Quinnipiac University Mecca Roundball Golf Tournament - 2nd place gross (60)...

Some boys never grow up...

CELTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(of COURSE the ball hit the rim!)

Allen Toussaint to play Village Vanguard...

I've listened to Allen Toussaint's music since my high school days in the 1960's, even though I had no idea who he was back then, with Ernie K-Doe's Mother-In-Law, Lee Dorsey's Working in a Coal Mine, Chris Kenner's I Like It Like That and many more, through the 1970's with Little Feat's On Your Way Down on the classic Dixie Chicken album and Robert Palmer's Sneaking Sally Through the Alley, until I finally discovered him for myself by sampling his albums from cutout bins. Been a big fan ever since, catching him lately at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Since Katrina, he has relocated temporarily to NYC where he has played a series of Sunday Brunch shows at Joe's Pub in Manhattan, but I haven't been able to get The Reet and friends down there to see him.

Starting next Tuesday through Sunday (May 19-24), Toussaint will play a series of shows at the legendary Village Vanguard supporting his new jazz album The Bright Mississippi with The Bright Mississippi band: Don Byron, clarinet; Christian Scott, trumpet; Mark Ribot, guitar; David Pilch, bass; Jay Bellerose, drums. I've listened to it a couple times already. Very tasty. Hmmmmmm. Reet, what do you think? Anyone?

Happy Mother's Day, all you mothers!...

WolfgangsVault Mother's Day Mix:
# 1. B.B. King | Nobody Loves Me But My Mother
# 2. John Lennon | Mother
# 3. Steve Goodman | Mother, Queen Of My Heart
# 4. Rubinoos | Mothers Always Know
# 5. Raw Soul | Song For My Mother
# 6. Traffic | Every Mother's Son
# 7. UFO | Mother Mary
# 8. Alabama | Mamas Don't Let You Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
# 9. Alela Diane | Oh! My Mama
# 10. B.J. Thomas | Mama
# 11. Jason and the Sco… | Pray For Me, Mama (I'm A Gypsy Now)
# 12. Joan Armatrading | Mama Mercy
# 13. The Rowan Brothers | Mama Don't You Cry

Revisiting Piano Shirt Friday at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...

This is what happens when you think you're taking photos, but actually have the camera on "movie." It does, however, give you a feel for the 3rd annual Johnny Gumbo Piano Shirt Friday (always the 2nd weekend) at Jazz Fest. The point is to have Johnny Gumbo take a photo with everyone we meet wearing the famous piano shirt (yes, we now know it is actually an accordian shirt, but we've gone way to far with this thing to change it now).

Long distance information get me Memphis, TN...

30th Blues Music Award Winners Announced (Blues Foundation)
Acoustic Album of the Year: Mississippi Number One - Eden Brent
Acoustic Artist of the Year: Eden Brent
Album of the Year: Skin Deep - Buddy Guy
Band of the Year: Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year: Janiva Magness
Best New Artist Debut: 2 Man Wrecking Crew - Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm
Contemporary Blues Album of the Year: Skin Deep - Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year: Buddy Guy
Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year Janiva Magness
DVD: M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through the Birthplace of the Blues - Broke & Hungry Records, Cathead Blues & Mudpuppy Recordings
Historical Album of the Year: Albert Collins Live at Montreux 1992 - Eagle Records
Instrumentalist-Bass: Mookie Brill
Instrumentalist-Drums: Willie “Big Eyes” Smith
Instrumentalist-Guitar: Sonny Landreth
Instrumentalist-Harmonica: Billy Gibson
Instrumentalist-Horn: Deanna Bogart
Instrumentalist-Banjo: Otis Taylor
Pinetop Perkins Piano Player: Marcia Ball
Rock Blues Album of the Year: Mess of Blues - Jeff Healey
Song of the Year: “Let Life Flow” - Kenny Neal
Soul Blues Album of the Year: Simply Grand - Irma Thomas
Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year: Etta James
Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year: Bobby Rush
Traditional Blues Album of the Year: One Kind Favor - B.B. King
Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year: B.B. King
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year Koko Taylor

We're home...

Well, all of us get home except Gumbo, who texts Mark that his plane was hit by lightning upon arrival in New Orleans and was not available for his flight out. One more night in the Crescent City for the young man who has been on the road for the past three weeks. We suggest a nice dinner at Mother's.

Johnny Gumbo pissed, announces boycott of Mother's...

It's official! Johnny Gumbo, in response to a perceived disrespect given him (and his shrimp po boy order) at Mother's Restaurant on Saturday evening, announced today, through his press secretary, that he is leading a boycott of the famous New Orleans landmark. He hopes to use his considerable influence as one of the country's leading event planners to teach Mother's that there are some people you just don't want to mess with. Johnny Gumbo is them people. "Saturday dinner (at Mother's), some low-rent sandwich place with very poor service, the meal was disgusting, would never eat there again, others need to know how bad it is."

When asked to comment on the boycott, a Mother's representative replied, "Who the fuck is Johnny Gumbo?" Stay tuned folks, this could get ugly.

