LimeWire Store Releases FREE "Ear To The Ground: New Orleans" Compilation

EAR TO THE GROUND: NEW ORLEANS

by Various Artists

Of all the great music that's come out of Louisiana - jazz, zydeco, Cajun - it's surprising New Orleans has never had more influence in the rock world. There ha...ve been some middling national acts (Better Than Ezra, Cowboy Mouth), some great metal (Pantera, Zebra), and a few one-hit wonderboys that wouldn't even make a good pub quiz question.

In the last few years, that's been changing - especially since Hurricane Katrina. The city's DIY approach to recovery has been applied to the local music scene as well, with great results. Theresa Andersson's one-woman acoustic performances (taped in her kitchen) have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube. Just this month, New Orleans' top power-pop combo, Generationals, were named to the New York Times' "Nifty 50" list of upcoming national talent.


These are just two of the artists spotlighted in EAR TO THE GROUND: NEW ORLEANS, a collection curated by the staff of Gambit, New Orleans' alt-weekly paper. We still love our jazz and our brass bands, but this collection is like wandering off Bourbon Street and going deep into the neighborhoods where the people live and play. Enjoy!

GIVERS - "Ceiling of Plankton"

Meet southern Louisiana's Of Montreal or Dirty Projectors. The Lafayette quartet sends rainbow waves of shining Afro-beat, sing-along psychedelics and colorful dance-pop, all wrapped around mountains of smiling guitars and electronics and the playful harmonies of vocalists Taylor Guarisco and Teddy Lamson. (Alex Woodward)

One Man Machine & The Powers That Be - "Get My Sound"

The one man in One Man Machine, Bernard Pearce, is the perfect mascot for this new age of New Orleans music: he's both challenging and rewarding, gregarious and scarily intense. "Get My Sound," the title track from his 2008 debut, offers a typically narcotized haze of psychedelic texture, brass-band exuberance and unbridled funk. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Lovey Dovies - "Sheepskin and Stone"

The latest effort from the veteran punks (read: Red Beards, Big Baby, Faeries, Hatchback) is another reliably brilliant notch in the members' belts. Lovey Dovies genuflects at the altar of '90s indie rock, recalling shoegaze with pop hooks and loud, loud, loud rock 'n' roll, à la Sebadoh, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr. (Alex Woodward)

Big Rock Candy Mountain - "Rocketship"

Trumpet-for-hire Michael Girardot takes center stage with this nascent quartet and proves his singing voice is just as impacting as his instrument's. The lead-off track from the band's 2009 debut, Hey Kid, "Rocketship" veers from searing guitars and synthesizers into a mellifluous vocal base jump. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Caddywhompus - "Fun Times at Whiskey Bay"

The psychedelic thrash duo bounces from light-hearted head-bobbing gymnastics to total sonic explosions, sometimes in the same breath. Drummer Sean Hart and vocalist/guitarist Chris Rehm take their cues from their noise-pop contemporaries, as well as pop deconstructionists Animal Collective and the ear-destroying duo Lightning Bolt. (Alex Woodward)

Giant Cloud - "Rainbows"

Songs by this Ruston-cum-New Orleans quintet play out more like movements in a rollicking psych-rock sonata. The opener of its debut EP, Old Books (Park the Van), "Rainbows" is all moody melody: angelic vocals and keyboard and guitar arpeggios raining down on shimmering cymbals for seven dramatic minutes. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Loren Murrell - "Watching the Clouds"

With a busker's aesthetic and the pull of a pied piper, Grand Rapids, MI, transplant Murrell entrances using only a reedy, windswept voice and feathery guitar work. "Watching the Clouds" is his "Long and Winding Road," a player-piano backing track and soft gospel chorus lending a lush, dreamlike quality to this '70s soft-rock crush. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Silent Cinema - "Sleepy Time on Bourbon"

Micah McKee's whiskey-caked growl carries the fire of New Orleans music, performed none better than by these old souls in new bodies. A brass duo and perfectly in-the-pocket rhythm swim against reverb, guitars, and keys, all bursting with melancholy and joy - barstool blues and a chorus in concrete heaven. (Alex Woodward)

