I'm back from Jazzfest and lots of recaps to follow. In the meantime, here's Groovescape's second weekend preview...
Here we go again… The second weekend of Jazzfest 2009 kicks off tomorrow. Are you ready for the home stretch? You know we are! Between the hours of 11:00am and 7:00pm each day, roughly 60 artists will be letting it all hang out at the Fair Grounds. Among them are: Theresa Andersson, the Meter Men, Emmylou Harris, John Scofield & the Piety Street Band, Beau Soleil avec Michael Doucet, Zachary Richard, Dr. John, John Mayhall, Allen Toussaint, Neil Young, Buddy Guy, the Neville Brothers and many, many more. While it may me impossible to catch every set, there’s certainly more than enough talent going around to fill your soul. Just as we did last week, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 picks for each day of the Fest. Continue reading for information on the artists, stages, dates and times…
Indian Funk – a sound rooted in tribal rhythms, call-and-response chants, and New Orleans funk. Initially developed by The Wild Magnolias in the early 70s, today, the 101 Runners uphold and enrich this authentic and invigorating tradition. This night joined by another seminal pioneer of the Mardi Gras Indian sound (former member of The Wild Magnolias and current member of the Golden Eagles) Big Chief Monk Boudreax (who also played a significant role in The Wild Magnolias’ recordings), the 101 Runners kicked off the biggest celebration in the United States at the Maple Leaf.
Jazzfest 2005 was another tuning point for me… the moment I really understood what it meant to miss New Orleans: I found it in the music. The Meters Reunion really drove things home. Soon, I found myself venturing to New Orleans regularly to absorb myself in the scene. Local bands, touring bands – practically went out the window. At any random moment, without hesitation, I’d be up for heading down to the Big Easy. Johnny Vidacovich is playing at the Maple Leaf; Bloc Party is coming to One-Eyed Jacks; it’s Wednesday; I’m going to New Orleans. I had also figured out how I was going to see Neil Young: Farm Aid. So I bought tickets to the 20th Anniversary Farm Aid slated for September 18th in Chicago. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. removed myself from the medical field and revived my faith in music.
Appropriately, Jones is releasing "Sweeter Than a Summer Breeze" with a Valentine's Day show Saturday, Feb. 14 at Donna's Bar & Grill. Among the musicians joining him onstage is his wife, Katja Toivola, a trombonist. A native of Finland, she met Jones while in New Orleans researching her ethnomusicology master's thesis on brass band jazz. They've been together for 12 years, and married for three.
Jones knows brass band history -- he's part of it. In the early 1970s, he cut his teeth as the 12-year-old leader of the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band. The late banjoist and raconteur Danny Barker organized the ensemble to rekindle interest in traditional brass band music among young musicians. The Fairview unit evolved into the Hurricane Brass Band, with Jones out front.
01 7:35 Wildflower 02 11:51 Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf 03 8:46 Lively Up Yourself 04 13:58 Middle Of The Road% 05 5:35 People Say 06 19:54 It Ain’t No Use 07 6:35 E: Hey Pocky Way
MC Trachiotomy is the king of New Orleans, sitting on a throne in a ramshackle palace full of huge mechanical puppets, 18th century antique instruments, a defunct (fully stocked) wallpaper store, a warehouse full of weird artifacts, and plus there’s a 24-hour taco truck in the backyard. It's called the Pearl Lounge, and it hosts a crazy live rock and hip-hop party every Sunday night from midnight to 6 AM in the upper Ninth Ward. He got his start in the screamo pyromaniac band Crash Worship, then in 1995 disappeared into the purple smoke of lo-fi percolation in a voice that sounds like the reason for which he named himself. He's toured the world repeatedly, loves the tropics and Greece, and played with the Butthole Surfers at their reunion shows last year. So hey, let's find out more about this guy.
His longtime buddy Quintron says he once "painted himself green and cradled an empty coke bottle like a baby as a stunt to ward off City clean up-crews. And he trained his dog Pablo to bark at smoke machines."
Today’s YouTube masterpiece is a morbid bluesy number with a Spanish tinge that was published in 1857. I discovered it because Jelly Roll Morton quotes it in “Dead Man Blues.” This song is still around in the New Orleans funeral style that Jelly Roll was riffing on — you hear this tune as the gothic minor snippet before things get happy.
