Win Tickets: Terence Blanchard & Branford Marsalis @ Rose

Enter to win tickets to see Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis on Saturday, October 2nd at Rose Theater!

Two of New Orleans’ finest native sons, Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis will lead their own hard-driving jazz ensembles, each offering a distinct perspective on contemporary jazz styles and forms.

October 1-2, 8pm, Rose Theater
Tickets at jalc.org, CenterCharge 212-721-6500, or
Box Office at Broadway and 60th Street
jalc.org/concerts

Upcoming NolaJazz: Terence Blanchard & Branford Marsalis @ Rose Theater

Terence Blanchard/Branford Marsalis New Orleans all-stars kick off the Jazz Jam series October 1-2, 8pm Rose Theater Two of New Orleans' finest: they both left the cradle of jazz, matriculated into Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and then helped show the world that the Big Easy is not only the cradle of jazz itself but the nexus of a vibrant scene of modern music. Leading their own groups, these two very different yet complementary composer-instrumentalists offer their own individual styles of contemporary jazz, which are as hard-hitting and melodic as they are unique.

In Pictures: Preservation Hall Jazz Band, My Morning Jacket and Terence Blanchard @ Jazzfest Fairgrounds

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/25/10




Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/25/10


Preservation Hall Jazz Band w/Terence Blanchard - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/25/10


Preservation Hall Jazz Band w/Jim James - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/25/10

Buckwheat Zydeco, Terence Blanchard & New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Win Grammys

Buckwheat Zydeco Wins Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album -- Grammys 2010

Buckwheat Zydeco's first studio album post Hurricane Katrina was, by all accounts, a masterpiece. Featuring five original compositions and several other Buckwheat-ified cover songs, 'Lay Your Burden Down' touched a particularly tender nerve with a region and a city seeking renewal, hope--and, most of all, joy. Buckwheat Zydeco's been the hottest zydeco act for a few years now. And with the Grammy award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, Buckwheat's musical legacy seems to be safer than ever.



Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra won the Grammy for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album for Book One.

Fellow New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, a Grammy veteran, won a gold Gramophone in the best improvised solo category. He was honored for his work on “Dancin’ 4 Chicken,” a track on drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts’ 2009 album “Watts.”

NolaFunk Lagniappe

Terence Blanchard- given ‘choices,’ chooses New Orleans time and again

Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard chose to live in New Orleans, bring the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz that he heads to the city of his birth and for the first time record an album here. His decisions continue to impact and shine a light on New Orleans as revealed on his 2007 album A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina) and furthered on his new, soon-to-be-released CD, simply titled Choices. We also benefit from his residency as Blanchard kicks off his upcoming world-wide tour on July 31, 2009 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Arts where he and his band recorded the disc.

“One of the things that I’m trying to do with this particular CD is not talk about what happened in New Orleans and the negative stuff,” Blanchard explains. “I want to deal with all the positive things that have been goin’ on. My whole thing is to bring up the debate so we can rebuild the city in such a way so it is much stronger and so we can be the beacon of cultural excellence that we’ve been for decades.”

Encore performance: K-Doe daughter struggles to keep music playing at Mother-in-Law Lounge

Betty Fox, daughter of Ernie and Antoinette K-Doe, reopened her mother’s 7th Ward iconic Mother-in-Law Lounge July 4.

Commercial break: The Radiators

♫

No, it's not that I'm going commercial. But I do like to draw some attention to the new album by The Radiators, "The Lost Southlake Sessions". I got sent a copy and I'm allowed to give you one song of the album. And I like it.


The Radiators are from New Orleans, Louisiana. And they sound like it too. If, besides Southern Rock, you dig the NOLA vibe, you should definitely give this a try. These guys have been around since 1978 and still play with the same line-up. They released several albums, mostly on small labels. According to Allmusic "Law Of The Fish", their only major label release (and thus, the band probably having access to all the right means), is the one to have.
This is New Orleans Rock alright. An influence which can be heard in Little Feat music as well. And of course on any Anders Osborne album.