The Pharmacy - "WAYDWYL"

These Seattle transplants shacked up in the Bayou St. John neighborhood and turned into New Orleans music fanboys. Warm soul now punctuates the garage rock trio's approach to classical pop - all the fuzzy melodies and psychedelic hooks of the Kinks and Zombies for punk-rockers. (Alex Woodward)

Theresa Andersson - "Birds Fly Away"

Swedish-born songstress Andersson metamorphosed on 2008's Hummingbird, Go! (Basin Street) from roots-rocking fiddler to wings-spreading pop seraph. "Birds Fly Away" shows off her proficiency with recording pedals, layering handclaps, girl-group harmonies and drums, and pizzicato plucking - all played and looped by Andersson. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Thou - "The Song of Illuminate Darkness"

This is the shift from the southern sludge of the likes of Down and Eyehategod. Thou revels in Black Sabbath worship and doom-like drone, preaching from the pits of the bayou. Sharing thrones in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the band rules a demon world of crushing, low-end obliteration and endless riff dirges. (Alex Woodward)

Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? - "No Blood, No Blooms"

Big Ship performs the songs for when the music stops. It's apocalyptic folk, the stuff you'd expect the Bywater septet - all brass, banjos, accordions, and other miscellany — to glean from rotten streets and the gloom of lifeless neighborhoods, capturing a decayed city better than any post-Katrina bluesman. (Alex Woodward)

The White Bitch - "Hurricane Party"

Music teacher Michael Patrick Welch co-opted the derogatory handle awarded him by some pupils, so it's no surprise that his "Hurricane Party" is the ultimate Katrina deflator: a nostalgic New Wave intro, funky Of Montreal falsettos, and the ne plus ultra of Dirty Coast refrains ("There should at least be a fuckin' beach"). (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Big Blue Marble - "Had Enough"

BBM has been quietly churning out quality pop-rock without much flash for the better part of the past decade. Led by singer/guitarist Dave Fera and supported by a cast that reaches 11, the band is at its best on "Had Enough," whose staccato strings and forlorn tones give way in the last minute to a heartbreaking, hair-raising finish by Fera. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

MyNameIsJohnMichael - "Misery Runs"

Singer-songwriter John Michael Rouchell's 2008 song-a-week recording project blossomed in 2009 into a superior live act, with a performing polish and kinetic prickle that's unmatched in New Orleans outside of jazz circles. Slick showcase "Misery Runs" glides by on group-shouted hooks, a wistful brass bridge and galloping percussion. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Fatter Than Albert - "Panda King"

This six-piece ska powerhouse started building its empire in high school. Now twenty-somethings, the crew (West Bank born and raised), grew up with a steady diet of jazz, reggae, and hardcore punk, and thrives with constant tours, sweat ethic, and a DIY attitude. (Alex Woodward)

Brass Bed - "Summertime"

With a strong dose of '60s nostalgia, this sunshining pop-rock outfit smothers bright, fuzzy riffs over doo-wop country-folk, with the happy psychedelics of the Elephant 6 collective and the current indie-pop sensibilities of the Apples in Stereo, The Shins, and Olivia Tremor Control. (Alex Woodward)

Rotary Downs - "Indian Summer"

Stalwarts of the local rock scene, Rotary Downs broke out in 2007 with Chained to the Chariot, which balanced pop appeal and the band's spacey experimentalism. "Indian Summer," the first single from the group's as-yet-untitled 2010 album, pushes the former even further with four-alarm guitars and a transformative "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" vocal bridge. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

Generationals - "Faces in the Dark"

Sepia-tone soul butts up against Casiotone pop on Generationals' 2009 debut, Con Law (Park the Van), whose songs sound not just like they came from different bands, but different eras. Consider "Faces in the Dark" the time machine: a shuffling Spoon strum, bubbly Motown bass, and a lovely, loping Brill Building chorus. (Noah Bonaparte Pais)

NolaFunk Lagniappe

Kermit Ruffins at Vaughan's: Fish in an Aquarium

My father called me Thursday morning. He was in the Tulsa, Oklahoma airport and bumped into a crew of women headed to New Orleans. They needed tips for live music. I advised them how I would anyone that’s fortunate enough to be here on a Thursday night: They unequivocally needed to trek to Vaughan’s for “the Kermit Ruffins experience”.

