Beat Street Magazine

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February 2003 Vol. 1, No. 2

It’s It’s Carnival Carnival

time!

MONK speaks speaks

CLUB SCHEDULES SCHEDULES CLUB

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Photo of Wild Magnolias Big Chief Bo Dollis by Leni Sinclair

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WHERE IS BEAT STREET?

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here is a place in New Orleans — a figurative address that is home to all that is real.

New Orleans Beat Street is the home of jazz. It is also the residence of funk and the blues. R&B and rock ‘n’ roll live here, too. When zydeco and Cajun music come to town, B e a t S t r e e t is their local address.

B e a t S t r e e t has intersections all over town — from Uptown to Treme, from the Ninth Ward to the French Quarter, from Bywater to the

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Irish Channel — weaving its way through Mid-City and all points Back o’ Town.

B e a t S t r e e t is the Main Street in our musical village. It is where we gather to dine and to groove to live music in settings both upscale and downhome.

B e a t S t r e e t is where we meet to celebrate life in New Orleans with second-line parades, festivals and concerts in the park.

B e a t S t r e e t is lined with music clubs, restaurants, art galleries, recording studios, clothing shops, coffee emporiums and so much more.

N e w O r l e a n s B e a t S t r e e t is a mythical street in New Orleans surrounded by water and flooded with music.

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features BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX

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MARDI GRAS INDIANS HALL OF FAME

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LET’S GO GET ‘EM

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WILD INDIAN SONGS

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I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY!

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12th NIGHT INVESTIGATION?!?

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FUTURE DATES OF CARNIVAL

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DON’T WORRY, HONEY, I LIVE HERE

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Beat Street Contest

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New Orleans Club Listings

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MUSICIANS ON MUSIC

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LIVE FROM THE PUBLISHER’S HEAD

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MP3 CONFIDENTIAL

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THE FRIENDLY OPPOSITION

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IN THIS ISSUE New Orleans Magazine

8311 Oak Street New Orleans, La. 70118 504.314.0710 beatstreet@cox.net

P u b l i s h e r Stephen Novak E d i t o r Jay Mazza A r t D i r e c t o r Celia Sinclair Writers Warren America Jerrry Brock Cherice Harrison-Nelson Dylan James David Kunian Brice Miller Mick Brereton John Sinclair Artists Jenny Bagert Karl Bremer Leni Sinclair Tracy Smith WhyArts Cover Art by Lionel Milton Beat Street Logo by Mike Williamson

Golden Eagles Big Chief Monk Boudreaux opines on the nature of the Black Indians of Mardi Gras in a freewheeling discussion with David Kunian. Chiefs answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Mardi Gras Indian?”

Guardians of the Flame Big Queen Cherise Harrison-Nelson expounds on the creation of the Mardi Gras Indians Hall of Fame.

John Sinclair writes about the whole wide world of Wild Indian recordings.

Brice Miller inaugurates our Musicians on Music column.

Dylan James provides more info about Carnival than most of us could ever use. In our monthly editorial, Jerry Brock weighs in on the state of our music business today. Our editor opens the door on the antics of the Phunny Phorty Phellows, and Warren America examines the state of New Orleans music on the Internet. Our publisher comes clean.

www.neworleansbeatstreet.com everywhereallthetimehanginlikeagecko

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presents

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Monk Speaks GOLDEN EAGLES BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX TALKS ABOUT HIS LIFE AS AN OLD-TIME INDIAN

By David Kunian heir outfits are beautiful and artistic. The beadwork is intricate and informative; telling stories, illustrating parables and commemorating the past and the fallen. If you view the suit in the daytime, the rhinestones catch the sunlight and cast reflections on the street, illuminating the wearer like a sciencefiction super hero. At night, an Indian suit positively glows.

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roofed bars in sections of town that are off the proverbial beat path. An Indian “practice” must be sought out by those not in the know, and searching for these practices generally takes the seekers into parts of town that are riddled with violence and poverty.

Yet, the practitioners of this craft come from all walks of life. They are masons and musicians, house painters and school principals.

Their lives are a full-time commitment to making the suits and appearing to their adoring public on Fat Tuesday and St. Joseph’s Night. They are revered worldwide by scattered converts, and locally by their neighbors who watch with communal pride at seeing the fruit of a year’s labor. They are the Black Indians of Mardi Gras and they are an essential part of the culture in New Orleans — a culture that Ellis Marsalis once said "bubbles up from the street."

Their chants and songs share the rhythms of Africa, passed down from generation to generation, and the rhythms of Native Americans — the first inhabitants of this crescent of the Mighty Mississippi. They hit bass drums and tambourines, sometimes with duct-taped fingers, or carve out beats on cowbells and beer bottles with sticks, turning simple percussion into a cacophony of spellbinding rhythm. The lyrics are a patois celebrating warriors and characters that once Big Chief Joseph "Monk" walked among us, but now, like the Boudreaux, 61, has been active as Loa of Caribbean religions, have a member of several Indian tribes become archetypes. since his adolescence. He spoke The Indians rehearse these songs with me and photographer Jenny on Sunday evenings in small, low- Bagert at Rosy’s Jazz Hall on a Photo of Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and friend by Leni Sinclair, 1999

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you would have to go "renegade" on Mardi Gras Day. In other words, you’d have to go it alone on the streets, without the protection of your tribe.

Even many of the chiefs, as Monk pointed out, have suits that are so big they can’t dance — some can’t even walk in them. He also sees younger Indians coming up “too fast.” He insists that some of them are ascending to a leadership role before they are prepared, without having had a chance to bright, chilly day in January about assimilate and learn the signals, the many threads that make up the songs and the roles that each the metaphorical bead patches of Indian plays in the tribe. the Indian world.

