New Orleans Brass Bands S/D

Paul Sanchez used to be in Cowboy Mouth, who I never had much use for, but I saw him a couple times on my last visit to N.O., and I like the singer-songwritery stuff he's doing now quite a bit.

Your appreciation of Ingrid Lucia might depend on your tolerance for her EXTREMELY Billie Holiday-influenced vocals, but I like her a lot too.

Haven't heard either of these recent releases, which are funded by Threadhead Records. The Threadheads are Jazzfest messageboard forum fans who have begun pooling donations as loans to help with recording and pressing costs for acts they like. They also volunteer shifts in one of the beer tents at Jazzfest, where proceeds/tips go to community development projects. Pretty cool deal, really.

http://www.threadheadrecords.com/who-we-are/

Shamarr Allen who Sanchez is working with used to be in a brass band. Jordan can probably school us on him.

Glen David Andrews has performed with the Treme Brass band is related to James Andrews and Trombone Shorty Andrews. His gospel brass cd from last year on Threadhead got good reviews but I only heard a song or two and samples.

Jazz trumpet player Christian Scott has been touring the US and getting great reviews.

Wardell Quezergue did the arrangements for lots of old-school classic New Orleans releases. I don't know what this release is.

I bet Stanton Moore has lots of great New Orleans guests on his cd, but alas, Moore is a jambander and that doesn't interest me.

Anyone going to Rebirth tonight in Minneapolis at the Cabooze?

Nope, and I missed their most recent W. DC show. Plus, how did I not know that various United House of Prayer brass bands march on Memorial Day Weekend in W. DC every year?!

http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/uhop-parade-2010/

police start enforcing no-music curfew after 8 pm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG6Fk7CbLLI

Ugh. Just saw in the Offbeat e-mail about new rules restricting music in the French Quarter.

Plus Offbeat had this sad news:

Just before dawn on Saturday, May 29, a tragedy occurred. Verti Marte, the neighborhood grocery whose massive sandwiches and po-boys were staples in the diets of many New Orleanians, burned. As is custom in our city, neighbors come together to help neighbors in their time of need. On Monday, join the community to support the employees of Verti Marte at the Dragon's Den (435 Esplanade Ave) for the Verti Marte Benefit Show which starts at 4 p.m. The event will include an art auction, raffle, door prizes and All That Jazz Po'Boys.

From the Offbeat magazine blog:

According to Serpas and 8th District Commander Major Edwin Hosli, the NOPD has received “numerous complaints from the residents of the Quarter” via NOMPAC concerning street musicians. Kevin Allman of Gambit has kept up with the news with several posts on this, and I’m upset and ashamed to tell you that it’s the same-old, same-old.

Apparently the To Be Continued Brass Band was being videoed last night on the corner of Canal and Bourbon Street, when the NOPD stopped the activity because of the “noise ordinance” which says that it is unlawful for anyone to perform any street entertainment on the street or sidewalk of Bourbon Street from the uptown side of Canal Street to the downtown side of St. Ann Street between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Can someone please tell me why it’s not OK to have street musicians playing during these hours on Bourbon Street, for pity’s sake? It’s not like there’s not a huge amount of noise—and I don’t mean music—on Bourbon Street during these hours. If you choose to live on or near Bourbon Street, and don’t expect to hear some music or noise, then you really should move to the suburbs. Please.

Oh yeah, it’s also illegal for persons to play musical instruments on public rights-of-way between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. anywhere in the city.

What kind of idiocy are the people who complain about street music going to pull next? Why haven’t they cracked down on the non-live “music” on Bourbon Street?

This is an ordinance that is patently unfair to local musicians. It’s unfair to the people who come to New Orleans who expect to experience real music here. It’s destructive to our musical culture and the role the French Quarter plays in our musical heritage

The next NOMPAC a community meeting will be held on July 8, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse Street. If you’re a musician or a New Orleans music lover, and you’re not at this meeting to protest this, then shame on you.

more from that Offbeat editor's blogpost

I wonder what's changed in the Quarter, a lot of new residents? Who apparently moved to a street lined with bars without bar times for a little peace and quiet?

New residents plus new Police chief who all seem clueless

More news from Offbeat Magazine:

The End of an Era: The Mother-In-Law Lounge Closes

Sadly the Mother-In-Law Lounge, named after the Allen Toussaint-penned song that was performed by the late Ernie K-Doe, will soon close its doors.