I’m so attached to this weekly offering of high notes, endless boogies, and the potential red beans or BBQ, that my wife and I bought a home just seven cottages away. Though we certainly miss being within walking distance of the iconic Maple Leaf.

Download: Galactic feat. Corey Henry @ Brooklyn Bowl

The Radiators played two old-school blues shows at Tipitina's

Some patrons of the arts show their support by mailing in a check. Others might buy a pricey plate at a gala dinner. Bill Bender, a music lover who splits his time between New Orleans and Chicago, likes to be a little more hands-on. The longtime fan and friend of The Radiators is putting on a show -- exactly the show he wants to hear -- and everyone is invited.

The Radiators plan to play songs they, and likely you, know well during two-night blues set for this weekend at Tipitina's.This weekend, The Radiators will play two nights of straight-up old-school blues at Tipitina's. It's pretty much Bill's thing.

Rotary Downs and Big Rock Candy Mountain at d.b.a.



2009 Bingo! Parlour Profile #11: ZYDEPUNKS

"Everyone jumped for joy to the speed-core melange of klezmer tornadoes, Balkan dances, Celtic reels and bayou-squeezbox war" -Rolling Stone

Innovators, renegades, survivors - within a few years, the Zydepunks have grown from underground heroes into one of New Orleans' most talked about bands. Yiddish riddles, Irish ballads, Cajun punk, and original songs in Spanish and German are a small demonstration of why they astound new audiences. Wild folk dances fronted by accordion and fiddle and backed by relentless drums and bass are a testament to the high-energy folk-punk dance craze that is a Zydepunks show.

New Orleans, Music, Vampires and Me

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-cerveris/new-orleans-music-vampire_b_320862.html

I come from a family of musicians. My father is a Julliard trained music professor and pianist, and my grandfather was a flautist for the Pittsburgh Symphony. In his spare time, my grandfather repaired instruments for all the Pittsburgh area high school bands. I have a sepia-toned picture on my desk at home that captures him working on kids' instruments. So when I heard about The Tipitina's Foundation in New Orleans -- and especially the Instruments A Comin' Program -- I had an immediate connection. I know firsthand how music can be the connective tissue in a community, and how here in New Orleans, it is a positive force for young people at an impressionable (and risky) point in their lives. There are shining examples of exactly that on stages and street corners all over the city. If a student has the desire to play, The Tipitinas Foundation makes sure that student has the opportunity to play. It's not about making musicians; so much as it is making people. And that's a cause worth supporting.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-cerveris/new-orleans-music-vampire_b_320862.html

2009 Bingo! Parlour Profile #8: DAVIS ROGAN

Take the enthusiasm and playfulness of early New Orleans rhythm and blues, add to that the bright yet cynical wit of Ben Folds Five, the rock meets jazz sensibilities of early Steely Dan, and the mocking humor that runs through the works of Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, Earl King and Ernie K Doe, and you begin to describe the music of Davis Rogan.

Davis is a fifth generation New Orleanian who was raised in Carrollton and now resides in the Treme. He took piano lessons from Jon Cleary, Ed Frank, and Tom McDermott, began his broadcast career on WTUL at the age of 10, and was a DJ at WWOZ for 13 years.

He first came to prominence in the New Orleans music scene with his eight piece funk group ALL THAT, for which he was lead singer, band leader, principal songwriter, arranger and producer. With three albums to their credit, including one on Rounder Records co-produced with Scott Billington. The band toured extensively in North America and Canada, performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival multiple times and sold over 10,000 records in the US and Japan.

Sissy Bounce

Men of vision

New Orleans music scene is legendary known as the birthplace of jazz, pioneers such as Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino hail from the Louisianan state and music remains the cultural centerpiece of this American city.

Two New Orleans natives are continuing this tradition and are about to take the music industry by storm.

Darrell Flowers and Will Metcalf are music producers and songwriters for their company MF’Ntertaintemnemt specialising in many different genres including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop and RNB.