Indians are known to dance In his youth, Monk was the aggressively with each other. The chief scout and spy boy for the powerful emotions that build in White Eagles. For the last several the weeks and months leading up decades, he has ruled as the big to Mardi Gras can spill over. The chief of the Golden Eagles. His posturing can turn frighteningly reign as chief has coincided with real. It’s all simulated violence, his long tenure as one of the lead- until it’s not. ers and singers for the Wild These issues were more crucial in Magnolias musical aggregation. the past, since the confrontations Recently he left that band and among the Indian tribes are much started putting his tribe, the less violent now than they were, Golden Eagles, back onstage with say, before the second World War. such sought-after musicians as As Jelly Roll Morton noted in his historic Alan Lomax Library of Brian Stoltz, Tab Benoit and Congress recordings: "They would Anders Osborne. dance and sing and go on just like Monk is as knowledgeable as any regular Indians, because they had about the history, culture and tra- the idea they wanted to act just ditions of the Mardi Gras Indians. like the old Indians did in years He is a wise man, and that wisdom gone by and so they lived true to comes across in many ways. Our the traditions of the Indian style. talk began with a discussion of the current state of the Mardi Gras “They went armed with Indian nation here in New Orleans. fictitious spears and tommyhawks and so forth, and their main While acknowledging that there are now many tribes and object was to make their enemy many Indians, Monk maintains bow. They would send their spy that some of the traditions are not boys two blocks ahead — I hapbeing handed down correctly. He pened to be a spy-boy myself sees spy boys who have bigger once so I know how this went — Indian suits than the chiefs. As he and when a spy boy would meet tells it, when Monk was coming up, another spy from an enemy tribe, if your big chief thought your suit he'd point his finger to the ground was bigger and prettier than his, and say, 'Bow-wow.' And if they

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wouldn't bow, the spy boy would use the Indian call, 'Woo-woo-woowoo-woo' — that was calling the tribes — and, many a time, in these Indian things, there would be a killing, and next day would be somebody in the morgue.”

Monk brought up the battle at Shakespeare Park (now known as A.L. Davis Park but forever the former in the minds of the Indians) that occurred on St. Joseph’s Night 2002. One big chief sunk a hatchet into the head of another big chief. A riot broke out, with Indians bleeding and police sirens wailing. After expounding on the prevalence of violence in our volatile culture, Monk ran down the roles of each member of the Indian “gangs.”

Nowadays, instead of chiefs and spy boys knifing each other, they are dancing and challenging each other with their feathers and beadwork. The battle has become about who is the "prettiest." But that is not to say that the violence is extinct. It can still rise up sud- As the tribe moves down the street, the spy boy is several denly with no warning.

Photos by Jenny Bagert

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blocks ahead of the big chief. His role is to scope out the scene and let the big chief know what he’s walking into.

Are there any other Indians on the street? Are they friendly or hostile? He relays this crucial information back to the flag boy, who then relays it back through the ranks until it reaches the big chief. The flag boy’s role is to carry the flag, or insignia, of the tribe and to act as an intermediary. Closer to the big chief are the big queen, any of the children, and the wild man.

Way Pocky Way," "Soul Soul Soul" (which has variously been called "Sew Sew Sew"), "Handa Wanda” and other songs of the street canon of the Indians.

When asked about Black Indian music, Monk pointed out that it revolves around the activities on Mardi Gras Day. Songs like "Golden Crown" refer to the respect that the big chief demands, as well as to the suit he wears. "Meet The Boys on the Battlefront" talks about gathering the tribe before going out on Mardi Gras Day. It has verses The wild man’s job is to about battling other tribes in variprotect the chief and clear out ous parts of New Orleans where anyone who gets too close. He "The Golden Eagles gonna bust a generally carries a stick that is rump!" festooned with animal skulls, fur or other elements of nature. If However, Monk showed his disapyou get too close to a big chief pointment with the neglect of the who’s rolling with a Wild Man, look old traditions when he suggested out. Wild Men have been known to that in many tribes, the signals are clock people in the head in order not being passed down. “Signals” to clear the way for the big chief. are hand signs and vocal calls that the tribe members relay to each “Injuns, here they come,” indeed! other on the street so that everyFinally, there is the big chief. When one knows who else is on the I asked, “What about the role of street and what is happening. the big chief?” Monk laughed, "He’s the big chief. He makes all If the spy boy is a couple blocks down from the big chief and the decisions." comes across a hostile tribe, he Monk continues to define what it can throw signals with his voice or means to be a Black Indian. To hands indicating that "trouble is him, it means sewing your own suit coming." The flag, who is usually and learning the signals and the next in line, stays in position to songs. When Monk was coming up see and toss that signal further in the White Eagles, he said he back until it gets to the big chief, had to show his suit to his big who then makes the decision to chief to prove that he had mas- confront that tribe or to lead his tered the skills. The chief wouldn’t gang a different way. After a decihelp him sew; he would only sion is made, another signal is approve or disapprove. passed back to the spy telling him what to do and where to go.

The tradition of singing the songs and passing them down through Each tribe has different signals, the generations from the older and part of the reason Indian Indians to the younger remains practice is so important is that mostly intact. Any Indian has to they rehearse throwing the sigbe able to chant through several nals. Monk theorized that since verses of "Shallow Water," "Two the street violence has lessened

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Photo by Jenny Bagert

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among the Indians, the system of passing signals has faded. As the chances of bodily harm are reduced, the risks become fewer.

When violence on the streets is a definite possibility, knowing the signals and throwing them correctly was a matter of life or death.

A wrong signal thrown could signify safe passage around a corner when there are actually four of your sworn enemies with hatchets in the next block.

The discussion then turned to the origins of the Mardi Gras Indians.

When asked how the Indians got started, Monk laughed — he is rarely without a smile on his face — and said that it started way before his time. His dad masked as an Indian, and he thinks his greatgrandmother might have lived with Indians. His grandmother always came out to see him mask on Mardi Gras Day, and it was she who told him that he had some Indian blood in him. Many modern-day Mardi Gras Indians are of Native American descent and thus bear a distinct resemblance to

recognized members of the Indian Nations.

As the sunlight began to fade in the midwinter afternoon at Rosy’s, Monk mused on the beginnings of the Wild Indians. It has been documented that in the days of slavery, Indians would hide runaway slaves in their settlements and also help slaves find their way North to freedom on the “Underground Railroad.” It also stands to reason that during Reconstruction, with the combined assaults of westward expansion and the doctrine of Manifest Destiny against Native Americans, and Jim Crow and the KKK against Blacks, that an even greater affinity was found. When you add persecution to the lack of opportunities to participate in the Mardi Gras celebration — masking by Blacks was outlawed at one point in New Orleans history — it is easy to see the culture not only as tribute to the relationship, but also as a form of defiance against the realities of the day.

Photo illustrations by WhyArts

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Some of the first reports of Blacks masking as Indians came after the traveling Buffalo Bill Wild West show had stayed for several months in New Orleans in the late 1800s. However, those are only the first reports. The custom was going on long before that, Monk says. "It was a hidden culture for a long time. No outsiders were allowed. No one really knows how it started."

Eagles tribe over Jazz Fest. The new record is split — half the tracks are traditional arrangements with mainly percussion, and half of them feature a full band, including John Gros on organ and Nicholas Payton on trumpet. Two of his brothers play tambourine on the record, keeping it in the family, and Monk sings several reggaestyle numbers.