K-Doe passed away in July 2001, and his widow Antoinette kept the bar as a tribute to her late husband and a quirky barroom that not only hosted R&B acts, but young performers, such as Quintron and many more. It was a gathering place for many a New Orleans music cognescenti, and was even included in a recent episode of HBO's Treme as the meeting place for the captains of the Krewe du Vieux.

Antoinette K-Doe died on Mardi Gras day in 2009, and it was hoped that the legacy of the bar would be continued by Mrs. K-Doe's family. But that was not to be. Betty Fox, Antoinette's daughter, has not been able to keep the bar operating, and she's closing it, according to recent Times-Picayune report.

Perhaps the Mother-In-Law should be added as one of those historic spots in New Orleans musical lore. Historic Landmarks Commission...get busy!

The brouhaha about citing street musicians who play after hours has subsided somewhat, as the protest from music lovers--both locally and outside New Orleans--was deafening. But the battle's not over year; it will resurface again unless we make a change in an overly broad ordinance and demand that our musical culture be given a chance to be enjoyed.

http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/joyful_noises_and_joyless_ordinances_in_new_orleans_20100702/

more re the restrictions on brass bands

Trumpet player Lionel Ferbos is the coolest, and he's turning 99. See Offbeat e-mail thing below-

This week we celebrate the birthdays of trumpet player Lionel Ferbos (pictured) and guitarist Little Freddie King. On Saturday, Ferbos will celebrate his 99th birthday, cementing his role as the oldest active jazz musician in New Orleans. Not one to take a night off, he will be performing that evening with the Palm Court Jazz Band at the Palm Court Jazz Café at 8 p.m. Come out to celebrate and honor the beloved musician, who will be presented with awards from City Councilmember-at-large Jackie Clarkson and state representative Juan LaFonta. Monday marks the 70th birthday of Little Freddie King, but we can't wait that long to celebrate - we've already waited 70 years, and we're impatient. Tomorrow night, BJ's Lounge will host King's birthday bash at 10:30 p.m.

From Offbeat Editor Jan Ramsey's blog more on the battles between residents near and in commercial areas who are getting the police to use noise ordinaces to stop brass bands from performing on street corners:

One thing that stuck in my mind was that the residents at the meeting last week did not seem to comprehend that musicians make a living by playing on the street. I perceived a sort of elitist attitude from some of the residents at the meeting. To hear someone protest that the musicians are driving business away from the Quarter is patently absurd. A person who owns property on Frenchmen Street was the first person to speak at the event and said that two of her long-time tenants who live on Frenchmen near Chartres were leaving because of the noise of the brass band that occasionally plays on that corner. I don’t believe the band plays there every single evening, so this was sort of a lame excuse. And it also harks back to the fact that Frenchmen Street is a commercial entertainment area. If living almost inside an entertainment area bothers you, then you need to be living elsewhere.

Happy birthday Lionel Ferbos! For the past I don't know how many years he's been on my "don't miss" list at Jazzfest. He's usually on first thing in the morning in Economy Hall and it's such a heartwarming way to start the day!

Somebody should buy the Mother-in-Law Lounge. They were just putting up new murals outside when I last visited there, in 2008.

Quintron should buy it. Is his Spellcaster Lodge still in operation?

Don't know.

RIP jazz photographer Herman Leonard, who had been living in New Orleans until Katrina wiped out his photo archive and home there (his negatives were elsewhere and were saved)

http://www.nola.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/08/herman_leonard_photgrapher_of.html

http://www.google.com/images?q=herman+leonard&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7RNTN_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=extoTKWvB8P38AbWzJG0BA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CEoQsAQwAw&biw=1345&bih=516

5 years anniversary of Katrina coming up

From Offbeat:

At the Mahalia Jackson Theatre on Tuesday, August 17, Spike Lee premiered If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise, his new documentary about the five years of rebuilding in New Orleans post-Katrina and the effects of the BP Oil Spill. Mayor Mitch Landrieu, U.S. Representative Anh “Joseph” Cao, director Spike Lee, actors Wendell Pierce and Phyllis Montana Leblanc, musician Terrence Blanchard, and others who appear in the documentary were present for the red carpet premiere.

Airing Monday, wish I had HBO, looks fantastic...

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/if-god-is-willing-and-da-creek-dont-rise/

New Orleans is 5th on a list of America's 10 Dead Cities

Faster growing southern cities like Atlanta became more important financial centers as their populations grew. One of the industries that began to offset the faltering trade and financial sectors was tourism which rose throughout the second half of the last century. But the city suffered from its location, part of it below sea level, and several hurricanes that hit the city, particularly Hurricane Betsy in 1965. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina dealt the city a nearly fatal blow. In the year after that, the population dropped to just above 250,000, down from 627,000 in 1960. The BP oil crisis has already begun to damage what might have been a nascent recovery, post Katrina.

