A bit reduced tonight as I’m not feeling so great and its very late.
Today was all about the rain, the mud, and the sun. Intense thunderstorms swept through the area, complete with tornadoes and hail, early this morning. I awoke to some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen. But the weather forecast called for it to clear up later in the morning, which it did. Unfortunately, it created seas of mud at the festival which played havoc for virtually everything. Check out some of the mud pictures on flickr. Now, I’m not an expert, but I’m not sure why the organizers couldn’t have had some hay in reserve to put down in those spots. I’ve been to more organized Humble Rodeos before. As it was, everyone had to slosh, dance, and sit in the mud all day. And when the sun came out and start cooking all the standing water, the place got really steamy as well.
At first, not many people were at the festival. It was kind of spooky with the first set of bands playing to virtually no one. But at around noon or so, as the sun came out, people starting pouring in and filled the place about as much as I’ve ever seen. Probably the majority of the crowd was wearing boots, which means they were smarter than me wearing my old running shoes. As I packed I thought about taking my hiking boots but then thought better of it. After all, its not like it rains very often in New Orleans, right? Good call.
The first act at the Gospel Tent, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Mass Choir, actually started about 15 minutes early, and by my recollection, before the gates actually opened. So I missed the morning prayer, or else it didn’t happen. The Choir was huge-three rows deep all across the stage. They were really powerful and rocking for a gospel choir. Very few people were in the tent at that point, but they were really getting into it.
Next I went to Economy Hall for the New Leviathon Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra. This is a bunch of Captain Steubing look-alikes playing music from nearly every Woody Allen movie soundtrack (except Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters; Gershwin and Bobby Short singing Cole Porter is pretty much perfection). I left as they were concluding with Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
Oh, and did I mention that everything started to smell like ass when the sun came out. Sun, mud, portapotties, and piled up trash is a pretty noxious combination-where’s the Sierra Club when you really need them?
From Economy Hall I ventured over to the Fais-Do-Do stage to enjoy Feufollet, a group of young guns (no one looked to be over 25) from Carencro, Louisiana (late home of Enola Prudhomme’s old restaurant). No decrepit oldsters in this band, but some young kids having a lot of fun, playing with energy, and breathing life into some Cajun standards, and with a touch of western swing. The “dance floor” is a sea of mud, but that hasn’t stopped people from dancing. Boy, you’ve got to hand it to the Cajuns. Put them anywhere in the world, in any climate or condition, and they’re going to find a way to dance (and boil crawfish and make jambalaya). Now that’s what I call the right kind of initiative.
I then headed over to the Acura stage for the second half of the Alejandro Escovedo set. Escovedo has been a staple of the Austin music scene for at least the last 20 years, going back to the old Club Foot days. Now, I’ve got nothing against him, he played a perfectly good set, but he’s a rocker. What’s he doing at a jazz festival? And what’s Quint Davis doing at the end giving the “ending introduction” or whatever its called? This seems to be part of a trend I can see of Jazz Festival paying the bills by having big names play that will really drive up the ticket sales enough to cover costs. Louisiana musical styles are fairly broad and have influenced so much American music that its possible to make credible cases for any variety of musicians having almost nothing to do with Louisiana or Louisiana music. Widespread Panic? Or last year with Ludacris. Not everyone has to be Beausoleil, but there should be some reasonable connection to Louisiana required to play at the Jazz Festival. Oh, and Escovedo stopped his set about 15 minutes early, which is another trend I’ve started noticing. Diana Krall and the Subdudes did the same thing. More time for food, drink, and craft buying I guess.
Ok, next up was the Treme Brass Band at Economy Hall. This band is locally the most famous and accomplished brass band, in a city where the brass band tradition is deeply engrained and revered. They played a varied set, with second lines and funeral marches. Fun was had by all toting their umbrellas and doing that second line.