Talking about the future, The culture of both the Monk pointed out that his three Indians and the slaves were oral; grandkids, all of whom were very little was written down. present at the interview, are all Moreover, before the 20th centu- learning the traditions, sewing ry, few people who were in a posi- and singing and masking on tion to record the information Mardi Gras Day. Right on cue as were interested in the customs the afternoon faded, Juwan, the and histories of the intertwined 6 year-old, woke up from a nap cultures. We may never know the in his granddaddy’s lap and true roots of this deep and rich treated the room to an Indian tradition that has come to bless song. He improvised his chants its participants and observers. As for a couple minutes and left Dr. John wrote on the Wild those assembled in awe at the Magnolias’ Life Is A Carnival album, child’s poise and intensity.

"Who knows how they got together?" Someday soon we will be folBefore the interview ended, Monk lowing Juwan to the corner of spoke about the future. His col- Second and Dryades where he’ll laborative recording with Anders rear back and bellow "I’m the Osborne, "Bury the Hatchet" is big chief of the Golden Eagles doing well and he’s set to drop his and I don’t bow down!" second record with his Golden

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Louisiana Music Factory

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“

What does it mean to be a Mardi Gras Indian “It’s life.”

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“It’s life.”

Patrice Gordon Big Queen of the Nation

“It’s a way for me to carry on my father’s legacy. As a female, it’s about trying to find a voice in a male-dominated tradition with out usurping their authority.”

Cherise Harrison-Nelson Big Queen Guardians of the Flame “I love the game, I love putting the work in, and I love displaying my work.”

Curtis “Sug” Williams, Jr. Big Chief Cheyenne Hunters Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Photo by Karl Bremer

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Big Chief Brian Nelson Photo by Karl Bremer

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Big Queen Rita Dollis Photo by Jenny Bagert

“I’ve been doing it so long, it’s a tradition that always been in my family. It’s like family, really.

Everybody knows each other, and once you get it in your blood it’s hard to stop if you really enjoy it.

I’ve been doin’ it since the ’70s — since I was a little, little boy.

You got to go through the ranks until you get the respect of your peers, then you can say you’re a big chief.”

Preston “Brick” Whitfield Big Chief Apache Hunters

”

“It means a lot to me personally because there are a lot of Indians who mask who don’t know the reason why — they just put on a suit to be pretty. Some tribes need to go back and talk to the old-time Indians about the traditions.”

Markeith Tero Big Chief Trouble Nation “To us it’s a traditional thing, we’ve been doing it from [when we were] kids, and we grew up with it. When my father passed, we just kept it going.”

Yolanda Lewis Big Queen Black Eagles (Daughter of Percy Lewis, the first Big Chief of the Black Eagles) “To me, the closest thing to being in an African tribe in America is the Mardi Gras Indians. The music of Congo Nation is an offshoot of the music and sounds of Congo Square, and we’re keeping those traditions alive today.”

Donald Harrison, Jr. Big Chief Congo Nation

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“It’s one of the greatest honors in life that you can achieve. To be a big chief, you’ve got to be able to design and sew an outfit that is competitive with everyone that you’re going to meet. It means the tradition.”

Alfred Doucette Council Chief Flaming Arrows "It means preserving the culture that has been given to me by my grandfather, Donald Harrison, Sr. It is so special to me because it is the greatest gift and the greatest honor in my life. I feel like a pioneer, like a warrior. I am preserving a culture that is the closest thing to West African retention that we have in America. As a chief, a very young chief, I call upon my elders all the time for guidance and wisdom to guide me on my journey. I have always, always been a young chief looking for knowledge from the older chiefs. My job as a big chief is to set an example for people coming behind me. One example is going to school to show my community that it is possible to achieve anything. I am out of town in college studying film at the North Carolina School of the Arts. I will miss Carnival for the next four years, but that is a sacrifice I have to make. Failure is not an option.”

Brian Nelson Big Chief Guardians of the Flame

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Ma rdi G ras Hall

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n January 1999, following the death of my father, Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr., someone called my job and requested a few of my father’s clothes. The person said she wanted to make a quilt.

Upset, I walked out of the office and encountered the school’s principal, Dr. Roslyn J. Smith. After I explained the phone call to her, she suggested we have a public ceremony to honor the Mardi Gras Indians. The idea for the Mardi Gras Indians Hall of Fame was born.

The Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame is located on the second floor of Oretha Castle Haley Elementary School on North Robertson Street.

Currently, the Mardi Gras Indians Hall of Fame includes the names of more than 450 Mardi Gras Indians from 35 groups (tribes). It is the only known comprehensive listing of its kind.

Names in the Hall of Fame are updated annually.

The Mardi Gras Indians Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is dedicated to celebrating the contributions of the participants and teaching our city’s young people about this unique culture. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, students are guided through lessons about the history, music and beading techniques of the Mardi Gras Indians. This year, the school’s gifted students will present a brief biography of one big chief daily to the student body during the morning exercises. Two weeks of interactive instruction culminates with the ceremony.

All Mardi Gras Indians (past and present) are invited to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The annual ceremony includes the recognition of all Mardi Gras Indians in attendance and the presentation of the prestigious Crystal Feather Award to five individuals who have distinguished themselves through their positive efforts.

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Past honorees include: Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. (posthumously) Big Chief Allison "Tootie" Montana Big Chief Robert "Robee" Lee Big Chief Rudy Bougere Big Chief Walter Cook Big Chief Ronal "Buck" Baham Big Chief Ray "Hatchet" Blazio Big Chief Tyrone Casby Big Chief Victor "Fi-Yi-Yi" Harris Big Chief Kevin Goodman Big Chief Gerald "Jake" Millon Big Chief Eugene "Junior" Thomas Big Chief Charles Taylor Lil’ Queen De’Kyra Francois (posthumously) During the ceremony, awards are also presented to a distinguished alum of Haley School, a photographer and a community supporter.

The Fifth Annual Mardi Gras Indians Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Friday, March 28, 2003 at 1:30 p.m. at Oretha Castle Haley Elementary School. Mardi Gras Indians interested in participating in the ceremony should contact Cherice Harrison-Nelson at the school at 942-1780. Individuals interested in attending the ceremony should call the same number to be placed on the guest list.

Cherice Harrison-Nelson is a 21-year veteran of the New Orleans Public School System. She is the Big Queen of the Guardians of the Flame. In addition to being the curator of the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame, Harrison-Nelson organizes the school’s annual Jazz Awareness Month Celebration. The October celebration includes daily lessons, informances by local, national and international artists and a community second line against drugs.

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Indian of Fame

By Cherice Harrison-Nelson

Flag Boy Photo by Jenny Bagert

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The Whole Wide Wild Indian

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By John Sinclair

ou’re listening to the new Stanton Moore CD on stately jazz label Verve Records and all of a sudden an electronic sample of the Wild Magnolias pops up on the Galactic drummer’s original tune, "Falling off the Floor." Anders Osborne shares his new CD, Bury the Hatchet, on Shanachie Records with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles.