New Orleans Voices Podcast: Cyril Neville Interview

Cyril Neville is a member of the Neville Brothers, and the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indian tribe. He also leads his own band, Cyril Neville and Tribe 13.

NY Times Music Review: Terence Blanchard -Leading a Crew of Energetic Youngsters, and Keeping Up With Them

Jenn Ackerman

The trumpeter Terence Blanchard runs an informal but important academy. Since the beginning of the 1990s his bands have always been strong, if sometimes overcontrolled. But now that he’s a full generation older than most of the musicians working with him — and those musicians have musically evolved from education and influences different from the ones that formed him — his music is feeling energized in a new way.

Live: Marcus Roberts Trio at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

Marcus Roberts Trio
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Wednesday, July 22

You should see this place, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, up yonder at Lincoln Center, first of all just to behold the not-too-distant future of venue-naming (five years from now Tiny Masters of Today will be headlining Kurt Cobain Drink Mountain Dew or We'll Kill You Arena), but more importantly to regard the view behind the band onstage, looking down on Central Park and, at the 7:30 p.m. show at least, slowly, romantically darkening from broad daylight to sunset. This is alarmingly idyllic, and only more so with a telepathic piano trio lustily dialing up "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)."

Brass Bands.

But the big jobbing-gig thing here, kind of the local equivalent of the wedding band, is the brass band. These can be old-school outfits like the Majestic or Michael White's Liberty Brass Band, which plays traditional repertoire almost exclusively, or bands that play in the more funk-based contemporary style of the Dirty Dozen band, or the Rebirth. Even newer-school outfits like the Hot 8 or the Soul Rebels play a kind of 'brass hop' style of hip-hop, rap music adapted to brass band instruments. There are also more esoteric groups like the Panorama Jazz Band that play hybrids of traditional brass band, early New Orleans jazz, and various Latin and Afro-Cuban styles. The one thing they all have in common is portability, marching capability, and (usually) percussion sections made up of two or more seperate players (one player on bass drum and one on snare). In addition to these relatively fixed-personell outfits there are dozens of 'pick up' type brass bands where who shows up at the gig is related to who's available. My buddy Kevin O'Day, for instance, has a band called the Oakside Brass Band that consists entirely of him on snare and his brother-in-law Frank Lodato on bass drum. When he gets a gig he just starts calling people and you never know who's going to be on the gig. Could be some guy you've never heard of on trumpet, could be the great Kirk Joseph on Sousaphone.

Yeah, You Right: Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown

This week's guest is trumpeter extraordinaire Leon "Kid Chocolate" Brown, whose classic tone and stunning facility on the horn has delighted audiences at tons of major festivals, on Frenchmen Street, and at clubs like Preservation Hall and Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse. He's worked in many of the greatest bands in New Orleans, including the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Los Hombres Calientes, the Preservation Hall-Stars, and his own Chocolate City.

Q: Crystal or Louisiana Hot Sauce?

A: Crystal.

Q: Zapp’s or Tater Tots?

A: Zapp's Jalapeno and Crawtators.

The story of a New Orleans sign-painter: Artist Lester Carey

By nonotes

Satchmo Summerfest Recap

Jason Hall

The ninth annual Satchmo Summerfest ended with a massive rain shower and then cool breezes off the Mississippi River. The trumpet blowout that is the traditional closer of the festival featured Yoshio Toyama (often billed as the Satchmo of Japan), Shamarr Allen, James Andrews (pictured) and one of the youngsters from the Baby Boyz Brass Band joined Kermit Ruffins and his band, the BBQ Swingers in honoring the greatest musician to ever call New Orleans home, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong.

QUINTRON: RISK YOUR LIFE TO BECOME A CALLIOPE PLAYER

You ever play a calliope?

No, but I would really really love to. There’s a calliope on the Mississippi River that I hear every single day—the Natchez I believe is the steamship’s name and there’s an old woman that plays it. I don’t know what her name is but she is very wonderful. There is a peculiar thing about calliopes in that the power for the pipes that generate the sound for the calliope music is actually generated from the steam from the steam engine. The one in New Orleans is actually a real steam calliope. A lot of calliopes are fake. I would love to play it. It’s my dream actually. There’s supposedly—on a real old steam calliope—a release valve that you have to be careful to release enough steam so that the pressure in your organ tank doesn’t build up to such a point that there can be an explosion. The calliope is a dangerous instrument to play. You risk your life to become a calliope player—it’s true.