I then returned to the Fais-Do-Do stage for the Pine Leaf Boys, a more traditional Cajun band, who apparently are the next big thing. Also made up of younger members, they have the now-packed crowd dancing in the mud. By now (around 1:00), the sun is out and the skies are clear. Good thing I decided today was the day to wear my black retro New Orleans Saints shirt.
After paying $5 for one, count ‘em one, crawfish sack (minced crawfish in a fried dough not even the size of a golf ball), I head to the Gentilly Stage for the second half of Charmaine Neville’s performance. A second generation Neville, she’s the jazz singing queen of Snug Harbor in the Faubourg Marigny. It’s a lively set, with that typical Neville swampy, voodoo sensibility applied to some jazz standards. Very intense performance, albeit to a sparsish crowd.
After she finished, I went to Congo Square for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. This group broke through in the early 80s or so, and has been a Jazz Fest fixture for years. But like Menudo, players come and go from this group, to the point where its really just a brand name and a catalog. There’s not even a dozen players, I counted only eight. They also have some electric instruments, so its not really a brass band as such. Despite my nitpicking, it was an energetic performance that the thick crowds really enjoyed.
Wanting to get out of the sun, I went to the Jazz Tent next for the Max Roach tribute. Roach is one of the most famous of jazz drummers, virtually inventing the style in the 1940s. The tribute was by three of the great contemporary New Orleans drummers-Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell, and Jason Marsalis. They had written several original songs for the performance, the first ones played solely on drums. It was a lot cooler in the Jazz Tent, owing to the shade and nice breeze. This, along with the delicacy of the music and the benadryl I took before leaving the hotel, had me nodding off. That’s a shame, as the music really was superior and unique in so many ways.
From there I got some totally unremarkable barbecued chicken and headed to the Subdudes. If you’ve never heard them, they’re a little challenging to describe. Subdude is a play on subdued, which their music is-you’re not going to hear any Neal Peart drum solos or Ted Nugent guitar work here. Its roots music, but danceable. Sort of in a John Fogarty vein, but more country. Anyway, they’ve long been one of my favorites but this is the first time I’ve gotten to see them. Turns out they sound exactly the same live as on record, so I haven’t missed much. Not a lot of jamming, if you will. The crowd was pretty thick, with more and more Jimmy Buffet parrotheads pouring in (literally, guys with hats that had parrots in various shapes and sizes that they presumably made themselves while their wives must have looked on with shame and regret). Must leave soon.
I then caught the end of Marcia Ball’s set. What is there to say about Ball, Jazz Festival fixture, except she’s the living heir to Professor Longhair’s barrel-piano legacy. R&B, boogie woogie, blues, and cajun all swirling together to make for some really high energy piano-based music. I heard Louisiana 1927, which she’s been singing frequently now post-Katrina, and Play with your Poodle, a Ball standard. I’ve never seen her mail in a performance, and this was no exception. Another winner.
To Diana Krall. Before this festival, I haven’t been a big Diana Krall fan which is somewhat surprising as I really like the style. Jazz ballads and standards-Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, etc. I think its her voice; this sounds kind of lame, but I really haven’t enjoyed her voice. She has great timing and phrasing, I just think it’s a little “husky.” Imagine Marlene Dietrich without a German accent singing ‘S Wonderful and see what I mean. Krall is on the bill, presumably, in place of Norah Jones from last year, she with the breathiest voice ever. Where Jones’s performance was far too quiet and nuanced to be heard over Lucradis rapping in Congo Square, Krall and her quartet were pretty lively. Her band had some top musicians, each of whom were prominently featured in solos. The crowd, well lets just say nearly everyone here has a well managed portfolio and a sensible retirement strategy in place. The parrotheads are all elsewhere.
Again, sorry this was so flat tonight. I’ve been really pleased with a lot of the pictures I’ve been taking, so maybe it would be better to check those out instead.
Tomorrow-Neville Brothers, Santana, Sonny Landreth, and the Zion Harmonizers.