There’s Monk again with the Forgotten Souls Brass Band chanting the title The Wild Magnolias track on their disc, Don’t Forget ’Em. And then there is Monk and his long time partner Big Chief Bo Dollis again, singing on a benefit Christmas compilation with guitarist John Scofield. Wild Black Indians are everywhere these days, but it wasn’t always that way.

Wild Magnolias’ signing with Capitol’s Metro Blue imprint and making their major-label debut with Life Is a Carnival in 1999. This happened almost 30 years after their first release, a 45-RPM record of "Handa Wanda (Parts 1 & 2)" with Willie Tee & the New Orleans Project that ushered in the modern era of Black Indian music on record.

But, like they say in the Sixth Ward, a whole lotta people don’t know that there’s a whole little universe of Wild Indian music that’s come to life since "Handa Wanda" hit the jukebox at Stanley’s Bar on St. Bernard Avenue one afternoon before Mardi Gras in 1971.

Early Recordings

There are only a few known How It recordings of the Black Indians of Happened New Orleans outside of a recording In 1991, Robbie Big Chief Monk Boudreaux by Leni Sinclair studio. I n 1956 , Robertson of the seminal roots rock group, The Band, b l u e s s c h o l a r S a m Charter came to New Orleans and recruited made a documentary-style record Big Chiefs Monk Boudreaux and Bo that was issued on Folkways Records Dollis to work with him on an ambi- entitled Music of the Streets. It’s a tious project for Capitol Records. question-and-answer session lit up That recording, Storyville, led to the by spirited impromptu renditions of

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World of Recordings "Indian Red" (here titled "Indian Race"), "Red White & Blue Got the Golden Band," and "To-Wa-Bac-AWa." The singers are assorted members of several tribes invited to the microphone by Mr. Charters, and their responses to his questions about Black Indian reality half a century ago are spontaneous, revealing, and well worth hearing.

In 1938, Jelly Roll Morton talked about the Yellow Pocahontas and demonstrated Wild Indian tunes for Alan Lomax at the Library of Congress.

members of several tribes banded together as the Indians of the Nation and recorded United We Stand, Divided We Fall (Ch’Ching, 1999).

This ground-breaking feat of bringing Downtown and Uptown Indians together for the first time features superlative singers like Big Chief Roddy of the Black Eagles, Big Chief "Little" Charles Taylor of the White Cloud Hunters, Chief Peppy of the Golden Arrows, Chief Lionel the Black Feather, Chief Smiley Ricks of the West Bank Indians and Wild Man Ivory Holmes of the Carrollton Hunters.

In 1988, producer Mark Bingham took portable recording gear into the H&R Bar at 2nd and Dryades in Uptown N ew O r l e a n s to make a true documentary of the Golden Eagles entitled Lightning & T h u n d e r for Rounder Records.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux contributed "Shallow Water O Mama" to the recorded canon of traditional Wild Indian songs and added terrific "live-in-context" readings of "Indian Red," "Shotgun Joe" and "Two-Way-Pak-E-Way."

The album introduced a host of new songs to record, including "Early in the Morning"; "No No No"; "Calliope" f ro m t h e B l a c k Eagles; Chief Peppy’s provocative "Indian Story" and the eponymous "White Cloud Hunters" and "Chief Black Feather." It was recorded as close to the natural setting of Indian practice as was possible, using only percussion instruments.

A further advance was made near the end of the 20th century when a group of Big Chiefs and other

The other side of the equation, traditional Black Indian songs cut by jazz and/or R&B musicians was first

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Jazz and R&B Tributes

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represented by a New Orleans jazz ensemble, Louis Dumaine’s Jazzola 8.

They recorded a musical salute to the Wild Indians called "To-Wa-Bac-AWa" (a retitled "Bucket’s Got a Hole in It") for Victor Records back in 1927.

The irrepressible Danny Barker & His Creole Cats cut a pair of 78s in homage to the Black Indians that swung three traditionals — "Indian Red," "Chockamo Feendo Hey" and "Corrine Died on the Battlefield" — plus a closely related number, "Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing." Released in time for Mardi Gras 1955, the two 78-RPM singles died a sudden and ignominious death when the Cats learned that all the jukeboxes in town had just switched over to the 45-RPM format.

Man y more tributes would follow, starting with the Dave Bartholomew classic, "Carnival Day," in 1949, and the Sugar Boy Crawford perennial, "Jock-A-Mo," in 1954. Other e n d u r i n g homages to the Black Indians by New Orleans recording artists include the Earl K i n g / P ro f es s o r Longhair / Wardell Quezergue collaboration, "Big Chief"; "Pass the Hatchet" by Roger & the Gypsies with Eddie Bo; "Iko Iko" by the Dixie Cups; and "Mama Roux" by Dr. John, all from the 1960s.

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Funk is in the House These funky R&B concoctions functioned to set the stage for the historic wedding of traditional Black Indian songs with the contemporary funk movement so well represented by pianist /composer Wi l s o n Turbinton, known professionally, and on his ’60s hits for Atlantic Records like "Teasin’ You," as Willie Tee. This union was cons u m m a t e d under the supervision of a very young Quint Davis, then a student at Tulane University now producer / director of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, who brought the Wild Magnolias together with Willie Tee and his New Gaturs at the Tulane Jazz Festival in 1970. Later that fall, after a series of rehearsals at Professor Longhair’s house, they all went into the studio and came up with their ground-breaking version of "Handa Wanda."

This humble 45 RPM single, released on C res c e n t C i ty Records, touched off somewhat of a musical revolution in New Orleans and even found its way to France, where producer Philippe Rault was moved to sign the Wild Magnolias to a contract with Barclay Records. Willie Tee assembled an allstar aggregation — his brother Earl on reeds, the great Snooks Eaglin on

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guitar, the late Julius Farmer on bass, Larry Pania at the drums and the legendary Alfred "Uganda" Roberts on congas — and called it the New Orleans Project. They put some delightfully funky music under the Indian chants of the Wild Magnolias to create an exciting new fusion of ancient and modern elements of the African American musical tradition.

Music from Another Planet Titled simply Wild Magnolias, the very first Black Indian album saw its initial release in France and was picked up for American distribution by Polydor Records in 1974. Dr. John’s Gumbo LP (Atlantic Records, 1972), with its thrilling versions of "Big Chief" and "Jockamo," had piqued considerable interest in hearing the real The Wild Magnolias thing at last, and Wild Magnolias delivered like a ton of bricks. The songs and the music, grooving like crazy together, presented an entirely new musical experience. The back cover photo pictured a group of the most beautifully dressed humans you’d ever seen and the lyric sheet tucked into the LP sleeve helped the unsuspecting listener grasp the potential m e a n i n g o f a phrase or two here and there.