The pair have been making music for more than 10 years and with former Boys II men star Michael McCary on hand to offer advice they are looking forward to making their mark.

Scaling Back: With fewer paying gigs available, New Orleans musicians face tough decisions

It’s a timeworn truism among observers of the New Orleans music scene that musicians here often have to leave the city to earn a living wage.

That dictum rang true for New Orleans trumpeter Troy Sawyer long before Hurricane Katrina, so much so that Sawyer, now 29, was considering heading for New York when the 2005 storm struck.

“I felt as though I needed to get away to broaden my perspective and to reach more people — and get paid more,” he said. “In New Orleans, you don’t really get paid that much. There’s so much talent down here that people just give it away for free.”

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Buck Jump 1999

Having dropped the "Brass Band" part of their moniker for their disappointing Ears to the Wall in 1996, the Dirty Dozen return to their former, fuller-named persona for Buck Jump. And it's a relief. The band is in full bloom from the opening, funk-fueled track, even if the old snare-bass drum marching format gives way to a more standard drum kit for much of the session. With production from John Medeski (he of the vaunted groove outfit Medeski Martin & Wood), the DDBB steps up to blow on a wild array of songs, from "Run Joe," long an item for Louis Jordan, to a feverish read of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues." There's a great balance struck throughout the CD between the old school march-rhythm rave-ups and their more complex compositions that began coming to the fore on the excellent Open Up! Medeski has the whole party right in your face, too, from virtually the first seconds, when the horns blow brightly and never back off.

Live Music Dominates New Orleans Nightlife

New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, an honor the city prides itself in. From dim lit jazz venues lining the city streets to its annual Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans is a excellent American music city. Jazz is not the only music being created in the Big simple though. A lot of music venues and Clubs offer an eclectic mix of blues, gospel, hip hop, rock and more

The Last Great US Music Fest of 2009 – New Orleans’ Voodoo Experience

NolaFunk Lagniappe

The Radiators - Recommendation of the month

A couple of weeks ago Dan Phillips recommended The Radiators to me. He runs the Home of the Groove blog, which is all about the New Orleans Groove. I had never heard of The Radiators, but I love New Orleans music like Dr. John and The Meters. So I was interested.

Then I got a message from Jay Rosenberg of Radz Records, who does publicity (among other things) for The Radiators, telling me I would probably like their latest release, "Wild & Free". Lucky me got sent a copy, and for sure: me like it lots!

Free Download to Honor Guitar Legend Snooks Eaglin: 1936-2009

"The first time I heard Snooks on record he astonished and thrilled me, and every time I saw him live I was moved and amazed by the depth and breadth of his taste, skill, and musical knowledge. He was called a "human jukebox," but he not only preserved a massive library of American music in his head and fingers, he transformed every note he touched. New Orleans and the world feel like a different place with him gone." - Elijah Wald, compiler/notes writer for New Orleans Street Singer

Singer and guitarist Snooks Eaglin passed away February 18th in New Orleans. His Smithsonian Folkways album New Orleans Street Singer was originally released in 1959 and reissued in 2005 with 7 previously unreleased tracks. Recorded by folklorist Harry Oster after he heard Eaglin performing in the French Quarter, New Orleans Street Singer was recently selected for the book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.

Eaglin, also known as "the human jukebox" for his wide and varied repertoire including electric blues, rock, jazz, and country, lost his sight as a child before teaching himself to play guitar. He went on to play and record with many other New Orleans musicians, including Professor Longhair, the Wild Magnolias, and Alan Toussaint. In recent years he was a regular performer at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

VIP Ladies & Kids Social Aid and Pleasure Club Annual Second Line

"Everything's Out In The Open"
Sunday, March 1, 2009 12noon to 4pm

Alligator Prepares New Release From Eric Lindell

Alligator Records has set a March 24 street date for Gulf Coast Highway, the new CD from soul, rock and blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Eric Lindell. Only a few short years ago, Lindell was known only to a small but enthusiastic group of fans in his native Northern California and his adopted home town of New Orleans. Once he hit the national music scene with his 2006 Alligator Records debut Change in the Weather, critics and fans around the world celebrated the arrival of a roots rocker with dozens of unforgettable original songs. His combination of sweet, blue-eyed soul with groove-laden R&B, swamp pop, funk and blues won him critical and popular acclaim across the country.