Twelfth Nigh has just passed last week. Carnival season is upon us. King cakes are in the stores. The parties have started. Costumes are being put together. The rolling krewes are making their final parade preps. And the Indians are practicing their music and moves in corner bars, and sewing feverishly to finish their new suits. As thoughts turn more and more to February 24, 2009, what better time to pull out my battered copy of a record that I think is a significant, but overlooked example of New Orleans' finest seasonal music, produced by a one-of-a-kind local wonder, Eddie Bo.
As a son of Treme and veteran of the Olympia, New Birth, Treme and Lil Rascals brass bands, trombonist Glen David Andrews has a long history with second-line jazz. But on his new "Walking Through Heaven's Gate" CD, he hews closely to a program of straight-up traditional gospel.
"When I'm singing for God," Andrews said this week, "that's the only thing that's better than a second-line.
"This is a personal record. This is like doing my first record all over. It's got hints of jazz and funk, but overall it's a church record."
So initially, I planned to start the new year off with a weekend full of Walter “Wolfman” Washington. I began by catching him with the Roadmasters on Friday, January 2nd and my plan was to catch him again on Sunday, January 4th with Joe Krown and Russell Batiste for their weekly gig at the Maple Leaf. But what I didn’t realize was that both Walter and Russell had left for the Jam Cruise, and wouldn’t be in attendance. Luckily, Krown brought along his own trio, which consists of guitarist Brint Anderson and drummer Mike Barras. Upon walking into the Maple Leaf, I notice CamileBaudoin (guitar) of the Radiators and “Mean” Willie Green (drums) of the Neville Brothers. Needless to say, I knew that I was in for something special.
There’s no dearth of two-step and zydeco rhythm on “Alligator Purse” (Yep Roc), an upbeat new release by BeauSoleil, the pacesetting Cajun-revivalist band. The album, overseen by the television producer Michael Pillot, features songs by Bob Dylan, J. J. Cale and Julie Miller, as well as originals and traditional Louisiana fare. The mix isn’t out of character for Michael Doucet, the band’s sprightly fiddler and lead vocalist: he may be an old soul, but he’s also a muddler. He and his partners have such a clear identity by now — Mr. Doucet started BeauSoleil in 1975 — that the material bends toward them rather than the other way around. No wonder the album’s assorted guests, including Natalie Merchant (vocals), John Sebastian (harmonica) and Roswell Rudd (trombone), seem comfortable but mindful. They know they’re only passing through.
You won’t see Ben, Hoss or Little Joe there, but Wanda Jackson heads the list of performers for the eighth annual Ponderosa Stomp at New Orleans’ House of Blues April 28-29.
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu and Interior Department Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett signed off Thursday, Jan. 8, on plans to transform the third floor of the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade Avenue into a multimillion-dollar jazz performance space and museum.
Construction is scheduled to commence in August, with the grand opening slated for spring 2010.
This week marks the centennial of Danny Barker’s birthday. Born on January 13, 1909, this torch bearer of New Orleans music was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and ukelele player.
.
Before he died in March of 1994, Danny played with countless Jazz luminaries such as Cab Calloway, Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, Sydney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, Lena Horne, and his wife, singer Blue Lu Barker.
Banjoist, guitarist and raconteur Danny Barker's epic career spanned tap dancing in the Storyville district as a child; a stint in New York contributing to hundreds of recordings by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker and Lena Horne; and the creation of the Fairview Baptist Church Band, which helped revive the New Orleans brass band tradition. He also released memorable recordings of his own and with wife Blue Lu Barker.
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE, but 50 years ago, the future of Cajun music seemed hopeless. The reason it flourishes today is due in part to the efforts of the innovative traditionalist Dewey Balfa (1927–1992), a fiddler who made it his mission to revive the beloved music of his childhood.
Born in 1927 into a French-speaking family of sharecroppers in southwest Louisiana, in a small town near Mamou, Balfa and his brothers—Will, Harry, Rodney, and Burkeman—learned traditional French fiddling from their father Charles. Although his family was proud of its heritage, many in southwest Louisiana were embarrassed by the stereotype of the ignorant, boorish Cajun who could barely speak English, and it was forbidden to speak French in the local schools at the time.