Today was all about the rain, the mud, and the sun. Intense thunderstorms swept through the area, complete with tornadoes and hail, early this morning. I awoke to some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen. But the weather forecast called for it to clear up later in the morning, which it did. Unfortunately, it created seas of mud at the festival which played havoc for virtually everything. Check out some of the mud pictures on flickr. Now, I’m not an expert, but I’m not sure why the organizers couldn’t have had some hay in reserve to put down in those spots. I’ve been to more organized Humble Rodeos before. As it was, everyone had to slosh, dance, and sit in the mud all day. And when the sun came out and start cooking all the standing water, the place got really steamy as well.
At first, not many people were at the festival. It was kind of spooky with the first set of bands playing to virtually no one. But at around noon or so, as the sun came out, people starting pouring in and filled the place about as much as I’ve ever seen. Probably the majority of the crowd was wearing boots, which means they were smarter than me wearing my old running shoes. As I packed I thought about taking my hiking boots but then thought better of it. After all, its not like it rains very often in New Orleans, right? Good call.
The first act at the Gospel Tent, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Mass Choir, actually started about 15 minutes early, and by my recollection, before the gates actually opened. So I missed the morning prayer, or else it didn’t happen. The Choir was huge-three rows deep all across the stage. They were really powerful and rocking for a gospel choir. Very few people were in the tent at that point, but they were really getting into it.
Next I went to Economy Hall for the New Leviathon Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra. This is a bunch of Captain Steubing look-alikes playing music from nearly every Woody Allen movie soundtrack (except Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters; Gershwin and Bobby Short singing Cole Porter is pretty much perfection). I left as they were concluding with Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
Oh, and did I mention that everything started to smell like ass when the sun came out. Sun, mud, portapotties, and piled up trash is a pretty noxious combination-where’s the Sierra Club when you really need them?
From Economy Hall I ventured over to the Fais-Do-Do stage to enjoy Feufollet, a group of young guns (no one looked to be over 25) from Carencro, Louisiana (late home of Enola Prudhomme’s old restaurant). No decrepit oldsters in this band, but some young kids having a lot of fun, playing with energy, and breathing life into some Cajun standards, and with a touch of western swing. The “dance floor” is a sea of mud, but that hasn’t stopped people from dancing. Boy, you’ve got to hand it to the Cajuns. Put them anywhere in the world, in any climate or condition, and they’re going to find a way to dance (and boil crawfish and make jambalaya). Now that’s what I call the right kind of initiative.
I then headed over to the Acura stage for the second half of the Alejandro Escovedo set. Escovedo has been a staple of the Austin music scene for at least the last 20 years, going back to the old Club Foot days. Now, I’ve got nothing against him, he played a perfectly good set, but he’s a rocker. What’s he doing at a jazz festival? And what’s Quint Davis doing at the end giving the “ending introduction” or whatever its called? This seems to be part of a trend I can see of Jazz Festival paying the bills by having big names play that will really drive up the ticket sales enough to cover costs. Louisiana musical styles are fairly broad and have influenced so much American music that its possible to make credible cases for any variety of musicians having almost nothing to do with Louisiana or Louisiana music. Widespread Panic? Or last year with Ludacris. Not everyone has to be Beausoleil, but there should be some reasonable connection to Louisiana required to play at the Jazz Festival. Oh, and Escovedo stopped his set about 15 minutes early, which is another trend I’ve started noticing. Diana Krall and the Subdudes did the same thing. More time for food, drink, and craft buying I guess.
Ok, next up was the Treme Brass Band at Economy Hall. This band is locally the most famous and accomplished brass band, in a city where the brass band tradition is deeply engrained and revered. They played a varied set, with second lines and funeral marches. Fun was had by all toting their umbrellas and doing that second line.
