Band members from the Josephine Baker show in Paris are shown in their dressing room at the Casino de Paris.  From left: David Boeddinghaus, Otis Bazoon, Tom Saunders, Banu Gibson and James Alsanders. (Photo: Courtesy Banu Gibson). Click here for more photos.

Continued: New Orleans Notes

The Visitors' Center of the Jazz National Historical Park (JPVC) maintained its regular schedule of Saturday afternoon concerts and Wednesday noon piano soloists. John Royen was the featured soloist in June, and the ladies were in the spotlight on a couple of Saturday afternoons. Versatile Japanese drummer (and New Orleans resident) Mayumi Shara led a fine band in the performance of trad standards (with a modern twist) on June 7. The group played a variety of familiar tunes -- "Milneburg Joys," "Struttin' with Some Barbecue," "Tiger Rag" and the like -- in a rather traditional style followed by a more contemporary version of each. Shara says a CD of this music will be out soon.

The concert on the 21st featured Some Like It Hot, a six-piece trad band led by trumpeter and vocalist Kaye Caldwell. The band comprised four women and two men. The last JPVC concert of the month, on the 28th, showcased trombonist/vocalist Glen David Andrews and his Lazy Six. A talented entertainer, Andrews had the large crowd eating out of his hand.

Finally, on June 20, the Preservation Resource Center's African American Heritage Program (AAHP) held its 8th annual "Ladies in Red" fund-raising gala at The Howlin' Wolf in the Warehouse District. The main objective of the AAHP is to identify and preserve the homes and cultural legacy of New Orleans jazz musicians. To date, well over 300 houses where early jazzmen lived have been identified, and historic markers have been placed on 80 of them. Moreover, three endangered houses of jazz musicians have been saved by the PRC and its partners.

The purpose of this year's event was to honor five well-known New Orleans musical veterans -- bassist Peter "Chuck" Badie (83), pianist Lawrence Cotton (81), trumpeter Lionel Ferbos (97), drummer Joseph "Smokey" Johnson (71) and trumpeter Porgy Jones (68). Music for the evening was provided by Bob French's Original Tuxedo Jazz Band with vocalists Germaine Bazzle and Topsy Chapman.

Odds and Ends

The city's oldest living jazz musician, Lionel Ferbos, celebrated his 97th birthday on July 17. For those who would like to send him belated birthday wishes, he can be reached at the following address: Mr. Lionel Ferbos, c/o Mrs. Sylvia Schexnyder, Calypso Bay Apartments, Apt. 905, 3251 Wall Blvd., Gretna, LA 70056.

John Hasse, curator of American music at the Smithsonian, contributed a piece in the June 14 issue of The Wall Street Journal commemorating the 80th anniversary of the recording of Armstrong's classic "West End Blues." Hasse wrote, "With this recording, Armstrong inaugurated an era of modern musical expression where individuality and genius could dazzle and shine."

Jesse Krebs, assistant professor of clarinet at Truman State University, has an article entitled "The Great`Barney Bigard (1906-1980)" in the June issue of The Clarinet. Included is a transcription of Bigard's solo on "C-Jam Blues," as performed with the Armstrong All-Stars.

The acclaimed new film, Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, has won two more awards (San Francisco International Film Festival and the American Anthropological Association's film festival). Apart from recent screenings across the U.S., it was shown at the Pan-Africa Film Festival in Accra, Ghana, on June 3. For more about this film and how to acquire it, check www.tremedoc.com.

I would like to alert you to two upcoming solo recordings by talented and versatile pianist Jim Hession. Produced by wife Martha, Playing with Fire, Volume 1 (Giants of Stride) is the Hession's personalized take on stride standards by James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Luckey Roberts, Joe Sullivan et al. Volume 2 (Piano Power Plays) is more eclectic yet still reveals Hession's technical skills and powerful left hand. Tracks from the recordings can be heard at www.artistopia.com/hessionsession. The CDs are now available by writing hessionsession@bellsouth.net.

Comings and Goings

Banu Gibson sent a note from Paris where she is performing with the popular Josephine Baker show along with several other "Americans in Paris," as she put it. Actually, they are New Orleanians David Boeddinghaus, pianist and the show's musical director; reedman Otis Bazoon; bassist Tom Saunders and drummer James Alsanders. Besides playing the show, Banu reports that she, David, Otis and Tom have been sitting in at jazz clubs around Paris including Le Petite Journal and Caveau de la Huchette with bands such as Paris Washboard, Hot Antic Jazz Band, Fidgety Feet Jazz Band and Louis Mazetier's tribute to Fats Waller band.

"A highlight of one evening," she noted, "was David and Louis playing a four-handed 'Honeysuckle Rose.' They were then joined by Philippe, another local pianist, for a round robin of choruses. They managed to play some great stride piano in spite of the gymnastics of trading top and bottom on the piano!"

Sounds like great fun to me. Finally, Banu notes that Connie and Elaine Jones were coming to Paris, "not for playing but for some R&R." Oh really? I can't imagine Connie traveling anywhere without his cornet, but it should have been a great get-together for all of them. The Baker show was scheduled to run through the end of July, perhaps even longer.

Clarinetist/saxophonist Louis Ford was the headline guest at the Takoma Park JazzFest in Takoma Park, Md., in mid-June. In addition to the music, the festival featured New Orleans food and a second-line parade. Ford was also scheduled to be a featured performer at the Canal Street Jazz and Blues Festival in Arendal, Norway, July 21-27.

Trumpeter Duke Heitger was back in town for a few days in late June after appearing with his nine-piece band at the Caesarea Harbor Jazz Festival in Israel. His band was an all-star outfit consisting of Warren Vaché, trumpet; John Allred, trombone; Ken Peplowski, reeds; Anat Cohen, reeds; John Sheridan, piano; Howard Alden, guitar; Nicki Parrott, bass, and Joe Ascione, drums. Heitger, who now spends much of his time with his young family in Stuttgart, Germany, says he's in New Orleans only about five days a month when not touring or in Germany. He also noted that he's brushing up on his pianistic skills, having had a few solo piano gigs in Stuttgart. He's a talented guy.

Among the New Orleans musicians who appeared at the Ascona Jazz Festival, June 26-July 6, were Evan Christopher, Donald Harrison, the Pfister Sisters, Eddie Bo and John Cleary. JazzAscona will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year. As part of that celebration, it is organizing a trip to New Orleans between April 14 and 21, 2009. The trip is open to all, though limited to 30 participants. For more, see their website www.jazzascona.com.

Just noted in the Times-Picayune as we go to press is that a host of New Orleans musicians will be appearing at both the upcoming Democratic (Denver, Colo., in August) and Republican (St. Paul, Minn., in September) political conventions. The musicians are being brought to the conventions by Friends of New Orleans, a nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for New Orleans and Gulf coast restoration. The participating musicians represent a variety of musical styles and will be known as "The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars."

More next time. twj@tulane.edu.

August 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.