New Orleans Brass Bands S/D

(just sent you an email curmudgeon)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/arts/music/23sann.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

"The Mahogany Brass Band was playing for its first time since the storm, and it was the first time all its members — dispersed as far as Phoenix and San Francisco — had seen one another. Brice Miller, its leader, started a strikingly emotional "St. James Infirmary" alone as a tearful solo trumpet dirge; when he sang the lyrics, about seeing a lover's dead body, he interjected, "My baby's New Orleans!" . . . .The good times in the music were more treasured at this Jazzfest, and rightly so. Behind the scenes, each band had to recreate itself after the
evacuation: to find its place in New Orleans or to reconstitute it somewhere else. The New Birth Brass Band, originally from New Orleans, wore new T-shirts depicting both Louisiana and Texas.

Still, New Orleans music hasn't stopped putting pleasure first. Jazzfest is, as always, a festival of good-time dance music, whether it's traditional jazz, bayou zydeco, brass-band struts, Mardi Gras Indian chants or fiercely complex electric funk. A superb jazz pianist, Jonathan Batiste, grounded his jubilant, splashy harmonies in Caribbean and New Orleans rhythms. Brass bands like Rebirth, New Birth and the Soul Rebels spanned classic second-line swing and hip-hop-influenced funk, with the Soul Rebels also pushing toward Latin beats. And there was plenty of straightforward funk from New Orleans elders like the Meters [NOTE: I found them jam-band dull-Curmudgeon] and Dr. John [Eh], as well as next-generation funk bands like Galactic [self-indulgent, dull solos]and Papa Grows Funk[skipped them].

The destruction in New Orleans is bound to change the city's culture. (For one thing, an influx of Mexican labor for construction is bound to add yet another ingredient to New Orleans music.) And whether a majority of the city's population can ever return will be decided by large political and economic decisions, not by who's playing in the clubs. But this Jazzfest was a symbol of how eager the city's culture is to rebuild itself, and how resourceful New Orleans' inhabitants — current and former — can be. If the New Orleans of deep local traditions does not renew itself, it won't be for lack of desire.

The triumph of this year's Jazzfest was that on the surface, it was a normal Jazzfest: crowded, sweaty, ebullient and full of homegrown New Orleans spirit. "Normal is an incredible word to use down here," said Quint Davis, the producer and director of Jazzfest. "Normalcy is a nonexistent term."

While it wasn't straight-up hip-hop and second-line inflected brass band style, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra were booming out the horn power with lots of special guests including Trombone Shorty and Mayfield's colleague in other groups, Bill Summmers. I think that's whom I saw Kirk Joseph(one-time Dirty Dozen member who has his own group now) blowing tuba with. The all-women Pinettes Brass Band were just ok--the Ol Skool Brass Band and the more traditional Paulin Brothers Brass Band were better.

Alan Toussaint and Elvis Costello used a New Orleans horn section to get across old Toussaint songs, and songs they had worked on together for the upcoming River in Reverse cd. Unfortunately Toussaint rushed through his beginning of the set retrospective, doing too many of his songs as a cheesy medley. The new stuff lacks catchy melodies. The horns sounded strong though. Bruce Springsteen used a New Orleans-inspired horn section. He got more attention though for adding a verse about Bush to Blind Alfred Reed's
1929 song "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live"--
he called him "President Bystander." Springsteen was taken to the Lower Ninth Ward and spoke about "criminal ineptitude that makes you furious... that's what happens when people play political games with other people's lives." He finished with a slow, funeral tempo take on "When the Saints Go Marching In," done duet-style with Marc Anthony "Chocolate Genius" Thompson. I only saw the beginning and end of Springsteen's long set (I left the huge 20,000 or more mob scene there to go see excellent swamp pop supergroup Lil' Band of Gold in front of 100 people or so). The version of "When the Saints" was impressive, his beginning of the set takes on songs associated with the new Seeger cd were less so.