So when Balfa was invited to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, his neighbors warned him that he would be ridiculed by the college-educated Northern audience. Instead, Balfa and his fellow Cajuns received a standing ovation from an audience of 17,000 newfound fans.
It's amazing what you can find in the 99 rack in some record stores. On this release, the Dirty Dozen drops "Brass Band" from their name and adds a keyboardist and a trap set drummer, instead of the New Orleans brass band style separate bass drummer and snare drummer. Traditionalists may bitch and moan about the band's changes; nevertheless, Ears To the Wall sho' nuff be some fonky stuff. It's neat to hear the tuba (technically, it's a sousaphone) play the bass parts along with the trap set drummer. This mostly instrumental old-school-meets-new-school release should be satisfying to anyone who is looking for something a little different.
Gratefully, folks continue to ask how things are going here in New Orleans. The answer, of course, depends on one's circumstances. When it comes to the quality and abundance of music, however, the response must, or at least should be, that New Orleans is doing just fine. From an audience's perspective, it's doing so well that the choices can be overwhelming. Sorry, but no, you can't be in two places at once. So here are some, with an emphasis on some, of the best performances that I was fortunate enough to catch in 2008. Maybe you were there too or they'll bring to mind your own personal list. Enjoy the memories... Starting out with the new kid on the music club block, Kermit Ruffins Saloon, formerly and still often called Sidney's Saloon, held many fun-filled days and nights. High up there was certainly election night with the trumpeter and his Barbecue Swingers set up on the sidewalk Ruffins' declared it the fattest Fat Tuesday. The lyrics to Johnny Nash's tune, "I Can See Clearly Now," never rang clearer - "It's going to be a bright, bright, bright sun-shiny day."
Theodore Emile “Bo” Dollis was born on January 14, 1944 with an extraordinary gift that eventually made him a sacred figure in New Orleans and a fabulous symbol of the city’s unique culture everywhere else. Dollis had a voice that set him apart. He had a native ability to sing that was apparent from early childhood. He had no formal musical training, and he didn’t come from one of New Orleans’ legendary musical families, but when he sang in church people noticed. At home, Dollis proudly exercised his vocal talents to the delight of friends and visitors and over time developed a soul singer’s voice, full of passion and intensity with a rasp that gave him a wild edge.
Wilbert "Junkyard Dog" Arnold, who spent more than two decades as the drummer in Walter "Wolfman" Washington's Roadmasters, died Dec. 26 after a long illness. He was 53.
Arnold laid down the mix of funk, blues and soul grooves on most Roadmasters recordings. In 1997, he was felled by a bout of colitis while on tour and was forced to fly home from Istanbul, Turkey. However, he continued to perform with the Roadmasters until 2006. He was also involved with the New Orleans Rhythm Conspiracy.
His former bandmates visited the WWOZ-FM studio on Dec. 30 to reminisce on-air about his exploits.
"The Dog was a tough son of a gun and a very lovable guy," Roadmasters bassist Jack Cruz said. "His sense of polyrhythm and syncopation was right on. He was totally dedicated to the drums and music, and full of life. He could keep a monologue going for 12 hours straight. You know how if a shark stops swimming, it dies? If Wilbert stopped talking, he would fall asleep."
Essentially the sequel to the Iguanas' "Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart, " the best local release of 2003. Like its predecessor, the new disc is laden with dreamy visions of south Louisiana: the open road romp of the title track.
The shimmering guitar echo, shuffling rhythm and lap-steel guitar moan of "Her Red Fishnets." The south-of-the-border noir of "Malas Vibras." The undulating groove and come-ons of "Sour Grapes." The Mark Knopfler-like "Okemah." The sweet-tempered accordion ditty "Warm Sun."
Taken together, it reconfirms the Iguanas as the New Orleans/Tex-Mex equivalent of Wilco, a roots music ensemble that skillfully and subtly draws on a broad palette of sound.
For many, Christmas is the biggest holiday of they year, but for New Orleans music aficionados and funk fans ‘round the globe December 26th – not the 25th – is the holiday that they look forward to the most. No, I’m not referring to Boxing Day! I’m referring the birth of the funkiest bass player in the history of music… none other than New Orleans’ own George Porter Jr.
Rob Trucks's "Possibly 4th Street" expositions, in which he invites musicians to perform live and impromptu somewhere in New York City, run intermittently here at Sound of the City.