We're outta here...
Tuesday is getaway day. Shove all your dirty shit into your bags and stow them in the lobby after checkout. We don't fly out until almost five, so we walk up Decatur to Central Grocery. I walk a couple doors down to find a little something for The Reet at Java House Imports. While I listen intently to the owner's description of jewelry he created for his wife, Barry gruffly interrupts, saying he has to get somewhere and wants to pay for his item. It makes my purchase of The Reet's opal earrings much quicker. We grab a cab over to MiLa, where we meet stay-in-bed-forever Mark for lunch. According to their website, MiLa is the culmination of both the marriage of chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing and their respective home states cuisines-Mississippi and Louisiana. With a seasonal menu driven by fresh picked produce from Lujele Farms, MiLa delivers a new style of Southern fare with a lighter touch using French techniques in an elegant yet relaxed setting in downtown New Orleans. The restaurant is surprisingly large, with a very cool lighted bar at the entrance. Service is slow and a bit disjointed, but my entree of local grouper followed by homemade banana ice cream was very good.

Not much time left. Gumbo and Barry/Larry retreat to the hotel, while I accompany Mark back to Java House Imports. It's time. Everyone piles into a cab (no Garland, he left Sunday night for Houston) for the airport. And what is the airport food of choice? LUCKY DOG! On the flight back to Detroit, while the Pool Hall Studs relaxed, I had to nurse a shaking, teary eyed young lady (she ran out of her medication) through our somewhat bumpy flight to Detroit.

It's Monday, Jazz Fest over, but still lots to do before leaving tomorrow...

A Monday morning tradition - walk to Cafe du Monde. No busy schedule to adhere to. The Louisiana Music Factory has hourly in-store concerts set up (with $2 coupons for Abitas!):
noon Tom McDermott
1PM Cyril Neville
2PM Alex McMurray
3PM Glen David Andrews
4PM Marc Stone
5PM Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show
6PM New Orleans Nightcrawlers
7PM John Boutte

Cyril Neville performing at the Louisiana Music Factory on Monday afternoon.


The Twin Towers (Mark & Larry) leave for lunch at the Red Fish Grill, while we head to Johnny's Po-Boys. We all rendezvous at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, where we waste away for a spell with margaritas and mojitas. On the way back, I realize that I have not yet sampled that French Quarter delicacy, the Lucky Dog!

Barry (or Larry, as he is now known), after numerous reminders from Gumbo, books us for dinner at Lüke, "an authentic brasserie on St. Charles Ave. combining German and French Old World cooking techniques. Located adjacent to the Hilton St. Charles in the heart of the Central Business District on St. Charles Avenue, Lüke’s space is as warm and nostalgic as the menu. Brasserie features include blackboard specials, and newspaper racks. There are also elaborate pulley-and-belt driven ceiling fans, an early air-conditioning system first admired by visitors in the 1880s that has been re-created for the restaurant. Lüke is John Besh’s homage to old brasseries that once reigned in New Orleans." Great food and drink, no-drink toasts, interesting conversations about origins of common slang, command appearances by our chef, our bartender and "Ratdog."

Post-dinner we cab it up to Frenchman Street one more time to d.b.a. to catch the Pine Leaf Boys. The bar books a full lineup of bands during Jazz Fest, usually two per night, often more. Glen David Andrews opened here at six o'clock. Steeped in music since children and hailing from farms and towns in Cajun country, the Pine Leaf Boys have preserved the traditional Cajun sound, while allowing it to breathe and stretch with those who play it. They present their music in multiple configurations such a twin fiddle, duo accordion/fiddle, bass, drum, and foot-stomping jurés (myspace). I hear they have two Grammy nominations, too. Gumbo is dancing up a storm. Finally, after a couple 'one more song' turns, the PLBs call it a night after one o'clock. And so do I.

It's Sunday already?...

Saved
No Lucy's today, for Gumbo and I are off to the Jazz Mass at St. Augustine's Church. Went alone last year and it was pretty cool. We finally hail a cab, but our driver has no clue. We finally get there and ease into our pew. Gumbo is game for this with one condition - he refuses to do the "lean to the left, lean to the right, stand up, sit down, fight fight fight" thing. It is a traditional Catholic mass, but with some great horns and percussion to back up the piano and choir. No collection plate here, but rather a big 'ol wicker basket is placed up near the alter and everyone parades up under the watchful eye of the priest as the band and choir rock the house. Good start to the day.


After church, we walk over to Port of Call on Esplanade to meet up the the Pool Hall Studs for lunch. No contact with them yet, so Gumbo goes inside to find them. I turn around and a woman, who was reading the back of my shirt, asks, "Who is Johnny Gumbo!" Perfect timing - the Man strolls out the front door. This is Johnny Gumbo. The woman is amused. A call from the PHS explains they are JUST getting started, so we'll eat and catch them at the Fest. Monsoon is the signature drink at Port of Call. For Gene's sake, I'll not describe what we eat. That finished, we're out on the street to hail a cab out to the Fairgrounds. One of our cabmates from San Clemente tells us he has some extra tickets and only want $25 for the $50 tickets. Cool. We pick up the cab fare.

John Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen are first up for us on the Gentilly Stage followed by Allen Toussaint over at Acura. Both do not disappoint. Gumbo's pick for the day is an all-star collection called The Voice of the Wetlands Allstars featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux and Dr. John. The Pool Hall Studs finally arrive on the scene and catch the end of the set. Excellent call, they're great (Tab is a bit long-winded toward the end explaining the need to curb the destruction of the area wetlands)!