But Wild Magnolias was like

2003 February

music from another planet for most American ears, and the LP slowly faded out of sight. The second Wild Magnolias album with Philippe Rault, They Call Us Wild, wasn’t even picked up for U.S. distribution, although "New Suit" b/w "Fire Water" saw release locally as a 45 RPM single. Yet songs from these albums like "Smoke My Peace Pipe," "Soul, Soul, Soul" (a play on "Sew, Sew, Sew"), "Ho Na Nae" and the supercharged traditional text, "Two Way Pak E Way," have become classics of the genre and continue to be heard today.

The Black Indians next entered the national consciousness in 1976 when Island Records issued Wild Tchoupitoulas, the historic meeting of the Uptown Indian gang led by Big Chief Jolly (George Landry) with his nephews, the Neville Brothers; the original Meters; and producer Allen Toussaint. Wild Tchoupitoulas offered the venerable tribal prayer, "Indian Red," and established several numbers — "Here Dey Come," "Golden Crown," and "Meet the Boys on the Battlefront" — as staples of the modern-day Wild Indian repertoire.

But 12 years would pass before the next Wild Indian album saw the light of day. The long drought was broken only by a 45-RPM single of "Shotgun Joe" cut

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around 1983-84 by Ernest Skipper, backed up by members of the Yellow Pocahontas and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

T h e Wi l d Magnolias finally returned on record in 1990 with I’m Back … at Carnival Time (Rounder), a fascinating mixture of "pure" Wild Indian performances, and s e v e r a l s o n g s backed by a hard-driving funk band. It also featured a set of revolutionary collaborations with the Rebirth Brass Band which brought the two most potent forms of African American street music into a new and ecstatic fusion on "Big Chief," "ShooFly" and "Shallow Water O Mama."

Another great cut by this pairing is "Let’s Go Get ’Em," which turned up in 1992 on a Rounder compilation called Super Sunday Showdown, along with the Magnolias’ funk masterpiece "Oops Upside Your Head" and a merciless version of "Battlefront."

Black Indian Explosion The new Wild Magnolias album would set off the explosion in Black Indian recordings that lit up the 1990s. Donald Harrison Jr. featured his father, Big Chief of the Guardians of the Flame, on his great Candid album Indian

22 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

Blues. The Bayou Renegades, led by guitarist June Victory, saw their selftitled album released in France and later on the New Orleans label, Monkey Hill. A new generation of Wild Indians began to emerge when the Young Guardians of the Flame debuted with New Way Pak E Way on the First Tribe label, and Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows were showcased on Here Come the Indians Now. That fine album for M a r d i G r a s Records featured Milton Batiste’s band and introduced "Hell Out the Way" and "My Gang Don’t Bow Down" to CD. Following on the success of the Indians of the Nation disc in 19 9 9 , C h i e f Smiley Ricks and Wild Man Ivory Holmes organized a second group of Indians of the Nation to record a project called Feathercraft (1.5 Sound, 2001).

Unlike the natural setting of the first effort, this recording features a full band including percussion, tuba, trombone, Donald Harrison Jr.’s saxophones, Gregory Boyd’s steel pans, and the electric guitars of Chris Mule and Marc Stone. It is chock full of new Indian anthems like "Nothin’ B u t Trouble," "Mighty Hunter," "Runnin’" and "Gang Shot the Pistol."

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Full Circle

presents a set of five new pieces with Big Chief Donald Then there are Harrison, Jr. and a the fine Wild gathering of previMagnolias albums ously unissued from the ’90s, 1313 m ate r i a l f ro m Hoodoo Street for 19 7 0 - 19 7 2 . the Australian AIM Included on the label and their anniversary recordex q u i s i te 1999 ing is a rare historic collaboration with The author with June Yamagishi and meeting between Dr. John, Life Is a Big Chiefs Bo Dollis & Monk Boudreaux Bo Dollis and the Carnival. It introduces the traditional late Big Chief Jake Millon at a White "Coochie Molly," the praise songs Eagles practice in 1970. Coming full "Black Hawk," "Old Time Indian" and circle, it was the very first of the mod"Herc-Jolly-John," and a philosophical ern-day Wild Indian recordings.

"Who Knows" into the Wild Indian repertoire.

Mighty coup de fiyo!

Finally, to end up where we started out, the Magnolias’ latest release, 30 Years . . . and Still Wild (AIM),

Special thanks to Jerry Brock and Tom Morgan for their assistance in preparing this piece.

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WILD INDIAN SONGS There are dozens of Wild Indian recordings available.

Here are a few of John Sinclair’s favorite tunes: Golden Eagles "Indian Red" Rounder, 1988

Guardians of the Flame "Chong Chong" First Tribe, 1998

Wild Tchoupitoulas "Here Dey Come" Island, 1976

Chief Smiley Ricks & Indians of the Nation "Nothin’ But Trouble" 1.5 Sound, 2001

Wild Magnolias "Let’s Go Get ’Em" Rounder, 1992 Wild Apaches with the Mahogany Brass Band "Indians Jumpin’ On Fire" SONO, 1997 Young Guardians of the Flame "Big Chief Donald Had a Heart of Steel" N.O. Musicians Clinic, 1999 Indians of the Nation "Indian Story"/"Calliope" Ch’Ching, 1999 Wild Magnolias "Coochie Molly" Metro Blue, 1999

Flaming Arrows "My Gang Don’t Bow Down" Mardi Gras, 1997 9th Ward Hunters & Rebirth Brass Band "Shoe Fly" GPG, 1992 Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & Forgotten Souls Brass Band "Don’t Forget ’Em" New Orleans Music Online, 2001 Wild Magnolias "Smoke My Peace Pipe" Polydor, 1974 Young Guardians of the Flame "Indian Red" (First Tribe, 1998

Capasso & Brancato Attorneys at Law Criminal Trial Lawyers DWI & Traffic Attachments Child Custody Divorce Personal Injury

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24 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

(504) 822-3930

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WILD INDIAN CDs Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & Anders Osborne Bury the Hatchet Shanachie Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & Forgotten Souls Brass Band Don’t Forget ’Em New Orleans Music Online Bayou Renegades Monkey Hill Chief Smiley Ricks & the Indians of the Nation Feathercraft 1.5 Sound Flaming Arrows Here Come the Indians Now Mardi Gras Guardians of the Flame with Donald Harrison, Jr. Indian Blues Candid Golden Eagles Lightning & Thunder Rounder

Indians of the Nation [Black Eagles, Carrolton Hunters, Black Feathers, White Cloud Hunters, West Bank Indians, Golden Arrows] United We Stand, Divided We Fall Ch’Ching Wild Magnolias Wild Magnolias Polygram They Call Us Wild Polygram I’m Back … at Carnival Time Rounder Super Sunday Showdown Rounder 1313 Hoodoo Street AIM Life Is a Carnival AIM 30 Years … and Still Wild!