New Orleans great Toussaint feted in hometown

Upcoming: "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" Panel Discussion

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 7:30 PM
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse

Summer Scoops Live with The Wall Street Journal

Ticket price: $30

Take 25% off an engaging discussion between trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, singer Tammy Lynn, founder of Ponderosa Stomp Ira “Dr. Ike” Padnos, and The Wall Street Journal’s Larry Blumenfeld, titled Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? Use promotion code “TH25” to receive this special discount when buying online or over the phone, and students can use “STUWSJ25.”

For tickets:WSJ.com/live

Alice Tully Hall Box Office or Avery Fisher Hall (Broadway at 65th Street)

Some of the best musicians New Orleans has to offer, including trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard (Cadillac Records, When the Levees Broke), gather to tell the city's untold stories, and to discuss the fight to preserve art and culture in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Singer Tammy Lynn and Ira "Dr. Ike" Padnos, founder of Ponderosa Stomp, an annual festival dedicated to promoting American roots music, join the conversation with Larry Blumenfeld, who writes about jazz for The Wall Street Journal. A live performance by the Terence Blanchard Quartet concludes the evening.

NolaFunk Lagniappe

Interview with Reggie Scanlan of The Radiators (Part 2)

Last Tuesday, I posted Part 1 of my interview with Reggie Scanlan, bassist for New Orleans' beloved rock band The Radiators (www.theradiators.org). Among other things, we discussed the roots of New Orleans music; Wild & Free, the CD celebrating the band's 30th anniversary, and the impact and importance of Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans music scene. We went on to discuss the longevity of the Radiators, why New Orleans musicians are such terrific guest performers, and life on the road.

Dr. John's Prognosis:The blues and rock musician shares stories of his wild past and his concerns for the future.

Mac Rebennack, better known as the musician Dr. John, has been impressing audiences since the 1960s with a stage show deeply rooted in the culture of his native New Orleans. In his heyday, Rebennack would appear on stage in a puff of smoke, decorated in Mardi Gras plumes, bones and amulets, reciting voodoo chants while spreading glitter into the audience. But he is also a highly regarded blues, rock and jazz artist considered a solid songwriter and session musician. In his most recent album, "The City that Care Forgot," he criticizes the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and plays with Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson and Ani Difranco. Rebennack, 68, spoke recently with Kenneth Fletcher about his wild past and concerns about the future

Changing lanes: Workers on pins and needles getting Rock 'n' Bowl's new home ready for Jazz Fest

An oversize Helm paint can and a sign advertising "Dollar and Beauty Supply Store: 100 percent Human Hair, Wigs, African Ceramics" stand outside 8126 Earhart Blvd..

But those businesses are long gone. A mural on the warehouse's South Carrollton Avenue side announces its future purpose: home of a new Mid-City Lanes Rock n' Bowl.

Inside, a bowling alley emerges from a construction site.

Tootin' his own horn at Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse

Just considering all of the musical, educational, political, community and business activities that Irvin Mayfield has going on is pretty mind-boggling. The trumpeter adds club owner to that list when he, in partnership with the Royal Sonesta Hotel, opens "Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse," on Thursday, March 19, 2009. The resume of the New Orleans, Grammy-nominated, jazz mover and shaker also recently grew to include radio talk show host. He can now be heard every Monday on WGSO at 5 p.m. (re-aired on Sundays at 5 p.m.) on his own hour-long program, "The Life and Times of Irvin Mayfield." This week's guest is actor Wendell Pierce.

Big Sam's Funky Nation | 03.07.09 | S.F.