Old man take a look at my life, I'm a lot like you (no, Neil, you ARE him!)
Next up is Neil Young at Acura, so we work our way through the huge crowd to friend Marshall's spot to the right side of the stage. Neil sounds good, his thin voice hasn't eroded too much. Drags out all the hits. Here's Cinnamon Girl:

Now that I have my Neil Young check mark, I head out to sample Luther Kent & Trickbag in the Blue Tent and The Rance Allen Group in the Gospel Tent. Good thing, too, for it suddenly pours like hell! Give me an AMEN!

Who to close with? We go with the Radiators over the Nevilles (it's not just me who thinks they kinda mail the closing set in after all these years) and the Rads, looking grizzled, give us a solid show. Hadn't seen them live since Tipitina's on my first trip to Nola in 1989. Wow, it's over. This is where we've usually gone to Shell Fest, a gathering at a nearby Shell Station for beer, tunes & camaraderie, but that has lost some of its lustre lately. Hey, here's a novel idea, let's get back to the hotel and rest up for a change! Gumbo and I do, taking a cab back with a couple from NYC who just arrived today to volunteer for Habitat For Humanity next week.

Cleaned up and refreshed, J-Gum & I head out to Lucy's, but decide to stop at the steakhouse near our hotel for a nice romantic dinner al fresco. It's a gorgeous evening. Order up a couple of steaks, a bottle of wine, some tasty bread. Nice. Well, nice until the Twin Towers come along and plop themselves down to spoil the mood. They're on their way over to Cochon further up Tchoupitoulas Street. After our respective meals, we rendevous at Vic's Kangaroo Pub to watch the Celts clinch and resume our pool grudge matches. The Studs MAY have edged us out, but I don't remember exactly. We catch up with Elisa, a current resident of New Orleans about to relocate to Colorado. Where's Gumbo? Mark, it was your turn to watch him! Well, I'm too tired to worry. Going to bed.

Sunday pics...

View of Fairgrounds Clubhouse from the track.


Huge crowds for Neil Young.


Coolin' off with a frozen daiquiri between the Gospel & Blues tents just before the skies opened up late in the day..


Cyril Neville in full Mardi Gras Indian garb during The Voice
of the Wetlands Allstars set. Outstanding.


Is he ordering a beer for his empty coozie? He does NOT have The Dead coozie (purchased for Barry/Larry by Cheryl from a street vendor at the Meadowlands. The Dead coozie is unique, for it holds your beer, but doesn't colds your beer (but if you're at a Dead concert, you're probably not noticing).


I'm NOT grumpy!


Storm clouds, what storm clouds?


Blodie's Jazz Jam in the WWOZ Jazz Tent during the only
rain storm we had all week.


Luther Kent & Trickbag at the Blues Tent late Sunday.


Don't ask.

Sunday @ Jazz Fest...

Today's closers:

Neville Brothers @ Acura Stage (The tradition)

Radiators @ Gentilly Stage

Maze feauring Frankie Beverly@ Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage

Kurt Elling@ WWOZ Jazz Tent

Buddy Guy @ Blues Tent (a legend; got to catch at least some of his set)

The Genius of Sidney Bechet- A Tribute @ Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent

Nathan & Zydeco Cha Chas @ Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage

Soul Rebels@ Jazz & Heritage Stage

Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries @ Gospel Tent

Benny Grunch & the Bunch @ Lagniappe Stage
Other notables:

Neil Young 2:55-4:55 @ Acura Stage

Ellis Marsalis 2:55-3:55 @ WWOZ Jazz Tent

Allen Toussaint 1:00-2:10 @ Acura Stage

Jon Cleary & Absolute Monster Gentlemen 12:35-1:35 @ Gentilly Stage

Saturday @ Jazz Fest...

Today's closers:

Bon Jovi @ Acura Stage (might catch a glimpse- to the dismay of gman & jfk, but it's tough to go from Gentilly to Acura quickly)

Kings of Leon @ Gentilly Stage (very tempting)

The O'Jays @ Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage (people all over the world, join hands!)

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue at 50 @ WWOZ Jazz Tent (wow, I'll try to fit this in too!)

John Mayall @ Blues Tent (a legend; got to catch at least some of his set)

Gregg Stafford's Jazz Hounds tribute to Danny Barker featuring Juanita Brooks @ Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent

C J Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band @ Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage

Midnite Disturbers @ Jazz & Heritage Stage (I've got Gumbo every night for that!)

Franklin Avenue Baptist Church Choir @ Gospel Tent

New Orleans Bingo! Show @ Lagniappe Stage (your guess is as good as mine)

Our second day at the Fest starts out with a trip up to Lucy's to discuss strategy. Gumbo wants to get out early enough to see Keith Richards. Really? Yeah, if he falls out of a tree, because it's ZACHARY Richards, you knucklehead (to quote a famous Larry). I'd like to see Courtney Bryan in the WWOZ Jazz Tent. Doesn't happen, we don't get out until the Dr. John set at 3:15. Always a good choice. I stay for a half-hour of Bon Jovi (hey, they were good) before heading over to the Jazz Tent for the Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool tribute featuring original session drummer Jimmy Cobb. Very good. To top things off, we stand to the back of the Blues Tent for a taste of John Mayall.