AIM Wild Tchoupitoulas Antilles Young Guardians of the Flame New Way Pak E Way First Tribe

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where the rock stars eat 2003 February

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I Should Be Or, How a Short, Fat Gnome from Australia Became a Skeleton

L

ike many Australians, I decided to go abroad when I was in my early twenties. I was living in Bristol, England, in 1973 when lightning struck. I was in a used record store and dug out an LP by a guy with the unlikely name of Professor Longhair.

[Editor’s note: the LP in question is Atlantic’s New Orleans Piano.] I’d never heard of him, but I thought something intriguing must be lurking behind a name like that. So, I bought the album, took it home and played it, and my life changed forever.

From the first note, I was hooked by that rolling rhythm and euphoric nonsense. I determined then and there to go to the place that produced this remarkable music. Why one record should possess me to change hemispheres, I’ll never be able to explain. All I know is there was no way to fight the magnet that drew me here.

When I first moved to New Orleans, I did what I suppose all newcomers do; I walked on Bourbon Street, rode the streetcar and found many new sights and sounds to stimulate my interest. Best of all, I could hear Professor Longhair play at Tipitina’s several nights a week, and I was there almost every night he played. I was even able to meet and talk with him.

Then I stumbled upon some-

26 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

thing so incredible I could scarcely believe it: the vibrant black street culture of the city.

I became enthralled with everything I encountered and began attending all the events I could: the Social Aid and Pleasure Club parades, impromptu second lines, Mardi Gras Indian practices, jazz funerals and the "other" Mardi Gras.

The Fat Tuesday I discovered was in the poorer neighborhoods, where everybody was barbecuing in the street and smoked sausages or pork chop sandwiches seemed more popular than any plastic throw.

Rather than remaining stationary and waiting for a parade to pass by, one can roam at will and upon turning any corner, may encounter a Mardi Gras Indian gang in full regalia, or even witness a confrontation between two Indian gangs.

For the past several years, I have had the unimaginable good fortune to be invited to walk on Mardi Gras Day with Donald Harrison, Jr., Big Chief of Congo Nation, and Brian Nelson, Big Chief of Guardians of the Flame. Witnessing these traditions unfolding right before my eyes, and watching the young children being groomed to carry them on into the future made me understand how these rites have stayed alive across the generations.

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So Lucky!

By Mick Brereton

Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr., with the author and an innocent bystander

This is also where I recognized for the first time that Mardi Gras might not necessarily be a spectator sport. And it is also where I met my future "Chief."

Mr. Al Morris, chief of the traditional Skull and Bones gang, or Skeletons, put up with my pestering long enough, and finally agreed to let me mask with him this coming Fat Tuesday.

It is a huge honor for me, a short, fat gnome from Australia, to be invited to participate in the biggest party in the world.

Ever seen a fat skeleton on Halloween? When this thought enters my mind, it brings with it some doubt, but hey, this is New Orleans we’re talkin’ about, and maybe that incongruity will only add to the fright.

This gang goes around scaring people on Mardi Gras Day, and in the past was greatly feared by children and adults alike, as they would enter people’s homes and search under the beds and in the closets until they found the terrified inhabitants.

So as I have but a few weeks to get my costume ready, I am embracing, yet fighting, my urge to get too excited. I can’t wait. Unfortunately, until the day I die I’ll never be able to say that I was born in New Orleans. But to this Aussie, masking on Mardi Gras is the next best thing.

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PHUNNY PHORTY PHELLOWS

F

or the past 21 years,

the Phunny Phorty Phellows, a reincarnation of sorts of a Carnival krewe that dates back to the 1870s, have paraded in a streetcar along St. Charles Ave. on Twelfth Night to celebrate the t r a d i t i o n a l start of the Carnival season. They have achieved some notoriety, mostly through the publication of photos of the costumer-laden streetcar heading out of the Willow St. barn that appear each year in the Times-Picayune and through coverage on the local news.

Since the rebirth of their tradition, the krewe has attracted fans who arrive early to watch them board the streetcar amid the tooting and drumming of the Storyville Stompers Brass Band. Some of the fans also hang around the area waiting for the streetcar to return.

But the krewe have also attracted erstwhile detractors in the form of picketing protesters.

This group of unknown maskers, holding signs that indicate an intimate knowledge of Carnival traditions and the arcana of New Orleans politics, have been at it for nearly the

28 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

?

?!?

INVESTIGATION

entire duration of the Phunny Phorty Phellows modern-day tenure.

Because of the o f t e n - h y s t e r i c a l content of their signs, onlookers have often presumed that they were actually part of the krewe participating in the merriment as faux protesters. A special B e a t S t r e e t investigation has discovered that the Phunny Phorty Phellows are unaware of the identity of any of the members of the group, which they have labeled "the mystery maskers" for lack of any information about the group.

A representative for the PPP confirmed that the socalled mystery maskers are not part of the krewe, nor do they know who they are or even what they call themselves. But the representative added that they are a welcome part of the burgeoning scene that has developed around the historic streetcar ride.

Twelfth Night occurs each year on January 6th. Riders board the streetcar at beginning at 6:30 p.m. for the ride that commences at 7 p.m. The protesters generally line up across Willow St. from the barn around the same time.

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?!? ?

The Storyville Stompers

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Future Dates of Carnival 2004 — 2005 — 2006 — 2007 — 2008 — 2009 — 2010 — 2011 — 2012 — 2013 — 2014 — 2015 — 2016 — 2017 — 2018 — 2019 — 2020 — 2021 — 2022 — 2023 — 2024 — 2025 — 2026 — 2027 — 2028 — 2029 — 2030 — 2031 — 2032 — 2033 — 2034 — 2035 — 2036 — 2037 — 2038 — 2039 — 2040 — 2041 — 2042 — 2043 — 2044 — 2045 — 2046 — 2047 — 2048 — 2049 — 2050 — 2051 — 2052 — 2053 —

February February February February February February February March 8 February February March 4 February February February February March 5 February February March 1 February February March 4 February February February February March 5 February February March 1 February February February February March 9 February February March 5 February February March 1 February February February February March 2 February February March 5 February

24 8 28 20 5 24 16 21 12 17 9 28 13 25 16 21 13 17 9 29 13 25 10 21 6 26 17 22 14 18 10 21 6 26 18 22 14 18

E

veryone in New Orleans knows when Carnival falls. It begins on the Twelve Night, 12 days after Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany in the Catholic Church, when the three wise men were said to have arrived in Bethlehem to pay homage to the baby Jesus. It ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer that leads up to Easter.