Boom Boom Room :: San Francisco, CA

Big Sam's Funky Nation by Dino Perrucci

From the first notes of the evening, it was clear that all the band asked of the audience was for us to shake our thangs. This was unapologetic party music, designed to help us leave any worries at the door and focus on the more pressing matter of getting down. With Big Sam Williams at the helm, fueling the fire with vocals and huge blasts of trombone, the Funky Nation hit us with their blend of boisterous funk rock.

Billy Delle returns to the WWOZ airwaves

After over a year’s hiatus from the airwaves, the beloved WWOZ DJ Billy Delle will return to the Wednesday night slot he held on WWOZ since the early ’80s. Over twenty-plus years of broadcasting his Records From The Crypt show - three hours of obscure “scratchy 45’s,” as he called them, of New Orleans rhythm & blues from the ’50s - Delle won legions of fans locally and internationally as a valuable repository of New Orleans music knowledge. The New Orleans native interspersed his playlists with entreaties delivered in a heavy New Orleans accent to “open your windows, open your doors - and let the music flow out into the street,” plus uniquely personal memories and stories about a local music culture gone by.

The New Orleans Moonshiners at Donna's on Rampart Street

Donna's Bar and Grill on Rampart Street is a magical place for brass band jazz in New Orleans. Established fifteen years ago as a venue for brass bands by Donna and Charlie Sims, Donna's is what its owners call "a real joint"—a fair-sized room lit mostly in strands of Christmas lights with a large bar, a small stage and a kitchen in the back where chef-owner Charlie Sims cooks up some great New Orleans and soul-food dishes learned on his many years as a railroad cook on the New Orleans-Chicago line. A coat of paint would only ruin its well-worn interior decorated with large photos of brass bands of days-gone-by.

Mondays are special at Donna's when Charlie brings out a batch of his red beans and rice and barbecue chicken served free during the first break. When Charlie comes out of the back, the place comes alive as the regulars pay homage to the beret-bearing chef, who gladly makes the rounds to talk to familiar faces and new patrons alike. Donna, a long-time science educator, is one of the friendliest people you might ever meet and is a great friend to the many brass bands in the city for her support of their swinging, upbeat music. Donna's is a raucous, entertaining place seven nights a week with a variety of bands playing and dancers dancing.

(Big) Easy on the ear: Legend Allen Toussaint brings the music of New Orleans to the world

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This feels like history,” Allen Toussaint said last month, just before receiving his Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award at an invitation-only ceremony.

The New Orleans rock, funk and R&B legend was referring to his fellow Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. They included Motown vocal greats The Four Tops, jazz piano icon Hanks Jones, 100-year-old classical music composer Elliot Carter and singer Brenda Lee, along with posthumous honorees Gene Autry, Dean Martin and electric guitar innovator Clarence “Leo” Fender.

Terence Blanchard records new album

Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard honed his musical gift in his hometown of New Orleans and received music's highest honor for an album about the city's darkest hour — Hurricane Katrina.

But in Blanchard's career spanning nearly three decades, which includes roughly 50 film scores and more than a dozen albums, he never once recorded an album here.

That is until now.

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! Now I don't mean this blog to be a platform for advertising, but if it's good, it's good and I will recommend it. And this is. Listening to it first time around I was reminded of The Meters, Willy DeVille, and Los Lobos, but with plenty Southern rocking going on and enough accent on instrumental excursions. I am allowed to post two tracks, so check out "Like Dreamers Do" and "Suck The Head". I found this video of "I Don't Speak Love" on YouTube, where there is lots more Radiators stuff to be found. But for easy access, start here:

Live Reviews: Juice, George Porter Jr., Groovesect, Gravity A and more

All I cared about was that George Porter Jr. was hanging out near the tents, as was Billy Iuso, both of whom were on the bill to play that night. A little while later the sounds and songs of Mardi Gras called me inside where I found New Orleans jammers Juice playing a set with George Porter Jr. on bass, Joe Krown sitting in on keys, and Billy Iuso adding guitar to the mix. There were also some guest percussionists and there was even a conga player in the audience – though I couldn’t tell if it was played by an audience member or an invited musician. With the lines between floor and stage-crowd and musician properly blurred, it quickly became clear that Mardi Gras was upon us and everyone there would lend a hand in letting the good times roll.