We're beat, so we opt for dinner at Mother's, a legendary spot across Poydras from our hotel. The lines are usually long, but we get through in reasonably short order. I order the Pool Hall Studs, Gumbo and I order our po-boys & Abitas, pay and wait. Now it gets ugly. We wait some more. Finally, the PHS get their orders, but what about us? No sympathy from them as they stuff their faces full. Gumbo is fuming. It's getting personal. A waitress comes over and tells us, "I asked about your order but they said they didn't know." Then she takes off. "God dammit," cries out Gumbo in his best Patrick Swayze/Dirty Dancing voice, bewildering at least three nearby tables, "They're going to pay for this. Nobody does this to Gumbo (at least he didn't say 'nobody puts Gumbo in the corner')."

Saturday pics

Cool boots


Huge crowd at the Acura Stage for Bon Jovi


WWOZ Jazz Tent for the Miles Davis Birth of the Cool tribute
featuring Jimmy Cobb


They apparently got they memo.


Waiting in the Port-O-Let line



Waiting for a cab after the Fest

Bonnie rules Piano Shirt Friday!...

I'm up early, so down to the breakfast buffet for some coffee and oatmeal (take note, Gino). Gumbo finally awakens from his slumber, grabs some coffee and gets ready for the day. As you are probably aware due to the massive media attention, the second Friday at Jazz Fest is Piano Shirt Friday. So Gumbo carefully irons, then dons his spiffy Piano Shirt. We're off to Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar for our traditional pre-game Bloody Marys while we study the 'cubes.' The weather is perfect. The Pool Hall Studs are nowhere in sight. We can't wait forever for them. Catch a cab out to the Fairgrounds with a trio of Canadians.

First up, Frankie Ford. We know nothing of Frankie except that he had the hit song Sea Cruise in the late 1950's. The crowd is fairly thin early in the day, so we get fairly close. After an opening number by his band, Frankie SLOWLY makes his way over to his piano. A few bad jokes about age and ex-wife. This is painful, but we hang in there for awhile. I can't take it, we're out of here. On the way over to the Acura Stage to see Marcia Ball, we sample Natchitoches meat pies, Crawfish Monica, crawfish pies, crawfish strudel, pheasant/quail/Andouille gumbo.

We've seen Marcia a bunch of times, so after a few numbers we're out. Still no news from the Studs. We usually sample the Gospel Tent at some point during the Fest. It also allows us to sit for a spell. The cubes tell us we are listening to the Mount Herman Baptist Church Mass Choir. They blow us away! Stay for their entire set (by the way, as I'm typing this, Gumbo has taken his morning constitutional and it's seeping into the room; I know that's more information than you need, but I'm dying here).


Back to the Acura Stage for Bonnie Raitt. It's packed. Gumbo wants to listen way in the back. No way, Gumbo, we're going in. We push our way slowly along the path until we're within decent range. I've seen Bonnie over a dozen times, most recently about five years ago at Oakdale (or whatever they call it this week). Kind of lost my zeal for her in the early 1990's when she went pop, but still a big fan. She's looking good, sounding great. No, let me correct that, she's sounding GREAT! And kicking ass on slide. Obviously energized by Jazz Fest and being in New Orleans ("Greatest town in the world, I've had so much fun down here, I'm surprised I'm not in jail."), she's bringing out some of the old stuff along with the new. John Prine's Angel From Montgomery is magic. The original plan was to see the beginning of Bonnie's set, then go over to the Fais Do Do Stage for Patty Griffin, but I'm going nowhere. This is awesome. Gumbo wants to see Patty, so he leaves. I can still catch a good part of her set after Bonnie. Jon Cleary is wonderful on piano (he'll perform later in the weekend with the Absolute Monster Gentlemen) and Bonnie trots out a killer horn section for a few numbers and really lets them play. Great set!



Off to Fais Do Do where I run into the Studs and catch Patty Griffin. She's very good. After Patty Griffin's encore, we move over to the Blues tent for John Scofield. The ubiquitous Jon Cleary is on keys. The tent is packed, so we listen outside while catching up with Mark/Lisa from Jersey and Kenney/Mimi?? from San Diego. We're all invited down to Jersey for Mark and Lisa's annual summer bash. I sneak inside for the final number. Excellent finish to the day's music. Off to the Seahorse outside the gate to wait for Garland, who arrives in good time to take us all back.

Quick shower and down to the Quarter. The Studs are meeting up with Marshall, so we're on our own. Dinner at Desire Oyster Bar at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon, where I select the Crawfish Etouffe and Gumbo goes for the rice & beans. We top off the night by slipping into Fritzel's European Jazz Pub further up Bourbon, one of the few remaining bastions of "traditional" jazz in New Orleans' world renowned French Quarter. For over a quarter of a century its founder & owner GUNTER "DUTCH" SEUTTER has provided a friendly locale providing the very best in New Orleans JAZZ. In addition to showcasing local talent "Dutch" provides the opportunity for international bands & musicians to play in the "Birthplace of Jazz" on what is surely one of the most famous streets in the world. Artists from every continent have played at Fritzel's. Within the world of jazz there is no language barrier - people communicate through their mutual love of the music. During a group toast, Johnnyk is chastised for replacing his glass without sipping by Dani, a young lady in the front row who has her Brooklyn boyfriend of 4 hours thinking of life after jazz. The no-drink toast becomes an instant tradition.

Piano Shirt Friday photos...

