New Orleans Brass Bands S/D

Friday September 20 at Gateway Pavilion in Washington DC it’s New Orleans vs DC— Featuring Big Six Brass Band of New Orleans, and DC’s own Proper Utensils feat. Jas Funk, Black Alley, and DJ Supa Dan. Plus New Orleans and Washington cuisine.

Oooh, I love a good battle

It was fun.

Brass and International band fest coming up in New Orleans looks good.

http://www.offbeat.com/news/congo-square-rhythms/

who won

No declared winner, and different styles , but I might give Big 6 a slight edge ( shhhh, don’t tell any DC locals I said that)

Just saw the 2018 video of Hot 8 Brass doing Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart (again)”. It’s also on their 2019 Take Cover ep that appears to be available from bandcamp but not on Spotify
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fBuTK-E0gxo

RIP bounce rap artist 5th Ward Weebie. I think there’s a second line for him tonight

Oh damn, really?

https://b97.radio.com/blogs/speedy/rip-to-nola-legend-5th-ward-weebie

Had been in the hospital for a bit. Not sure what happened. Twitter was showing scheduled nightly vigils for him in the hope that he would recover

RIP Lucien Barbarin, trombonist for Harry Connick Jr, Preservation Hall, great-nephew of Paul Barbarin, etc.

Just saw that. He got a second line ( video clip from someone is on twitter)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuD5dejXb_M

I'll be there at the end of the month for a friend's wedding (currently working on booking a brass band, of course), and then back the next weekend to play the 2nd annual brass band festival: http://nolabrassfest.com/

Also we're at Tipitina's the night before: https://www.tipitinas.com/e/save-our-brass-culture-foundation-presents-brass-fest-kick-off-party-94427514237/

My new source for long second-line videos is a youtube account called 'urban mommy'

Thanks.

seattle and new york brass band: https://thewesterliesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/wherein-lies-the-good

A 2019 movie doc called Up From the Streets , that purports to cover all of New Orleans music history is gonna show at a DC indie doc fest in March. Terrence Blanchard is the narrator.

bookmarkflaglink

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/us/new-orleans-black-bars-second-lines.html?referringSource=articleShare

Don’t usually agree with them but here’s Offbeat magazine’s best of 2019 that includes Soul Rebels “Poetry in Motion” album as their best brass band winner. Rebels also won for best video

http://www.offbeat.com/news/here-are-the-winners-of-the-2019-best-of-the-beat-music-awards/

Two weekends in a row of second lines and seeing all the bands, it was amazing, too much to say. NOLA Brass Fest was a really beautiful event this year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9c2M_qFq7A/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MWHD0EI_YQ
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ccxGPn_TO/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9dU5Z6DiXH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9c8NR8H8Qx/

I am jealous

not really brass band but this video is amazing, people don't believe me when i try to tell them what high school marching bands sound like in new orleans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFsuy9kOf3M

that video rules

Nice. Btw Adam, we closed out Saturday night at Vaughan's, Mickey (who used to bartend at Donna's for years) was behind the bar, and the owner lady says hi to you.

aw that's sweet, i hope yall had a good time!

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_785f2510-6d49-11ea-b521-6f07f4be4785.html

Phil Frazier of Rebirth Brass has coronavirus. Virus Has spread a lot in New Orleans area

Ronald Lewis , 9th Ward founder of House of Dance & Virus died at 68 from the coronavirus. Also New Orleans bounce dj Black n Mild (Oliver Stokes) died at 44

Phil just can't catch a break. :(

Putting this here because no one else will care: a few months ago I picked up a $1.99 copy of Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton (on Verve, 1997) and man I love this. It helps that I saw Doc at Jazzfest around that time, but it’s a super lovely mix of ballads and swingin’ tunes, with my new favorite version of “Stardust.” I’ve returned to it again and again. Best two bucks spent recently.

That sounds great

I didn’t know there’s a Grammy for best jazz solo, but Doc won it in 1998 for his solo on “Stardust.”

https://youtu.be/cUK_wkCuRp4

Soothing music for troubling times.

Saw DJ Soul Sister retweet that Ropeman has died. He held the ropes in many New Orleans second lines

Club d.b.a. for sale. Sealed bids only . C’mon folks . One of us has to win the lottery and then we can all own it

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_016d7bca-73b4-11ea-8840-ff4e857333d4.html

Aw, man... depressing.

DBA was such a godsend when it opened, one of the few places to get a craft brew when Abita was pretty much the only game in town. I consumed many Anchor Liberty Ales there. I agree, Frenchmen Street is a much crazier place than it was twenty years ago, but I hope they can continue.

Damn. Ellis Marsalis at 85 . RIP

wow. RIP

Oh, no! RIP. He closed out last year in the jazz tent at Fest with all his sons, but I didn’t go. Opted for Al Green.

Complications from Corona. Fuck.

No second lines allowed now.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-orleans-brass-band-musicians-relief-fund

RIP Ellis, never did get to see him play.

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/health/zulu-coronavirus-deaths/289-4b03058c-87e5-46eb-b7ed-79965609f1f4

Zulu hit hard

On a lighter note, someone got Derrick "Kabuki" Shezbie to record a Buddy Bolden-themed trad album (his first solo record in 26 years):

https://youtu.be/0-_9YPzP2PQ

Contrast with this gem where he's all of 13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-KFKcP41GE

Thanks.

Can I get a late pass for just starting to follow on Instagram @polonolaphotography and @akasharabut

Photographers

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-new-orleans-musicians/2020/04/09/fd5e2f84-774b-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html

Stafford Agee, trombone player for the Rebirth Brass Band — which received a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Album in 2011 — said that while he was able to ride out March on his savings, now he’s worried how he’ll pay the bills and support his four children.
“My ‘riding out’ is done,” he said. “I’m rode out. … We’re in another month now.”

The article notes Agee in the past has done contractor and electrical work to pay bills but he isn’t getting that kind of business now either. The article does say that Phil F of Rebirth is feeling better.

Also from W Post article:

Three days a week on the sidewalk outside his closed club, Howlin’ Wolf, Kaplan distributes a couple hundred takeout containers of food to musicians and hospitality workers.