So, the dates of Carnaval, from "farewell to flesh" in Latin, the language of the ancient Romans, is technically related to the date of Easter rather than the date of Ash Wednesday, as is usually presumed. The early Christians pegged many of their holidays with already established pagan celebrations to help make the new religion more palatable.

Some of these holidays were fixed on the calendar, such as Christmas (which always falls on December 25). Others, most notably Easter, are based on the lunar calendar that was popular among the ancients.

Thus, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. Therefore, Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25. Mardi Gras can occur on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9. This explains the variation in the date of Mardi Gras.

Interestingly, Mardi Gras occurs on those two outlying dates very rarely, once every 100 to 150 years. 2038 is the next year that Mardi Gras will fall on March 9.

2285 is the next year that Mardi Gras will fall on February 3.

DID YOU KNOW? In 2028, Mardi Gras will fall on February 29 during a leap year.

Mardi Gras fell on Valentine’s Day in 1956 and in 1961.

However, it will not fall on February 14 again until 2040, and then again in 2051.

In 2008 Mardi Gras falls on February 5—the earliest in the next 50 years.

Mardi Gras occurs in March only 15 times in the next fifty years.

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Film Clips

“DON'T WORRY, HONEY, I LIVE HERE” LOCALS CAUGHT ON TAPE AT MARDI GRAS!

en18 films takes a look at how we do things around here in their investigative Mardi Gras documentary premiering this month in New Orleans. Called Don't Worry Honey, I Live Here, the 43minute video delves into the cultural celebrations of Carnival in and around New Orleans.

Venturing deeper into the subject than most Mardi Gras “films” focusing on what you can see on Bourbon Street, Don't Worry Honey attempts to probe the lesser-known traditions and experiences that we enjoy all year ’round.

Features include a "locals" look at Mardi Gras in the Tremé, Lundi Gras on Frenchmen Street, the roles of religion and music during Carnival, and the Mardi Gras Indians’ celebrations. The film is narrated with soundbites from New Orleans’ top musicians, who share their opinions and memories of Mardi Gras.

Don't Worry Honey features interviews with Marva Wright, Kermit Ruffins, Anders Osborne, Morning 40 Federation, Irene Sage, Charmaine Neville, Jason Marsalis, Jeremy Lyons, John Carey, Rosie Ledet, John Gros of Papa Grows Funk, Johnny Angel, Benny Grunch, Stanton Moore of Galactic, Irma Thomas, John Sinclair and many others.

Don't Worry Honey examines Mardi Gras for New Orleanians, by New Orleanians. Furthermore, the film serves as a video time capsule preserving the memories and traditions of New Orleans’ top contemporary musicians. The film, directed

by Jeremy Campbell, was produced by ten18 films, who can be found at www.ten18.org.

The premier is February 19 at 8 p.m. in da Parish at the House of Blues. It’ll also be shown on March 6, 7, 9 and 10, 7:30 p.m. at the Zeitgeist. See ya there!

T

2003 February

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Welcome to the Beat Street Contest Page!

Each month in N e w O r l e a n s B e a t S t r e e t, our readers have a chance to compete with each other for a Night on the Town. At the end of the year, the monthly participants will be entered into a drawing for a Jamaican Get-Away.

The contests and treasure hunts will pit the residents of B e a t S t r e e t against each other in a test of musical knowledge, puzzle-solving skills, and the intimate language of life on B e a t S t r e e t.

The contests are designed to be fun and educational, and to get people out onto B e a t S t r e e t. They are separated into four sections to correspond with the four weeks in each calendar month. Some months, the contest will be a crossword puzzle; others will include a scavenger hunt. Regardless of the form, they will be challenging and interesting. Each month begins with a whimsical journey through B e a t S t r e e t in the form of a poem or limerick.

Here’s How It Works!

During the first week, you gather clues that appear on the Contest Page. In each subsequent week, the clues lead you places on B e a t S t r e e t where you will gather other clues. Certain clues will contain a “fast forward play” that allows you to jump ahead of the competition. At the end of the month, the winners gather for a photo opportunity as they collect their prize. We encourage you to work in teams, since the Night on the Town is for you and three of your friends, and is hosted by a different mystery celebrity each month.

Important Note: While the B e a t S t r e e t C o n t e s t is divided into four sections, participants who miss the first two weeks will have a chance to play catch-up during the third week. No one gets left out on B e a t S t r e e t!

February 28 at the Howlin’ Wolf 828 south peters

Mothership Entertainment presents

MARDI GRAS 2003 Tickets at Jambase.com & Howlin-Wolf.com $15 Showtime 11pm Doors 10pm

32 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

PORTER BATISTE& STOLTZ of the funky meters

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Congr atulations to la st month’s winner s, John and Bob, who will be running the street s with “the Houseman” from Gala ctic, Mr. Theryl deClout.

This Month’s Prize!

Two winners and three friends each will travel by limousine to dinner at a great New Orleans restaurant, preceded by drinks at a great New Orleans watering hole, followed by an evening of live local music. Put your team together!

This Month’s Contest!

Read the ads ‘till you find Two geckos with great big behinds.

This should be easy and take little time, But you must get to their crib between three and five.

A.M. or P.M. — you decide — Your clue will be hangin’ just inside.

Be the first to get there For a lagniappe surprise.

It could be a drink or a dinner for two — You’ll never know what’s waiting for you!

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blue nile

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Mondays

Wednesdays

Ladies Night Luna Banda de Bossa Nova, 9p

7e Jazz Trio, 7:30p Soul Remedy, 10:30p

Tuesdays

Ted Hefko Quartet, 7:30p

Feb12 Evan Christopher’s Jazz a la Creole, 7:30p

Feb 4 and 18 Chevere, 10:30p

Thursdays

Feb 11 and 25 Tondre, 10:30p

Improv Arts Council Acid Test, 7:30p Musician’s Night, 10:30p

Fridays

Devyani Tribal Belly Dancers, 7:30p Latin Dance Lesson, 9:30p

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con su Banda, 10:30p DJ Proppa Bear, 2A

Saturdays

Blue Universe Quartet, 7:30p Late Night Music, 2A Feb 1 Myshkin with Panorama Jazz Band, 10:30p Feb 8 Revealers, 10:30p Feb 15 Conscious Party, 10:30p Feb 22 Electrical Spectacle & Iris May Tango, 10:30p

Sundays

Milonga Tango Band, 7:30p Higher Heights Reggae Band, 11A 34 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

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carrollton station

(504) 865-9190 8140 willow street

All weekend shows start at 10pm unless otherwise noted.