All the girls are crazy 'bout them sharp dressed men.





John Schofield & the Piety Street Band close Friday
at the Blues Tent


During French Quarter Fest, Fritzel's European Jazz Pub hosts numerous bands
from all over the world who perform strictly New Orleans Traditional Jazz.

Friday @ Jazz Fest...

The plan:
The Cubes for today
12:55 Frankie Ford
1:50 Marcia Ball
3:30 Bonnie Raitt w/ Jon Cleary on the Acura Stage (over Patti Griffin, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & the Roadmasters, Julian Marley & the Uprising Band)
5:45 John Schofield & the Piety Street Band in the Blues Tent (over Sugarland, Tony Bennett, the Iguanas)

The venue (click on image for better view)...

Arrival in NOLA...

(Don't be fooled by this posting time, it's just formatting. It's really 8:30 on Friday morning by the time I drag myself out of bed and come down to sample the breakfast buffet.)

By mid-morning I've got everything packed (well, The Reet did help out a tad) and I'm waiting to be picked up by the Pool Hall Studs for our trip to Bradley International Airport for our flight to New Orleans. We're flying out at noon on Northwest (the airline, not necessarily the direction) with a short layover in Detroit, arriving in the Crescent City around five o'clock. This schedule will not allow us to get out to the Fairgrounds for the festival, but there is the serious matter of the annual grudge pool matches at Ryan's Irish Pub in the French Quarter with the Pool Hall Studs to address (for those who are new to this, Johnny Gumbo and I have been kicking their asses annually and we intend to continue to do so).

Long flight. We depart from the plane in rainy Detroit and look for our connecting flight, only to find out we are flying out on the SAME PLANE! Smooth. We finally arrive at Louis Armstrong Airport about five o'clock Central. A quick call to Johnny Gumbo finds him down in the Quarter with some devastating news - THEY TOOK OUT THE POOL TABLE AT RYAN'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He'll fill us in when we get there. Meanwhile, Mark connects with Garland, our transportation guy at the Fest. Garland has his own business in Houston, but comes to New Orleans each year, rents a van and does his thing. All his customers are by word of mouth. He supplies the ride, the cold beer and some of the greatest spicy fried chicken wings you'll ever taste. You pay him what you think it's worth. Garland arrives in short order. He's also picked up Joe and Patty, a couple of New Yorkers down for the Fest. Joe, who is a five year veteran of Jazz Fest, has been here for a couple days already, leaving the family responsibilities to wifey to attend to. That done, Jazz Fest virgin Patty is in town and ready to kick some ass (possibly Joe's). Good people. We drop them at the Hotel Monteleone and proceed over to the Staybridge, located on Tchoupitoulas at Poydras just across the street from Mother's.

Quick drop off of my shit and I'm downstairs sampling the reception fare (plastic glass of wine and a little chicken gumbo) as the Celtics/Bulls get under way. We walk the six blocks down to Ryan's where we find Johnny Gumbo in full festival mode. Hugs/kisses all around (not full on the mouth, though, swine flu and all). Big crowd. Gumbo explains that they are filming a street scene for a movie set in New York! Celtics down two at the half. We pick our way around the film crew (seems to be set in the 1930's) down the street to the Old Absinthe House for a quick Abita. Celtics in a battle. Walter Ray! Off wandering about, occasionally peeking in to catch the score, when EUREKA! pool tables! Rake 'em up, studs, and take your medicine. It wasn't pretty, let me tell you. Better luck next time, boys. Celtics blow a chance to win. Overtime. Ray is lighting it up.

Over to Nola for dinner. At the bar, watching the game. The BEST stuffed chicken wings. Pork tenderloin. Duck (look out, duck!). Quail. Abitas. Oh, and maybe we didn't win at pool, because we ended up with the tab! Celts lose, too! Oh well, it's off to Frenchman Street to finish the night off at some bar with an excellent band. Didn't catch the name of either. It's getting late, so Gumbo and I leave the young studs and grab a cab 'home.' Night y'all.

Donna's Bar & Grill on North Rampart...

"Do what you wanna, but don't miss Donna's!"
Presenting the very best
Jazz, Brass & Home Style Cooking available in New Orleans.
800 N. Rampart, NOLA, corner St. Ann
Music schedule @ Donna's
Thu, 04/30/2009 - 9:00pm Evan Christopher and Tom McDermott
Fri, 05/01/2009 - 9:00pm Jesse McBride
Sat, 05/02/2009 - 12:00am Delfeayo Marsalis
Sun, 05/03/2009 - 9:00pm Shannon Powell Jazz Quartet & Friends
Mon, 05/04/2009 - 9:00pm Mark Braud Jazz Jam

We're off to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival...