Read more: America’s Ten Dead Cities: From Detroit To New Orleans - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2010/08/23/americas-ten-dead-cities-from-detroit-to-new-orleans/2/#ixzz0xcxnEgxJ

So sad that such a culturally rich city is fading away. I don't think I've enjoyed visiting any city as much as I enjoy New Orleans.

Me too. I've made so many trips there since the '80s I think of it as a second home. I was just there last year (first time post-Katrina) and saw encouraging remodeling and construction happening.

I wanna go to the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans September 25th. I haven't been since 2006 (or was it 2007?). Jordan still makes it there pretty regularly (I think).

Those P-Stomp lineups are so amazing, and recent Jazzfest lineups so uninspiring by comparison. I've got to get to another Stomp.

Ponderosa has also now added rarely seen movie docs and panel interviews as a daytime portion to go along with the evening Stomp. http://www.ponderosastomp.com/clandestine_celluloid_film_series.php

Yeah, I'm on their e-mail list, although I haven't been to one since the very first. I'm on Bumbershoot's list too, and haven't been to Seattle since 2004. I just like to torture myself looking at festivals I can't attend, I guess...

RIP Clyde Kerr, Jr. -- Trumpeter, composer and influential music teacher Clyde Kerr Jr., whose list of students included Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard, Irvin Mayfield, Christian Scott and Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, has died. He was 67.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Legendary-music-teacher-trumpeter-Clyde-Kerr-Jr-dies-at-67-100231364.html

http://www.offbeat.com/2010/08/09/teacher-musician-clyde-kerr-jr-dies/

Offbeat mag talks to Kerr's famous students

Don't think this has been posted anywhere else; just read this for the first time today: Donna's Bar and Grill on Rampart Street has closed. I had some of the best times of my life in that place. Damn...

http://nolafunknyc.blogspot.com/2010/08/donnas-bar-grill-closes.html

yeah it's too bad, i have so many memories there. guess we'll have to find a new home base when it comes to gigs in new orleans.

I see that my DC City Paper arts editor noted that some of the masses at the Virgin Free Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion (MIA, Ludacris, LCD SOundsystem, Pavement and others on the bill)looked "befuddled" by Trombone Shorty's set and didn't dance. Doesn't surprise me that rock fans would respond this way, although I thought Shorty plays up the rock and jam band influences enough to please some young rock kids otherwise unafamiliar with him. The Washington Post music critic recently discovered Shorty and has been praising him alot.

Celebrated photographer Herman Leonard passed away in August, and on Saturday, November 6, a Second Line and Celebration will be held in his honor. Details on locations and times will follow; events are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. A group rate for out-of-towners is available at the International House Hotel. To receive the rate, mention that you're attending the "Herman Leonard Memorial." from Offbeat

Treme tv show soundtrack

Treme Song” (main title version) -- John Boutté
2. “Feel Like Funkin' it Up” (live street mix) -- Rebirth Brass Band
3. “I Hope You're Comin' Back to New Orleans” -- The New Orleans Jazz Vipers
4. “Skokiaan” -- Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers
5. “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” – Trombone Shorty & James Andrews
6. “Drinka Little Poison (4 U Die)” -- Soul Rebels Brass Band & John Mooney
7. “We Made it Through That Water” -- Free Agents Brass Band
8. “Shame, Shame, Shame” – Steve Zahn and Friends
9. “My Indian Red” – Dr. John
10. “At the Foot of Canal Street” – John Boutte, Paul Sanchez, Glen David Andrews & New Birth Brass Band
11. “Buona Sera” – Louis Prima
12. “New Orleans Blues” – Tom McDermott & Lucia Micarelli
13. “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance” Michiel Huisman, Lucia Micarelli & Wendell Pierce
14. “Indian Red” (Wild Man memorial) – Mardi Gras Indians
15. “Indian Red” – Donald Harrison
16. “Time is on My Side” – Irma Thomas & Allen Toussaint
17. “This City” – Steve Earle
18. “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” – Treme Brass Band19. “My Darlin’ New Orleans” – Li’l Queenie & the Percolators

New Offbeat magazine has a cover story about some of the younger brass bands, and a Dirty Dozen looking back piece on the 7os and 80s.

cool. and a donna's piece: http://www.offbeat.com/2010/10/01/goodbye-donnas/

Oh, the brass band story is online as well

http://www.offbeat.com/2010/10/01/the-new-generation-of-brass-bands-live-for-today/

“It’s hard to single out a Donna’s ‘greatest performance,’ as we heard hundreds of great ones,” continues Donna.