Here's some interesting quotes from a Dan Deluca article syndicated by Knight-Ridder:

"There are plenty of efforts to help displaced musicians, like TipitinasFoundation.org. Habitat for Humanity broke ground this week on a Musicians Village in the Ninth Ward. But if, as jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis says, "music bubbles up from the streets" here, what happens when the streets are deserted?

"It's just phenomenal the Third World treatment they've gotten from the federal government," said singer and pianist Dr. John, the New Orleans native who was born Mac Rebennack. "This city is the country's greatest ambassador to the world with its music."

He fears that if developers turn it into a "shuck-ass Disneyland, it ain't going to survive. The politicians just want to push it into something they can make more money on. They don't give a damn about these people."

For many New Orleans musicians, business has been good on the road but hurting at home - if they have one. "After the hurricane, a lot of people had New Orleans on their mind," Bennie Pete, tuba player for the Hot 8 Brass Band, said before a gig at Tipitina's on Wednesday. "We got a lot of bookings."

But keeping the band together has been a trial. Pete's family lost its home in the Ninth Ward so he has been living in nearby Kenner. Other band members are as far-flung as Houston, Atlanta and New York.

"They say they want to rebuild the city, but do they want to rebuild it for us?" said the bandleader. JazzFest, he said, promises exposure to a wider audience, but "other than that, it's just another gig."

After seeing Glen up onstage several times in one day, a friend of mine predicted we would see him again later. Sure enough we did, standing next to us watching Etta James! He said to me "I'm here to get a music education."

Oh yeah I almost forgot, 95-year-old Lionel Ferbos can still blow that trumpet trad New Orleans style...

--Mahogany Brass Band at Jazzfest

--Glenn David pushing the Edge offstage during New Birth's fest set

--Juvee

--The Digdown show went great, at least half the Stooges lineup was with us and there were a lot of heavy dudes in the house

--Hot 8 @ Cafe Brasil started slow but turned into a party, too bad their hot snare drummer Dinnerall wasn't there

--The "Rascals" at the Blue Nile on Monday was actually more of a 6th ward all-stars thing, best brass band set I've seen in ages. Damn.

Apparently The Edge played with Dave Mathews--but I did not go anywhere near that show. I wish I had still been in town for that Rascals set.

Hot 8 are playing Central park in NYC in August, and hopefully will get a DC area show right around that time.

There sre still many folks just discovering how the young brass bands incorporate hiphop and funk, and don't wear white dress shirts and caps and play Preservation Hall style (not that there's anything wrong with that).
I forgot to mention that Clarence Frogman Henry still sounded nice. Whille he joked around with it a bit, "Ain't Got No Home" took on a new poignancy. Not too many other New Orleans old-time r'n'b singers performed (some are no longer with us). I loved bluesman and more Snooks Eglin when I saw him down there years ago, but was less wowed this time. I had seen Walter Wolfman Washington in the DC area ages ago and enjoyed him. At jazzfest he was kinda uneven--too bluesrocky sometimes, but othertimes he nicely took advantage of his horns and organist.

I have vague memories of seeing Lee Dorsey opening for the Clash in 1979 in Philadelphia. The Ponderosa Stomp folks get slightly younger soulman Rockie Charles to appear at their events plus folks like Al Carnival Time Johnson and others.

I just saw the Offbeat magazine weekly e-mail description of that accident you referred to. How terrible:

"We’re saddened to hear that Hot 8 Brass Band
trumpeter Terrell Batiste lost his legs in
an accident in Atlanta. He was putting up cones on
the highway to alert drivers that his truck had broken
down when he was hit. . . ."

The wizards of 'OZ
While showcasing New Orleans culture, radio station WWOZ became a cultural icon itself. General Manager David Freedman and his colorful collection of music devotees are hellbent on saving it.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Dave Walker http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/living-6/114663642483370.xml

"With WWOZ mostly returned to task -- broadcasting live from Jazzfest and Monday's annual Piano Night concert -- Freedman continues to ponder the station's larger role in cultural restoration.

Mostly, he worries about the city's "living culture" as created by its high school marching bands, church choirs, second-line clubs and Mardi Gras Indian tribes.

Without restoring those, "this city is going to be a museum of its past," he said.