We'll be arriving in the Crescent City late afternoon, meaning we will not make it out to the fairgrounds for today's Fest. Unfortunately, we will miss Ben Harper & Relentless7, Emmylou Harris, Solomon Burke, Jakob Dylan, Meter Men: Zig, George, and Leo, Mississippi Mass Choir, the subdudes, Theresa Andersson, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Marva Wright & the BMWs, Nicholas Payton, Eddie Bo, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, Anders Osborne, Ronnie Kole, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots, George Wein & the Newport Allstars feat. Howard Alden, Anat Cohen, Randy Brecker, Lew Tabakin, Jimmy Cobb, and Esperanza Spalding, Banu Gibson’s Hot Jazz with special guest Bucky Pizzarelli, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Delfeayo Marsalis presents “Sweet Thunder”, John Rankin, Creole Zydeco Farmers, Silky Sol, Sharon Martin, Little Freddie King, Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone

Tonight at the Louisiana Music Factory:
Lil' Band O' Gold resurrected swamp pop tradition while putting its own stamp on the rock music coming out of Southwest Louisiana. The nine-piece supergroup, consisting
of singer/guitarist C.C. Adcock, singer/accordionist Steve Riley, singer/pianist David Egan, saxists Dickie Landry, David Greely, and Pat Breaux, bassist Dave Ronson, pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, and legendary drummer Warren Storm, rarely performed outside its home base in Lafayette, LA, because of its members' commitments to other bands. However, appearances at Midsummer Nights Swing at Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City in 2000 and concerts at the Crawfish Festival in Stanhope, NJ, and at Swamp Stomp at Wolf Trap in Virginia in 2001 exposed the group to an audience outside its home state of Louisiana. -complete bio

Early Tuesday morn....cup 'o jo......listening to...

Miles Davis Kind of Blue
Closing this Saturday at Jazz Fest, Jimmy Cobb's So What Band featuring Wallace Roney, Vincent Herring, Javon Jackson, Larry Willis & Buster Williams will do a set in the WWOZ Jazz Tent called Remembering Kind of Blue @ 50. Although opposite John Mayall, Bon Jovi, Kings of Leon, The O'Jays, CJ Chenier, etc., this might be a keeper!

(Wikipedia, so it must be true) - Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released August 17, 1959 on Columbia Records, in both mono and stereo. Recording sessions for the album took place at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City on March 2 and April 22, 1959. The sessions featured Davis's ensemble sextet, which included pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers, and saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Production for the album was handled entirely by record producers Teo Macero and Irving Townsend. Following the inclusion of Bill Evans into his sextet, Davis followed up on the modal experimentations of Milestones (1958) and the '58 Sessions. Influenced by pianist George Russell's concept of scale-based musical improvisation, Davis conceived Kind of Blue entirely on modality in contrast to his earlier work with the hard bop style of jazz and its complex chord progression.

Though precise figures have been disputed, Kind of Blue has been cited by many music writers as Miles Davis's best-selling album, as well as the best-selling jazz record of all time. On October 7, 2008, the album was certified quadruple platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has also been regarded by many critics as the greatest jazz album of all time and Davis's magnum opus, and it has been ranked at or near the top of several "best album" lists in disparate genres. The album's influence on music, including jazz, rock and classical music, has led music writers to acknowledge it as one of the most influential albums of all time. In 2002, it was one of fifty recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2003, the album was ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2008, a box set release of Kind of Blue was issued by Legacy Records in commemoration of its fiftieth anniversary.

tres días a ir...

babelfish.com

Wynton Marsalis has been confirmed to appear on the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ on Wed May 13th. The Pulitzer Prize & 9-time Grammy Award winner will perform the new song ‘School Boy’ from his new Blue Note album He & She - his 5th Blue Note release that features 22 tracks of his signature jazz, as well as spoken word and poetry tracks, all centered around the theme of the relationship between man and woman.

Hoping to get some video this year at Jazz Fest, I picked up an 8GB SDHC card late yesterday afternoon at Best Buy. The clerk chuckled when she saw the 128MB one I had in the camera. Hey, what do I know?

Sunday morning (walking) trail-mix...

Everything I Said (The Cranberries) Treasure Box
Love Gone Bad (Guitar George Baker) Mojo Lady
Affection (Jonathan Richman & Modern Lovers) Roadrunner
I Got Mine (Black Keys) Attack & Release
Bad Girl (Miracles) Dean's Top 100- 1959
Every Breath I Take (Gene Pitney) Phil Spector-Back to Mono
Blue Angel (Roy Orbison) Only the Lonely-live recordings
Stormy Monday (Allman Brothers Band) Live at Fillmore
Come to Mama (Etta James) Burnin' Down the House
Just One More Day (Otis Redding) Very Best of...
Betrayed (Lou Reed) Live in Italy
Evil Woman (Yesterday's Children) Self-titled
Monk's Mood (John Coltrane/Thelonious Monk) Thelonious Monk Quartet
Judy (The Pipettes) We Are the Pipettes
God Is Love (Marvin Gaye) What's Going On
Sweet Nothing (Brenda Lee) Hotkennedys Surfing at Groton Long point
Nashville Skyline Rag (Bob Dylan) Nashville Skyline
Without a Friend Like You (Maria Muldaur) Louisiana Love Call
On Your Way Down (Allen Toussaint) The Allen Toussaint Collection
Venus De Milo (Miles Davis) Birth of the Cool
Where Or When (Dion & the Belmonts) The Wanderer
Nothing But Flowers (Talking Heads) Best of...
First Night (Hold Steady) Boys & Girls in America

You mean I can burn my old Richard Torrance album to CD on this thing?...