^^^ Yes indeed. My highlights would include seeing a very young Irvin Mayfield for the first time, Evan Christopher, Shannon Powell, Mitch Woods playing solo piano to about 3 people one afternoon... There's a great Mama Digdown's set in my memory, too. Alltime high, though, probably Soul Rebels Brass Band improvising a rap about booty sex, vocalized through a COMPLETELY distorted little practice amp.

ha. i've seen so much great music there...herlin riley sitting in with bob french's band, lots of amazing leroy jones sets, leroy sitting in with us, every time i saw shannon powell (especially with herlin watching), jeff "tain" watts sitting in on shannon powell's gig (branford was in the house that night too), etc.

lots of great videos from big red cotton up right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho42OKZ93oc

haha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwGxSV5-cR0

There's a full-page ad on the back of Offbeat magazine for this Red Bull Street Kings Brass Band Blowout:

Some of New Orleans’ greatest music doesn’t come from inside the clubs; it comes from the street. On October 23 at 2 p.m. underneath the Claiborne overpass, Red Bull will host Red Bull Street Kings Brass Band Blowout, a competition between four local brass bands that will, according to organizers, “be a showcase and platform for the next generation of brass bands influenced by the rich musical legacy of the New Orleans streets.” The bands will compete for a three-day trip to Los Angeles to record in the Red Bull Studio.

One band competing is the Free Agents Brass Band. Ellis “EJo” Joseph formed the band of musical “free agents” one month after Hurricane Katrina, and they combine brass traditions with new funk. They’re respected in the musical community for their musicianship and energetic performances.

Another competitor is the Stooges Brass Band. Formed in 1996 by graduates of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the Stooges blend 19th Century brass band traditions with modern hip-hop. They have performed with Jessica Simpson and Jadakiss, and they performed for Barack Obama when he was running for Senate.

Also competing is the To Be Continued Brass Band (TBC), a group that formed and started playing in the French Quarter while its members were in high school. It’s the youngest band in the competition, and it released its first album, Modern Times, earlier this year. After the storm in 2005, the group had rehearsals at the home of Efrem Towns of Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Older musicians would stop by for jam sessions and teach TBC about New Orleans jazz traditions.

The Soul Rebels Brass Band will also vie for the prize. The Soul Rebels emerged from the Young Olympia Brass Band and took brass band traditions and incorporated R&B, funk, and hip-hop, most notably through half-sung, half-rapped lyrics. The band has performed worldwide and was featured in an episode of Treme, performing “Drinka Little Poison (4 U Die)” in Le Bon Temps Roule with John Mooney in Le Bon Temps Roule.

The event will be hosted by Glen David Andrews, a brass band classicist who cut his musical teeth in Jackson Square with Tuba Fats.

Each band will play at least one traditional brass band standard along with original songs of their choice. Performances will be judged by a panel that will be looking for presentation, musicality, innovation, energy and material.

On Saturday, four New Orleans brass bands, Free Agents, The Stooges, To Be Continued and Soul Rebels take part in the first annual Red Bull Street Kings competition.

This would be fun to watch if I was down there

the best videos (i.e. the ones where the sound isn't horribly distorted -- i don't know if playing under the overpass AND mic'ing all the bands up was the best thing to do) i've found are here: http://www.youtube.com/user/davekoolman

stooges totally deserved it imo, but tbc is going in.

"the five oh four"

RIP bounce rapper and comedian Messy Mya

http://blog.nola.com/crime_impact/print.html?entry=/2010/11/messy_mya_funeral.html

Reading about New Orleans raised Dawn Richards who was in Dannity Kane and is now in Diddy's new group DiddyDirty Money, has me curious about her dad Frank Richard's 1970s New Orleans band Chocolate Milk. I've never heard them. Has anyone here?

http://www.offbeat.com/2010/05/01/chocolate-milk-the-other-funk-band/

I guess no one else here has heard "Chocolate Milk"

The only song of theirs I'm familar with is "Action Speaks Louder Than Words," and that mostly via Galactic's cover. Underheard slab o' synth-y funk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaWx3sbqlFg