Recalling seeing kids carrying their school-issued instruments through the Treme neighborhood, Freedman wonders where the next generation of New Orleans musicians will come from.

"We'd watch those kids blasting their trumpets and trombones on the sidewalk as they walked home," he said. "We were watching New Orleans re-create itself in front of our eyes. Until we can see that again, we think that the culture of New Orleans stopped on Aug. 27, as living culture.

"I'm as focused right now in the future of marching bands as I am in the future of the radio station. I think (the station has) landed. We're on our feet and . . . we're going to make it. I am concerned that the marching bands won't make it.

"We know those rhythms will cease in this city in a generation."

To be taught, he said, only in music conservatories. If then.

"As corrupt as the school system was, the one function it could handle beautifully was as a carrier for our culture," Freedman said. "If we don't somehow redevelop that, we're going to be without that culture in the future."

. . . . . . .

Thanks, The Edge! We couldn't have done it without you.

'So much of my life, well, drowned' -A depressing article by Edna Gundersen on brassmen Dr. Michael White and Irvin Mayfield. Jazz clarinetist and music professor Michael White lost his huge collection of recordings, sheet music, books and instruments at his home in the Gentilly section.

by Steve Hochman

"On that note, leave it to New Orleans to overcome the cancellation of not just one but two of the final JazzFest 2006 day's headliners and still go out partying.

And it wasn't Lionel Richie, who moved over from another stage to headline the Acura in Fats' place after Simon, that made the concluding magic. It was the replacement for Nicholas Payton, the trumpeter scheduled for the closing Jazz Tent slot who was also injured and unable to appear. With that opening, a gaggle of stars of the ever-vibrant brass band scene here took over the stage for what was billed as "Takin' It To the Streets JazzFest Finale Jam 2006." There were a couple of Andrews, some of Rebirth Brass Band and the Lil' Rascals, some New Orleans Nightcrawlers, a fraction of the Dirty Dozen, trumpeters Christian Scott and Maurice Brown, two sousaphones, singer John Boutte and we lost track of the rest. Morgan Freeman was spotted in the crowd looking on as everyone danced to funky cutting sessions of "Caravan" and, of course, an ending "When the Saints Go Marching In." The only thing that would have made it better would have been for them to really take it to the streets, leading the audience out the gates with a second-line. So we'll just pick it up again next year where we left off, then."

If celebrities want to help they need to go up to the 17th street canal and FIX THE MOTHER FUCKING LEVEE. I haven't seen the Industrial Canal lately so it might be in just as bad shape but as of two days ago at the 17th they are NOT DOING SHIT. There was like one dude smoking a cigarette surrounded by idle machinery. Hurricane season starts in 3 weeks.

Sad news. When I saw him just a couple years ago he was using his big ol' belly to bump his piano-on-wheels across the stage and didn't look frail at all.

They don't have a record or a website, but here's the website of the people that did the documentary, and it has a pretty hot clip on there.

http://images.citypages.com/articles/0000/CallingAllMyPeople.mp3

Calling all the people
Come back home
New Orleans
Where you belong

On a brighter note, I see that the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in DC is going to include 3 special free concerts with Louisiana artists under tents down near the Washington Monument. Hot 8 are gonna be playing Saturday July 8th along with Chief Monk's Mardi Gras Indian troupe.

Hot 8 at SXSW. In the first clip they're doing Word on the Street, a Digd0wn/Youngbl00d tune.

Also looks like there's a new S0ul Rebels joint, live in the studio.

Crowd goes wild. Band goes batshit. playing like an all-brass Funkadelic on crystal. Amazing.

Friday June 30

BEEN IN THE STORM SO LONG
Jubilee Stage
6:00-8:00 p.m.

Friendly Travelers (gospel)
Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band (jazz)

Friday July 7

BEEN IN THE STORM SO LONG
Jubilee Stage
6:00-8:00 p.m.

Hot 8 Brass Band
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indian Tribe

Saturday July 8

BEEN IN THE STORM SO LONG
Jubilee Stage
6:00-8:00 p.m.

The Dixie Cups
Davell Crawford