TURN YOUR RECORDS INTO CDs - NO COMPUTER REQUIRED (from ionaudio.com)
LP 2 CD is the fastest, easiest way to convert your vinyl records to CDs with none of the hassle of connecting a computer. Listen to your music in the car, at home, on your computer, or any place with a CD player! Play your album into LP 2 CD and record one or more CD copies in the internal CD burner. Or, connect your computer and easily transfer your music to your iTunes, iPod, or MP3 player. LP 2 CD comes with software for fast, easy importing to your iTunes library. Just place your record on the turntable and insert a blank CD. Play your vinyl, hit the record button and let LP 2 CD do the rest!

LP 2 CD includes a software CD with EZ Vinyl Converter for PC (with auto track detection) and EZ Audio Converter for Mac. They are the simplest way to record and convert vinyl directly to iTunes. It´s like magic! Before you know it, you'll be listening to songs you haven´t heard in years in iTunes or on your iPod. A free download version of EZ Vinyl Converter with Gracenote ™ MusicID is included for automatic track naming. Now you can listen to your music in the car, at home, on your computer, or any place with a standard CD player. Converting your records is a snap with LP 2 CD. - Price: $400 - review in Htfd Courant

For your listening pleasure...

nola.com - NOLA radio

Rosie came out tonight.....

Bruce, Max, Clarence, Lil Stevie, Nils and the boys came to Hartford tonight and, thanks to Keith 'n Sharie, we had primo seats to see them. Thanks, guys. Got to chow down first, so we go directly to Plan B, without even considering Plan A. Cuban burger /w greens instead of fries. Damage control. Concert is to be at 7:30, which means 8:30, so we park, walk through Bushnell Park (didn't know they stocked the pond, unless those were rats swimming in it) and ease on into Agave for marguaritas (Corona for Sharie) before the show.

Badlands. Excellent start to the show. Lots of energy and it seems everyone is eager to show Bruce they know EVERY word. The guy two rows down takes his sweatshirt off, but exposes his hairy back to all of us. Thanks for sharing, pal. Yuck. We're just left of the stage about 20 rows up. Fantastic. Bruce follows up Badlands with Outlaw Pete off of the new CD (already up on utube, below!).

Not sure I'm buying Pete. Where's Patty? Fell of a horse. Bruce, haven't we heard that one recently? C'mon, buddy, try harder. Oh, alright, she fell off the damn horse. Clarence is looking very frail, no? The Reet informs me the Yankees are down 1-0. Waiting on a Sunny Day

Wild Thing. Yeah, the old Troggs song. I wasn't sure if it was planned or not, but it was cool.


Then:
Well, there she sits buddy justa gleaming in the sun
There to greet a working man when his day is done
I'm gonna pack my pa and I'm gonna pack my aunt
I'm gonna take them down to the Cadillac Ranch

Eldorado fins, whitewalls and skirts
Rides just like a little bit of heaven here on earth
Well buddy when I die throw my body in the back
And drive me to the junkyard in my Cadillac

Cadillac, Cadillac
Long and dark, shiny and black
Open up your engines let 'em roar
Tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur

Great song, well done! Bruce has lots of James Brown in him. A young, long-haired dude subs in for Mighty Max (Max's kid?) for Radio Nowhere:


Tenth Avenue Freezeout! E Street Shuffle YES! Life is good. No "Sandy" though. Finishing song: Rosalita! Yankees lose. - Eric Dantin's take (including set list)

Separated at birth - Susan Boyle and Mickey Dolenz...

Juan Weak Tugo....

After 4 decades, Jazz Fest grows but honors roots
NEW ORLEANS – Only about 350 people attended the first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1970, and that number included gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and the other 100 or so local musicians who performed. Four decades later, Jazz Fest draws hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world to hear bands perform jazz, blues, country, Cajun, rap and rock. The festival's 40th anniversary kicks off Friday with a tribute to Jackson by Grammy-winning soul singer Irma Thomas and a performance by New Orleans native trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. This year's headliners include Bon Jovi, Sugarland, Kings of Leon and The O'Jays. - complete article

Simmer down, mon, top 10 Jamaican songs...

1. "One Love" - Bob Marley & the Wailers
2. "Oh Carolina" - The Folkes Brothers
3. "54-45" - The Maytals
4. "Got to Go Back Home" - Bob Andy
5. "My Boy Lollipop" - Millie Small
6. "Many Rivers To Cross" - Jimmy Cliff
7. "Israelites" - Desmond Dekker and the Aces
8. "Cherry Oh Baby" - Eric Donaldson
9. "Simmer Down" - Bob Marley & the Wailers
10. "Carry Go Bring Come" - Justin Hinds & the Dominos

KINGSTON (Reuters) – Reggae legend Bob Marley's "One Love" topped a list of Jamaica's 100 best songs over 50 years that was unveiled on Tuesday by a panel of musicians and cultural officials associated with the University of the West Indies. - article

Going to be a tough call...

Never too early to start planning for the music at Jazz Fest. Johnny Gumbo emails from the Great Northwest asking about Patty Griffin, who performs at Jazz Fest on Friday, May 1. Seems daughter Erin, who is a first-weekend Jazz Fester, is excited that Dad can see both Griffin and Sugarland. What the hell is Gumbo doing up this early, anyway? It's like a two-and-a-half hour time difference out in Spokane!