Recorded at Balance Studio in Mandeville, Louisiana, Gulf Coast Highway features 12 original songs and three inspired covers. The CD finds Lindell reaching new performing and songwriting heights. His soul-drenched mix of roots-rock, sinewy blues, swampy R&B and a hint of honky-tonk soul permeates every song. With musical help from some of the Crescent City’s finest players, including the Galactic rhythm section of Robert Mercurio and Stanton Moore on some tracks, Lindell has created his most fully realized lyrical and musical statement yet.

Check out the brand new music video for the Rotary Downs song "Body of an Outlaw" from the album Chained the Chariot. Edited, written, and directed by Jonathan David Evans and starring Brooke Lamm as the Outlaw.

Rotary Downs tour dates available here.

Trombone Shorty documentary wins award

The Beverly Hills Shorts Fest has honored Eric Alan Donaldson and L. Lonnie Peralta with the award for Best Documentary for the film they co-directed, produced and edited, “Trombone Shorty.” A “Troy Andrews is blessed with the gift of musical ear play and performance,” says Donaldson, Troy Andrews says, “There’s only 5% of the world, or 10% at most of people that really get a chance to do what they really want to do, and I happen to be a part of that. That’s the ultimate blessing right there.”

NolaCast: Episode #1- New Orleans Hip Hop

This is the debut of NOLAcast. It’s more of a test than a full podcast but features a couple of great Hip Hop songs from New Orleans own Slang Angus and E.O.E. (aka Atman Roots).

Irma Thomas, "Simply Grand" (2008)

Irma Thomas, whose Louisiana legend of a voice has darkened into a more expressive place, is taking a similar career tack. The new "Simply Grand," in fact, finds Thomas moving deeper into the emotional underpinnings of her best work at a time when safer environs would probably be more profitable.

Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse to open in Royal Sonesta

Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street officially opens Saturday, March 21, with its namesake trumpeter leading an all-star band. The club, in the former home of the Mystick, will initially present entertainment Thursday through Saturday, with plans to expand to four and, eventually, seven nights.

NolaFunk Lagniappe

Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters, Maple Leaf, 1/2/09

With 2009 just getting under way, I thought that I’d devote my first show of the year to catching my favorite act of 2008, Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Whether he’s rolling with his band, the Roadmasters, or knocking around with his friends, Joe Krown and Russell Batiste, there’s absolutely no comparison to the Wolfman’s tight, funky rhythm & blues.

Home of the Groove's 2008 YEAR END CD REVIEWS

As you can see, I've been taking a brief break from music posting here on da blog, but not from my behind the scenes vinyl pursuits. Stay tuned for more from the HOTG archives, coming real soon as Carnival season fires up. But, now, once again (may be the last time, I don't know) I come to you with a stack of CDs by my side. It's time for my annual list of some of the mainly Crescent City music in the digital domain I bought this year. With a few exceptions, the funk quotient is high on all. I do this list mainly to give props and support to the local musicians who still are putting out exceptional music - since most of the rest of the year, we groove to the drums of distant decades, focusing on records long past their prime. Most of these CDs came out in '08, although a few are '07 vintage - still recent. . . in geezer-time. You may note that the majority were independently released by the bands themselves, which is commendable, since record companies are part of the problem - but availability can be limited. It's up to you to dig down and support New Orleans and Louisiana musicians and help insure their survival. Make the effort, invest in as many of their CDs or downloads as you can. Experience the artists live whenever you get a chance. You'll reap the rewards.

Rotary Downs To Play Cannes!

Rotary Downs

You know that proud feeling when one of your own "makes good"? We're riding that vibe with word that Rotary Downs will perform a showcase at MIDEM, the world's largest music conference, which takes place in Cannes, France!

Allen Toussaint to perform his greatest hits with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

During the New Orleans Songwriters Festival's culminating concert Dec. 6 at the House of Blues, Allen Toussaint sat alone at the piano and teased "Southern Nights" into a 10-minute, stream-of-consciousness narrative of childhood trips to the country.

Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins and more shined along with the newly reopened Mahalia Jackson Theater

New Orleans music does not require the dank air of a nightclub or the muddy fields of the Fair Grounds to thrive. On Thursday night it translated just fine in the tony environs of the glittering, newly refurbished Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

Good News From New Orleans!

Regular readers will be familiar with FMC's efforts to help New Orleans musicians, like our annual Artist Activism Camp and benefit concert, where artists from around the country come together to discuss best practices for advocacy and play a show to help NOLA musicians still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

One such musician, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, just got great news. As of December 29, the New Orleans R&B and Mardis Gras legend has brand new digs, courtesy Habitat for Humanity. Al lost everything in Katrina, including his longtime dwelling in the Lower Ninth Ward. Now he can finally come home. This was a long time coming, and represents the hard work and generous support of individuals and groups like Sweet Home New Orleans — a non-profit that helps Big Easy artists get back to their neighborhoods and communities.

Download A Song, Help Build A Home In New Orleans

I know there are plenty of you out there who may have forgotten that the city of New Orleans still needs your help and the good people of New Orleans still need homes. One man who has not forgotten is Josh Charles.

Josh was in the process of making New Orleans his home when Katrina devastated that great city. He was forced to get on one of the last buses out of the city and into Houston. A brilliant piano player who has studied and played with Dr. John, Wynton Marsalis and The Meters, Charles was scheduled to hit the recording studio the day after Katrina roared through town, claiming lives and flooding homes and businesses. Three months after the storm, Josh made that return trip to begin his scheduled recording with Dr. John's band and found people displaced, heartbroken, and hungry. Troubled by images that will never leave him, he wrote "Healing Time"

Savor the sound of the Crescent City

New Orleans without music? That's like Venice without canals -- and just as hard to imagine. Music weaves New Orleans' past with its present, and the infinite jazz variations -- from the ethereal warble of classic Dixieland to the tuba-powered street funk of brass bands -- serve as a soundtrack to this storied city.

New Orleans music sounds sweeter today, and here's why: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, few were certain the streets would resound as they once did.

It's not that clubs flooded and venues were wiped out -- many were on high ground and survived just fine -- but the rising waters took out much of the city's affordable housing and its tourism industry. That uncertain future made it unclear whether pass-the-hat musicians and hardworking club regulars would be able to regain their footing in the city.

But several groups took the lead to ensure that musicians would still have a home in New Orleans. Locally revered nightclub Tipitina's earmarks its proceeds to help musicians return to town and to put musical instruments back into the flooded schools.

Funkify Your Life Part 1: Eric Lindell/Bonerama, Tipitina's

Sometimes there’s just no fighting it. Funk – it slips up on you. Its power is mind absorbing and its pulse, body moving, and sometimes your being just craves it. At that point, there’s no escape; you ease into the groove, yielding yourself and your psyche to the rhythm. Recently, I felt a bit funk depraved. And there’s no excuse for that in New Orleans. So, I set out on a funk fueled weekend and caught some of the Crescent City’s finest: Eric Lindell, Bonerama, The Trio (featuring Johnny Vidacovich, George Porter Jr., John Gros, and special guest Kirk Joseph), and PBS (Porter Batiste Stoltz).

Funkify Your Life Part 2: PBS/The Trio, Howlin' Wolf,

When it comes to funk, it comes in waves. And when it hits you, you ride it out. So that’s just what I did. After, diving into the best Bonerama and Eric Lindell had to offer, I was ready to ride the weekend out at the Howlin’ Wolf with the avant-garde grooves of The Trio and the power-funk jams of PBS.

The Trio, anchored by bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Johnny Vidacovich and supplemented by an open invitation to a number their fellow brothers-in-arms, is at its core a group dedicated to the soul of improvisation. Both institutions in their own rights, longtime compatriots Porter and Vidacovich are dedicated to upholding the spirit of the city they call home. Over the years, the have laid it down in the streets of the Crescent City like few before them, and today, their presence is as strong as ever. When they get together, all conventions are set aside; they converse without inhibition, musically exploring the grooves that unite them.