In Pictures: Rebirth Brass Band & Brother Josephus @ BB King's

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Rebirth Brass Band - BB King's, NYC 7/8/09


Rebirth Brass Band - BB King's, NYC 7/8/09


Brother Josephus & The Love Revival Revolution Orchestra - BB King's, NYC 7/8/09

Upcoming: Brother Jocephus / Ingrid Lucia on Roosevelt Island Saturday - FREE!

JULY 11 2009 4PM NEW ORLEANS IN NEW YORK: BROTHER JOSCEPHUS and the LOVE REVIVAL REVOLUTION ORCHESTRA with INGRID LUCIA and the FLYING NEUTRINOS

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra is a new act that has recently completed its first recording that was released Feb. 24, 2009. In its short history has already shared the stage with New Orleans stalwarts such as Trombone Shorty, the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars and Eric Lindell. The band is a musical and visual spectacle of such ferocity that it leaves all in attendance shouting "Amen!" and dancing in the aisles. It's like a big ol' shot of love and adrenaline. It feels that good.

NolaFunk Lagniappe

New Orleans jazz trumpet icon Kermit Ruffins on barbecuing

Where did the name “Barbecue Swingers” come from?


Kermit Ruffins: From tailgating. I started tailgating at Vaughn’s during break-time so the guys could have something to eat. So one morning I woke up and said “Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Kings,” but by the middle of the evening I had changed it to “Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers.” I was having so much fun barbecuing during the show that it just hit me: “Barbecue Swingers”.

Huge second-line honors King of Pop Michael Jackson

VIDEO: Huge second-line honors Pop King Michael Jackson

'Preserving' and promoting our treasured musicians

Even on a sultry, drizzling June night in New Orleans, Preservation Hall packs them in. Fortunately, the tourists who come searching for the traditional jazz that was born in this city are served up the real music that locals might take for granted. What makes it different from some tourist destinations is that the history of jazz lives within its chipped cement walls as well as in the musicians that play within its environs. Those of us who live in New Orleans know these guys such as bassist Walter Payton, who taught many a youngster who attended McDonogh 15 in the Quarter and have gone on to enjoy professional careers themselves. Musicians who have jazz running through their veins-like trumpeter Mark Braud of the legendary Brunious family and Joe Lastie whose Ninth Ward clan helped to create and carry on New Orleans music-remain regulars here.

Concert Review: Allen Toussaint at Metrotech Park, Brooklyn NY 6/11/09

Right off the bat, his chops were in full force. Toussaint isn’t flashy, never was – like many songwriters from his genre and his era, he doesn’t waste notes getting to the point, with a warmly chordal, staccato, even percussive attack. Nor is he a flashy singer, which was especially noticeable as the sound engineer fiddled with his vocals in the mix, but did a capable job nonetheless. He played the old stuff first: There’s a Party Going On, Here Comes the Girl and a long, tasty, fluidly soulful version of the minor-key We Got Love, which he wrote for Dorsey well over forty years ago. Then he did a medley including A Certain Girl, Mother-in-Law, Fortune Teller and Working in a Coal Mine. The Pointer Sisters’ hit Yes We Can Can was reinvented and vastly improved as yet another soul/funk number, as was another unfamiliar tune (at least to anyone who knows nothing about lite FM) apparently made famous by Bonnie Raitt.

There's no such thing as "too much" of New Orleans music and its musicians

Terrance Simien embraces and reveals the cultural connections throughout the African diaspora in his Zydeco music and his educational performances/CD, Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco. While traveling around the world, the Grammy-winning accordionist and vocalist, who closes the French Market Stage at the New Orleans Vieux To Do on Sunday, June 14, continues to discover the aspects that tie his Creole heritage to people in faraway lands. In the Seychelles - islands off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean - he was surprised by the many things he shared with the residents.

Joe Krown Q&A Podcast
Joe Krown is a New Orleans-based keyboard, piano, and organ master.

Russell Batiste Jr. Q&A Podcast

Russell Batiste Jr. is the drummer for the Funky Meters, PBS, the Joe Krown Trio Russell Batiste and Friends, and Orkestra from da Hood.

