January Columns
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New York News
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The holiday season was already well underway as these lines were being written. A new touch this year was the "Miracle on Fulton Street," a festive winter wonderland (including a "faux snowfall") on the pedestrian mall adjacent to Harrah's Hotel in the CBD. Musical entertainment included strolling carolers, choirs and performances by the likes of Marva Wright, John Boutte', Big Al Carson, and Benny Grunch and the Bunch on an outdoor stage -- and Larry Sieberth was spotted playing solo piano in the wide open lobby of the hotel. But this, of course, was only one of many holiday attractions in the city leading up to Christmas.
It was a busy month musically, as usual. "Big River Celebrating New Orleans" was a concert held at the NOCCA Riverfront Campus on Nov. 6. Put together by pianist Peter Martin, music director for vocalist Diane Reeves, who is now based in his home town of St. Louis after living in New Orleans for more than a decade. It featured many present and former New Orleanians, including Ellis Marsalis, Jeremy Davenport, Victor Goines, Don Vappie, Herlin Riley, and Reginald Veal. I missed the concert but caught Martin, Goines, Veal and Riley in a splendid performance at Snug Harbor two nights later.
The second annual Fiesta Latina, sponsored by the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, was held at the Contemporary Arts Center in the Warehouse District on Nov. 10. It featured great food and music by a host of local Latin bands. There is more and more fine Latin music to be heard in the city, which is a good thing. in my opinion.
And a new event this year (said to become an annual affair) was "LadyFest," held at several venues on the weekend of Nov. 14-18. It was designed to showcase the music, poetry and art of local women. Among the female musicians taking part were clarinetist Doreen Ketchens, vocalists Banu Gibson, Topsy Chapman, Barbara Shorts, Julia LaShae, and Ingrid Lucia. Vocalist/banjoist/guitarist and leader of the Mo'Lasses Brass Band Roselyn Leonard (Lionhart) was prominent as an organizer and emcee. A trio of Jan Clements (piano), Cary B (bass) and Cori Walters (drums) served as the backup band for several of the featured performers.
But probably the musical highlight of the month for me was the concert by trumpeter Terence Blanchard and his quintet (Brice Winston, tenor saxophone; Fabian Almazan, piano; Derrick Hodge, bass; and Kendrick Scott, drums) with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on Nov. 3. They performed Blanchard's "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina"), the title of his latest CD. The music for the album started out as a soundtrack for Spike Lee's documentary film, When the Levees Broke, and was expanded from there. It is lovely and moving music, reminding me of some of the best film scores I've heard (by composers such as Alex North). The performance was complemented with the use of visuals (slides), thus adding to the dramatic effect.
Beyond all of this, there were the performances at the usual venues in the city. The popular Nickel-A-Dance series concluded with two more Sunday afternoon sessions at Cafe Brasil: The Doc Cheatham Memorial Jazz Band, featuring Butch Thompson and other musicians who worked and recorded with Doc (Nov. 4) and a band put together by Kermit Ruffins with an unexpected guest, Jason Marsalis, on vibraphone (Nov. 11). It was good to see trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso back in town from New York with the Cheatham band.
January 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag
P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.