavy. At times he stood calmly behind his congas, playing a simple beat to keep it all moving, and at others he’d grab the microphone, walk up to Boe Money and go back and forth exchanging melodies. But without the usual five, Ellman, Stanton Moore, Richard Vogel, Jeff Raines and Robert Mercurio, the night would have been seriously lacking. Together they explored a heavier realm than normal, escaping from the upbeat funk and at times diving into darker waters.

To complete the TRL (Throwdown Request Live) section of the evening, Tea Leaf Green’s Garrod and Clark joined the group to honor the fan’s vote, and broke into The Band’s version of Don’t Do It, with Clark on vocals. But that must not have satisfied the super-groups taste for a good cover song, because as soon as that one was done, Garrod grabbed the mic for an equally uplifting Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’.

As an encore, just to complete the night, yet another guest was brought on stage – this time a lesser known but equally talented Butterscotch on the Beatbox – before the entire band broke into When the Saints Go Marching In, in honor of their soon-to-be hometown-heroes.

Galactic Setlist
Set: Blackbird Special, Balkan Wedding, Can I Be Your Main Squeeze?, Tuff Love, You Don’t Know, Heart Of Steel, No More Okeydoke, Boe Money, Paid In Full, Dump Truck, Wild Man, Don’t Do It*, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?*, Ooh Nah Nay, Gossip, Bacchus, Cineramascope

E: From The Corner To The Block > When The Saints Go Marching In

*with Josh Clark and Trevor Garrod (Tea Leaf Green)

• Audio Taped by Scott Bernstein: Galactic