I then returned to the Fais-Do-Do stage for the Pine Leaf Boys, a more traditional Cajun band, who apparently are the next big thing. Also made up of younger members, they have the now-packed crowd dancing in the mud. By now (around 1:00), the sun is out and the skies are clear. Good thing I decided today was the day to wear my black retro New Orleans Saints shirt.
After paying $5 for one, count ‘em one, crawfish sack (minced crawfish in a fried dough not even the size of a golf ball), I head to the Gentilly Stage for the second half of Charmaine Neville’s performance. A second generation Neville, she’s the jazz singing queen of Snug Harbor in the Faubourg Marigny. It’s a lively set, with that typical Neville swampy, voodoo sensibility applied to some jazz standards. Very intense performance, albeit to a sparsish crowd.
After she finished, I went to Congo Square for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. This group broke through in the early 80s or so, and has been a Jazz Fest fixture for years. But like Menudo, players come and go from this group, to the point where its really just a brand name and a catalog. There’s not even a dozen players, I counted only eight. They also have some electric instruments, so its not really a brass band as such. Despite my nitpicking, it was an energetic performance that the thick crowds really enjoyed.
Wanting to get out of the sun, I went to the Jazz Tent next for the Max Roach tribute. Roach is one of the most famous of jazz drummers, virtually inventing the style in the 1940s. The tribute was by three of the great contemporary New Orleans drummers-Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell, and Jason Marsalis. They had written several original songs for the performance, the first ones played solely on drums. It was a lot cooler in the Jazz Tent, owing to the shade and nice breeze. This, along with the delicacy of the music and the benadryl I took before leaving the hotel, had me nodding off. That’s a shame, as the music really was superior and unique in so many ways.
From there I got some totally unremarkable barbecued chicken and headed to the Subdudes. If you’ve never heard them, they’re a little challenging to describe. Subdude is a play on subdued, which their music is-you’re not going to hear any Neal Peart drum solos or Ted Nugent guitar work here. Its roots music, but danceable. Sort of in a John Fogarty vein, but more country. Anyway, they’ve long been one of my favorites but this is the first time I’ve gotten to see them. Turns out they sound exactly the same live as on record, so I haven’t missed much. Not a lot of jamming, if you will. The crowd was pretty thick, with more and more Jimmy Buffet parrotheads pouring in (literally, guys with hats that had parrots in various shapes and sizes that they presumably made themselves while their wives must have looked on with shame and regret). Must leave soon.
I then caught the end of Marcia Ball’s set. What is there to say about Ball, Jazz Festival fixture, except she’s the living heir to Professor Longhair’s barrel-piano legacy. R&B, boogie woogie, blues, and cajun all swirling together to make for some really high energy piano-based music. I heard Louisiana 1927, which she’s been singing frequently now post-Katrina, and Play with your Poodle, a Ball standard. I’ve never seen her mail in a performance, and this was no exception. Another winner.
To Diana Krall. Before this festival, I haven’t been a big Diana Krall fan which is somewhat surprising as I really like the style. Jazz ballads and standards-Nat King Cole, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, etc. I think its her voice; this sounds kind of lame, but I really haven’t enjoyed her voice. She has great timing and phrasing, I just think it’s a little “husky.” Imagine Marlene Dietrich without a German accent singing ‘S Wonderful and see what I mean. Krall is on the bill, presumably, in place of Norah Jones from last year, she with the breathiest voice ever. Where Jones’s performance was far too quiet and nuanced to be heard over Lucradis rapping in Congo Square, Krall and her quartet were pretty lively. Her band had some top musicians, each of whom were prominently featured in solos. The crowd, well lets just say nearly everyone here has a well managed portfolio and a sensible retirement strategy in place. The parrotheads are all elsewhere.
Again, sorry this was so flat tonight. I’ve been really pleased with a lot of the pictures I’ve been taking, so maybe it would be better to check those out instead.
Tomorrow-Neville Brothers, Santana, Sonny Landreth, and the Zion Harmonizers.
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