This is how it's supposed to be done.
Just over a year ago, we accompanied the seven-piece, trombone-heavy, New Orleans-based brass band Bonerama to Midtown. They parked their van just south of Radio City, unloaded the trailer, and set out an empty snare case. Hundreds of sidewalk-blocking tourists, twenty minutes, and three songs later (including a memorable rendition of Led Zeppelin's "The Ocean"), the band is 70 bucks (a Possibly 4th Street record) and immeasurable goodwill richer.
Best to fasten your seltbelts, and put your trays in the upright position.
"Git It" is a frenetic, fun-filled journey, this breathless moment of in-concert glory that comes and goes so fast that it remains sadly emblematic of the meteoric rise of Beau Jocque himself.
During the last decade, Beau became the high-octane face of a new style of zydeco, originally this Louisiana-born old-school blending of Cajun folk tunes with post-war rhythm and blues and Afro-Caribbean beats by the state's Creole community. The 1990s update included contemporary urban sounds. With Beau, it meant both a ferocious groove as well as a dangerous, almost primal vocal presence in keeping with blues legend Howlin' Wolf and, at other times, soul stirrer James Brown.
Along with about 998 of Aaron Neville's biggest fans, Big Man and I squeezed ourselves into the House of Blues Sunday night for a rare live concert. "Standing room only" does not do justice to the size of the enthusiastic crowd -- it was like Mardi Gras, or one of the big stages at Jazz Fest, folks were packed together so close that when you raised your arm to take a sip of your drink, you perforce brushed against another person, or possibly several. Until the concert began, you could clearly hear every word of conversations said in a normal tone of voice by the people immediately around you. Enforced intimacy.
A TRIO OF New Orleans JAZZ PIONEERS
In the early 1960s as a young man in his 20s, cornetist Jim Cullum made a pilgrimage to New Orleans, exploring the roots of jazz, meeting jazz greats and sitting in on jam sessions. In conversation with co-host David Holt, Jim Cullum recalls the Parisian Room on Royal Street in the French Quarter with trumpeter Papa Celestin on the bandstand, a jam session with cornetist Johnny Wiggs, and Mardi Gras parades with drummer Paul Barbarin.
On an unseasonably warm Tuesday evening in Jacksonville Beach, as the locals focused on the Tim Tebow/Florida Gator-mania, First Coast funkateers braced themselves for the new-age sonic hurricane that is New Orleans' Dumpstaphunk. The band was still somewhat fresh off a positively killin' weekend converting the non-believers with their patented deep-fried, bouncing, elastic jams at the Bear Creek Festival 'funktion' (read our review of Bear Creek here). Now the funk train made a return stop in North Florida at Freebird Live for an evening that doubled as bassist Tony Hall's birthday jam. Chuuch!
One of the best characteristics of New Orleans is that both culturally and musically, it is a melting pot. There’s always something brewing down in the delta. From its traditional byways to its signature stride, New Orleans is a city driven by experiences and shaped by interactions.
Perhaps the most unique characteristic about the New Orleans music scene is the manner in which the genuine sense of camaraderie that its musicians share amongst each other transfers itself to the fans. While the events surrounding Mardi Gras and the festival season often overshadow the winter months, this “quite” season should not be overlooked. All of the musicians have returned from their tours, and there is a renewed sense of energy bounding throughout the streets. It’s during this time that some of the city’s most spirited jams take place. Without the usual tourist driven hubbub, nightly, musicians reconnect with their roots, their musical compatriots, and their core fanbase.
Here we go again… The second weekend of Jazzfest 2009 kicks off tomorrow. Are you ready for the home stretch? You know we are! Between the hours of 11:00am and 7:00pm each day, roughly 60 artists will be letting it all hang out at the Fair Grounds. Among them are: Theresa Andersson, the Meter Men, Emmylou Harris, John Scofield & the Piety Street Band, Beau Soleil avec Michael Doucet, Zachary Richard, Dr. John, John Mayhall, Allen Toussaint, Neil Young, Buddy Guy, the Neville Brothers and many, many more. While it may me impossible to catch every set, there’s certainly more than enough talent going around to fill your soul. Just as we did last week, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 picks for each day of the Fest. Continue reading for information on the artists, stages, dates and times…