One thing is for sure, this cowboy is not going to see Sugarland (not that there's anything WRONG with that). Patty Griffin is another story. I have not seen her perform in concert, but have sampled her music numerous times and love it. She appears on the Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage from 4:15-5:30, which conflicts somewhat with Bonnie Raitt, who plays at the Acura Stage from 3:30-4:45 (complete May 1 cubes). I've seen Bonnie in many and varied venues, the weirdest being the old Oakdale Theatre-in-the-Round in 1979 (with Steve the Bod), where Bonnie appeared with her famous dad, John Raitt. They both performed separate sets (Broadway, followed by blues), then finished up singing together.

So, guess I'll listen to Bonnie, then make my way over to catch the end of Patty, all the while trying to decide who to close the day with (the Pool Hall Studs, no doubt battered and bruised from the previous night at Ryan's, will have their own agenda):

Sugarland @ Acrura Stage (not happening)

Tony Bennett @ Gentilly Stage (gotta pass on Tony)

Musiq Soulchild @ Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage (no clue)

Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band @ WWOZ Jazz Tent

John Scofield & the Piety Street Band @ Blues Tent (my early favorite)

Lars Edegran's New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra @ Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent

The Iguanas @ Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage (have seen them several times at Cafe Nine in New Haven - great band!)

101 Runners @ Jazz & Heritage Stage

God's House Westbank Cathedral Choir @ Gospel Tent (we'll get our gospel earlier in the day)

Driskill Mountain Boys @ Lagniappe Stage

WSJ article on a classic jazz album...

Bluesy and Achingly Beautiful
Coleman's 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' lived up to its title

As years go, 1959 was a landmark for jazz recordings. Miles Davis created his "Kind of Blue" and John Coltrane made his "Giant Steps." But the most influential jazz album made in 1959 came from Ornette Coleman, then an outcast in that musical community. It was called "The Shape of Jazz to Come."

The record lived up to its title. Mr. Coleman's innovations are often called "free jazz," but that's an oversimplification. While he did loosen the existing rules in an attempt to bring harmony, melody and rhythm into a more equal relationship within the music, Mr. Coleman was no finger-wagging modernist. Nor did he advocate musical anarchy (though to some ears his music still sounds like noise). He wanted to give musicians the freedom to play in accordance with the emotion of the tune, rather than limiting them to the notes and sequences dictated by chord changes, the progression of notes that create the harmonic structure of a song.

On "The Shape of Jazz to Come," Mr. Coleman's quartet made music that was bluesy and often achingly beautiful. His followers established an avant garde that has grown in the past half-century into one of the most consistently vital wings of jazz. - complete article

Walking the trail early Saturday morning pondering tax season, Danny Ainge and the loss of the Big Ticket for the playoffs...

You Get What You Give (New Radicals) Artist's Choice-Joni Mitchell
She's a Rainbow (Rolling Stones) Their Satanic Majesties Request
Blues in the Night (Van Morrison w/ Georgie Fame) How Long Has This Been Going On
Find Him (Cassandra Wilson) New Moon Daughter
Glad Tidings (Van Morrison) Moondance
Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael) Best of...
Broken-hearted Melody (Sarah Vaughn) Dean's Top 100- 1959
Mister Magik (Esther Phillips) Jazz Moods- Hot
Wherever You Were (Holly Golightly) The Good Things
A Method (TV On the Radio) Return To Cookie Mountain
Changed the Locks (Lucinda Williams) Live @ the Fillmore
Another Place To Fall (KT Tunstall) Eye To the Telescope
Lonesome Day Blues (Bob Dylan) Love & Theft
Over Under Sideways Down (The Yardbirds) Over Under Sideways Down
Martha (Tom Waits) Closing Time
All Things Must Pass (George Harrison) All Things Must Pass
Bend Down Low (Bob Marley) Natty Dread
Nothing But the Soul (Horace Silver) Horace Silver Trio
Change Of the Guard (Steely Dan) Can't Buy a Thrill
She's Still Bewitching Me (Mary Lou Lord) Live City Sounds

Saturday is Record Store Day...

Record Store Day celebrates indie retailers
PORTLAND, Maine – Despite the success of online retailers, explosion of Internet downloads and high-profile closings of Virgin Megastores and Tower Records stores, bricks-and-mortar record stores aren't all spinning toward oblivion. Although hundreds of independent music retailers have gone out of business in recent years, about 2,000 are still around, and many are thriving. The survivors will celebrate Saturday, as acts such as Erykah Badu and Franz Ferdinand gather to pay homage to the hometown record store. Record Store Day was the idea of Chris Brown, a long-haired, goateed music guru from Bull Moose, a chain of 10 record stores in Maine and New Hampshire. - article

Area independent record stores (recordstoreday.com):

Integrity 'N Music Silas Deane Hwy, Wethersfield, CT
Live music @2PM- Jovan Alexandre/Jason Fitch Quintet w/Jonathan Barber-drums

Brass City Records 489 Meadow St, Waterbury, CT

Turn It Up 5 Pleasant St, Northampton, MA
This year, dozens of artists have put out special exclusive releases for this event. You won't be able to get these titles at the big box stores, at the supermarkets, or even at the coffee chains or fast food restaurants. To get these titles you have to go to the Record Store, and where better than your local Turn It up! location?

Louisiana Music Factory 210 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130
The ultimate indie record store. We will be there in two weeks!

There she goes again....and again....

The La's (Self-titled album one of my all-time favorites)

Lou Reed

Marshall Crenshaw

Babyshambles

Bob Marley