New Orleans Trip
Howdy folks. I’m gonna use this space here to let you know of some adventures and music I’m loving on an irregular basis. Let’s have some fun.
I took a purely for pleasure trip to New Orleans January 21st to 25th and am back at home contemplating all that I encountered in fun city. It’s a city like no other. Some places remind you of other places. You know, Boulder is kind of like Burlington. But New Orleans stands alone. The history and the people have combined to make something purely original and unlike anywhere else. Here’s some of the highlights from this trip .
Arrived at the new New Orleans airport and heard the first brass band of the trip at the luggage pickup zone before even leaving the airport. Saw the finest piece of airport art ever in the form of a giant photo of big old southern oaks hanging from the ceiling. Spanish moss and morning mist gave me that only in Nola feeling as we headed for the French quarter.
After settling into a room in a compound built in the early 1800’s we caught an early show at the historic preservation hall. It’s an incredibly small room for a venue known around the world. So small that they use no PA system. Traditional New Orleans jazz was served up by some of the best cats in town . Good jokes and great music surrounds you in this most vibey venue ever.
Next up was dinner at Jacques imos. The oak street crew was in full force ! The moms ball newly crowned royalty rolled through, Jack treated us like kings and the party damn near matched the excellence of the food. Alligator cheesecake. Boudin balls, blackened redfish in a crawfish cream sauce. I could go on and on but suffice to say that this is my favorite place ever.
After dinner it was over to my bud Hanks inimitable Maple Leaf lounge. The center of the oak street krewes party . Mike Dillons band was cranking out the goodness and the party went into high gear. I have so many great memories of this place. I’m guessing it was 1994 when I first saw the rebirth brass band ripping it up in a sweaty crowd of Tulane students losing their minds! I treasure the memories and love that it’s still doing it’s thing all these years later. Good work Hank. After a quick visit with Jake Eckert at his nearby studio and hearing his 10 year old son rip up some classic New Orleans style piano it was down to Frenchman street for some Indian funk with The Rumble .
I’ve been a huge fan of the Indian tradition in New Orleans since I first walked around a corner on a Sunday morning in 1983 and ran into 5 full dressed Indians and wondered if I was dreaming. I’ve never seen anything like it and this Pittsburgh boy had nothing to prepare me for what I was seeing. Check out some videos to fill you in if you’re not aware of this stuff. So pretty!
The Rumble features Joseph Boudreaux, the son of big chief Monk Boudreaux on vocals and this night he was in full Indian dress leading a powerful funk band just tearing up the Blue Nile. They played some old classic Indian stuff and really shined with new tunes entrenched in the tradition but looking ahead . Catch these guys if you can folks .
After some coffee and beignets and a stroll through the French market the next morning, it was time for the women of unity second line with Trombone shorty leading the brass band through 4 hours of street parading. Big Freedia was seen with her film crew bouncing along with the flow. BBQ , drinks , 1 float and a damn good time wrapped up around 5. Strutting for hours ain’t easy and I had to take a short nap before heading out to Indian practice at the zony mash brewery .
This was an open Indian practice hosted by the Golden Souix. Indian Red was the first tune up. It’s a bit of an opening prayer and one of the most revered tunes in the tradition . All percussion, tambourines and chanting in this tradition . After a couple tunes Bo Dollis Jr of the wild magnolias rolled into the mix . There’s a certain way that big chiefs greet each other in this tradition and watching it happen always sends shivers through me. As I understand it, sometime in the 70s big chief Tootie Montana brought the tribes together to stop fighting each other and what used to be a conflict when they met became a ritualized way of paying respect to each other as they meet . If only the crips and bloods could make that work out now! So… the chants were strong and more tribes were representing as the night went on . Creole Wild West chief told me I looked like Kenny Rogers! We wrapped up this night exhausted and deeply full of New Orleans soul. Sleeeeep was much needed.
Hung with a friend the next morning who filled us with great stories and art before heading to city park to check out all those beautiful southern oaks and the amazing sculpture garden. It’s so good to fill your eyes along with your ears and belly in Nola and this sculpture garden did it for me. Next up was Stanton Moore James Singleton and David Torkanowski trio at the columns hotel. The Columns is a favorite place to hang over the years and catching a show here is always a rare treat. This one didn’t disappoint. Absolute A list players doing New Orleans compositions at the highest level imaginable . The food and drinks were pretty dang good as well.
Next up was my good buddy Craig Klein and the jazz vipers at the Royal Frenchman hotel. 30s and 40s style jazz and swing from a seven piece ensembles of masters . Molly Reeves on guitar really blew my mind. Swing guitar changes played poetically and an amazing voice. This band and the really good dancers flying around the room were a complete joy . The spotted cat had a great band getting at it as we headed home from another fantastic Nola day .
Checked out a few Anne rice sites the next morning then hit the new location of the backstreet museum. They’re preserving the Mardi Gras Indian tradition for all to see and doing a great job of it . Check it out . Caught up with Dr Bob for some outsider art at his studio. A must see in the bywater if you’re in town. Spent the last night in town crawling around bourbon street where we finished the night catching Lee Floyd’s trad band at the Maison Bourbon as tornado warnings went off on our phones. Whew. I’m getting tired just thinking about it now.
Do yourself a favor and spend some time in New Orleans folks. It’ll revive your soul as it did mine. Bon temps roulet yall