Andre Bohren Q&A Podcast
Andre Bohren is the drummer for rock group Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes.



Christian Scott riding superlative horn wave

Like a lot of creative types, trumpeter Christian Scott is hard to stuff into a genre box. First, there's the clear sound of his horn, the one with the oddly angled bell. It's unmistakably part of a grand New Orleans tradition that reaches back to Louis Armstrong: a lone, expressive voice that projects its own personality as much as it does virtuosity. He could easily be playing gigs in the style of traditional New Orleans music or in the post- bop style practiced by another Crescent City hero, Wynton Marsalis.

Quick bits of Louisiana Gospel

So I've been sorta hinting at how I want to break into Gospel a bit. I haven't really ever considered myself Christian except by birth as it clashed with my preteen love of dinosaurs, but I find it hard to take issue with the passionate hollerin' that comes out of (black) gospel music.

So for a class I decided to a do a presentation on it for my final project. I'm not exactly an expert now, but I found some pretty stomp-worthy stuff. And I'm about to give you a real quick tour. Most of this stuff is actually pretty basic and blogged about in plenty of places, but I'm willing to guess that a lot of y'all are just as dumb as I was about this stuff. I'm not attempting a full-on history lesson here, just sharing some stuff that y'all might like.

Booker records = hot: It was mostly a one-man operation, started out as rhythm and blues but went gospel after just a few. I've got a pretty good 45 of normal semi-musical sermoning off there but the real hot thing is Rev. Charlie Jackson. Think male Sister Rosetta Tharpe. I know, that's no more appealing than female SRT, but more Tharpe in any form is welcome in my book.

God's Got It
Wrapped Up And Tangled Up In Jesus

Five Questions with Shamarr Allen

3. You have hinted that you are have considered moving out of town- how seriously have you thought about it?

I’ve been doing a lot of research on true New Orleanians, that are very successful. I’m not talking big fish in little pond success. Everyone that was ever super successful eventually had to leave. Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Sidney Bechet, Branford Marsalis, Terrence Blanchard, and plenty more. I can’t find any that actually lived here and were as successful as anyone of these guys. There’s a long list of them too. They’re just not coming to mind right off hand. So yes its a serious thought and I love this place I just don’t think it loves me back sometimes.

Antoinette K-Doe's daughter and friend officially reopen the Mother-In-Law Lounge with a really big show

On Feb. 28, Antoinette K-Doe presided over her last party at the Mother-In-Law Lounge, lying in state next to the stage. As patrons paid their last respects to Ernie K-Doe's colorful widow, who had served as den mother to an eclectic community of musicians and fans for nearly two decades, many couldn't help but wonder if this would be their last drink at the legendary Treme night spot.

Five Questions with Billy Iuso

4. Why did you decide to record your live album at the Sandpiper- a club that doesn’t usually feature live music?

Several reasons, I live in the neighborhood, the neon sign alone is great, and so much of New Orleans music was born in the 12th Ward including clubs such the Nitecap and the Dew Drop Inn. I am trying to bring it back.

In Pictures: Kermit Ruffins @ Damrosch Park - Lincoln Center

By Dino Perrucci Photography

Kermit Ruffins - Lincoln Center, NY 7/7/09



Kermit Ruffins - Lincoln Center, NY 7/7/09


Kermit Ruffins - Lincoln Center, NY 7/7/09

Upcoming: Rebirth Brass Band @ BB King's tomorrow night!

REBIRTH BRASS BAND
Featuring:
Sp. Guest Openers
BROTHER JOSCEPHUS
+ THE LOVE REVIVAL
REVOLUTION ORCHESTRA 2009-07-08
8:00PM

Simply put, The ReBirth Brass Band is an institution. Formed in 1983, the band has long since graduated from the streets of New Orleans to theaters and festivals all over the world. ReBirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has placed them among the world�s top brass bands and they are the hands-down favorite among the younger generation.

Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra are an 11-piece ensemble offering the best feel-good gospel-style music without the bothersome "subservience to Jesus" part. Throw in a liberal amount of Ray Charles/Al Green/Otis Redding soul, a big tip of the hat to N'awlins and some good ol' roots rock and you've got a perfect gumbo simmered to righteous perfection!

On This Date (July 7, 1949) Bunk Johnson / New Olreans Jazz Musician

c/o themusicsover

Willie “Bunk” Johnson
December 27, 1889 – July 7, 1949

Bunk Johnson was a popular New Orleans Jazz trumpeter in the early part of the 20th century who gained an even bigger audience when his career was revived in the ’40s. Johnson claimed he was born in 1879, but most sources indicate that he was actually born in 1889. What IS know is that Johnson played his trumpet in and around around New Orleans during the early 1900s, only to have his career cut short in 1931 when he lost his trumpet and front teeth in a fight at a dance. In the late ’30s, two writers learned of Johnson during their interviews with Louis Armstrong and others. Armstrong has cited him as an inspiration. Intrigued by their praise, the men tracked down Johnson and and later raised money for new dentures so he could play again. He went into the studio in 1942 to make his first records. With his career revived, Johnson toured more extensively than in years past. Johnson died in 1949 following a stroke.

On This Date (July 6, 1971) Louis Armstrong

c/o themusicsover

Louis Armstrong
August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971

Nicknamed “Satchmo,” Louis Armstrong was arguably the greatest performer jazz has ever known. Born into poverty in New Orleans, Armstrong’s young life was as tough as one could imagine – a father who abandoned the family and a mother who was forced to turn to prostitution. To get away, Armstrong hung out at the local dance halls of the city’s red light district, taking in the music of such greats as Joe “King” Oliver and Bunk Johnson who claimed he taught the young boy how to play the cornet. He would later take up the more familiar trumpet.

When he became proficient on the cornet, Armstrong got gigs playing on riverboats and in parade brass bands. It was only a matter of time before Armstrong was playing alongside the likes of Kid Ory, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald and future wife, Lil Hardin. Throughout his career, Armstrong made countless recordings, appeared in film and on television, and made the cover of Time magazine in February of 1949. But it wasn’t until the world was caught up in Beatlemania, that he released his unlikely 1964 hit, “Hello Dolly.” The song had the distinct honor of not only making him the oldest artist (63) to reach the #1 slot on the pop charts, but also of knocking the Beatles out of the top slot for the first time in 14 weeks. Louis Armstrong died shortly after a heart attack at the age of 69.

Upcoming: Kermit Ruffins @ Lincoln Center tomorrow night!

Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers

“With his shimmering tone, street-honed chops and over-the-top personality, Ruffins is a throwback to the days when entertainment and art were fast companions.” —The Star Tribune

With a knowing grin on his face and a smile in his voice, Kermit Ruffins kicks off the season with New Orleans flair. The trumpeter/vocalist and his band are sure to thrill with their unique sense of smokin’ swing.

When:
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 6:30
Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

Where:
Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

Program:
New Orleans Jazz, Swing
Lesson: Paolo "P Lindy" Lanna teaching the Lindy Hop, Lindy Hop All-Stars, SavoyCentral.org
DJ: Ryan Swift, Yehoodi.com

On This Date (July 5, 2001) Ernie K-Doe

c/o themusicsover

Ernie K-Doe (Born Ernest Kador)
February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001

New Orleans born, Ernie K-Doe was best known for his huge #1 hit, “Mother-In-Law,” released in 1961. A colorful performer, K-Doe was a popular draw in and around Louisiana for many years. During the ’80s, K-Doe hosted a popular New Orleans radio program. Ernie K-Doe passed away in 1989 at the age of 65.

In Pictures: Jonathan Batiste @ Central Park Summerstage - 6/28/09

By greg aiello

Jonathan Batiste Phil Kuehn & Matt Marantz Jonathan Batiste Jonathan Batiste Band Jonathan Batiste Band Jonathan Batiste Band Jonathan Batiste Summerstage Crowd