Saturday 1 Little Freddie King Blues Band /plus: Tordown Sunday 2 Acoustic Open Mic 9pm Thursday 6 Bob's Brew plus: Country Fried Saturday 8 Juniper Row Sunday 9 Acoustic Open Mic 9pm

Thursday 20 King Snake Boogie Friday 21 Ingrid Lucia Saturday 22 RF & The Highttones Sunday 23 Acoustic Open Mic 9pm Tuesday 25 Caffiene Music Singer / Songwriter Night Wednesday 26

Thursday 13 Ryan Chatelain & Newfound Rythymz Friday 14 The Gary Hirstius Band Featuring: Theresa Andersson Paul Sanchez & John Thomas Griffith Thursday 27

Saturday 15 Tom's House plus : Ill NaNa Sunday 16 Acoustic Open Mic 9pm 2003 February

Walter "Wolfman" Washington & The Roadmasters Friday 28 Jim McCormick & His Full Band New Orleans Beat Street Magazine 35

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2003 February

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donna’s

(504) 596-6914 800 north rampart

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 10:30 PM

SUNDAY , FEBRUARY 9, 9:30PM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 9:30PM

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 9:30PM

TBA

George French Band

Shannon Powell Quartet Bob French & Friends Shannon Powell is known the world over as a drummer’s drummer. His resume includes stints with such international stars as Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall. His quartet is always loaded with talent, but most of all they just want to have fun playing in front of the ebullient bandleader. His grin is infectious. You’ll never believe you could have this much fun listening to jazz. Regulars with Shannon include Henry Butler, June Yamagishi, Davell Crawford and Donald Harrison, Jr.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 9:30PM

Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 10:30 PM

Treme Brass Band

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 10:30PM

Big Chief Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 9:30PM

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 9:30PM

Free!! BBQ Chicken, Red Beans & Rice (between sets every Monday)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 9:30PM

Bob French & Friends

Donna’s has been the place where locals hang on Monday since the days when Kermit Ruffins held down the slot. Now your “Monday Date” is drummer Bob French. French hails from one of the premier musical families in New Orleans and his chops are time-tested. His act walks the line between jazz and R&B, and he always has a first-class band.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 9:30PM

Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 10:30 PM

Treme Brass Band

With the ever-sunny “Uncle” Lionel Batiste on the bass drum and leader Benny Jones on the snare, the Treme Brass Band stands out on the packed brass band scene in New Orleans because of their inter-generational nature. Benny and “Uncle,” as everyone knows him, usually have much younger musicians on the front line playing the horns. The two veterans of the brass band scene have done a lot to develop younger players who return the favor by powering this fun-loving aggregation.

Shannon Powell Quartet Bob French & Friends THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 9:30PM

Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 10:30 PM

Treme Brass Band

SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 22, 10:30PM

Leroy Jones Quintet

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 9:30PM

Toy Dillion Trio

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 9:30PM

Bob French & Friends THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 9:30PM

Evan Christopher & Tom McDermott

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 10:30 PM

SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 8, 10:30PM

Leroy Jones Quintet

Whenever trumpeter Leroy Jones is not on the road with Harry Connick, Jr., he is hanging out at Donna’s. He is a new traditionalist, since he is still a young man, but he plays with an old man’s soul. His latest recording, Back to My Roots, showcases his impeccable chops on a program of tunes that date back to the earliest days of jazz. He is a regular at Preservation Hall whenever he is not playing at Donna’s.

38 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

Mardi Gras Party!

Big Chief Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias February 2003

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dos jefes

(504) 891-8500 5355 tchoupitoulas street

blue monday

tuesday

Ken Swartz 7 pm

Marlena Decker 7 pm

wednesday

Tom Hook 9:00pm

Leigh “Lil’ Queenie” Harris 9pm Saturday, February 1, 10pm

Saturday, February 15, 10pm

Los Goochie Goochie Boys

Wendell Brunious

Sunday, February 2, 9pm

Grayson Capps Thursday, February 9, 9:30pm

Rebecca Barry

Sunday, February 16, 9pm

Burke Ingraffia Thursday, February 20, 9:30pm

Loren Pickford Friday, February 21, 10pm

Rickie Castrillo & Dreamland Saturday, February 22, 10pm

Jerry Jumonville & Jump City Sunday, February 23, 9pm

Lenny McDaniel Thursday, February 27, 9:30pm

Los Tres Amigos Latin Jazz Friday, February 7, 10pm

Rickie Castrillo & Dreamland Saturday, February 8, 10pm

Wendell Brunious Sunday, February 9, 9pm

Coco Robicheaux Thursday, February 10, 9:30pm

Leroy Jones Friday, February 11, 10pm

Friday, February 28, 10pm

Sunpie Barnes

Wendell Brunious

2003 February

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howlin’ wolf

(504) 529-5844 828 south peters

[february 2003]

S

1

W

5

TH 6

Groundfault

Rock

/ Anomoly / Officer Down

TBA Silveretta

/ Burning November / Movin Weight

Rock

F

7

Rebirth Brass Band /

S

8

Jones’ Lounge

W

12

Myself

Funk / Reggae

4-Mag Nitrous / Slaves of Freedom

Hard Rock

Neeca / Sol Fiya / Master Ew

Funk

TH 13

Quinn Com / NORCO

F

Kermit Ruffins & BBQ Swingers

14

Hip Hop

Jazz / Funk

Dimorphodon

S

15

Idris Muhammad / Johnny Vidacovich James Singleton / Shane Theriot Donald Harrison Great Music

W

19

Zion Trinity / Bamboula 2000

World Beat

TH 20 Ellipsis / DJ Kinetik

Rock

F

21

Rock

S

22 World Leader Pretend

W

26 Tribute to Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sub 7 / 4 Sight / Fate Train

ndie Rock

Funk / Rock

TH 27 Johnny Vidacovich Brian Jordan / Chris Chew F

Jazz / Funk

28 Porter / Batiste / Stoltz Anders Osbourne / Rebecca Barry [march 2003]

S

1

Bonerama

SU

2

DJs vs. Brass

M

3

George Porter & His Pardners

Funk Funk / R & B

www.howlin-wolf.com

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maple leaf

(504) 866-LEAF 8316 oak street

SUNDAYS • 3 PM EVERETTE MADDOX MEMORIAL POETRY & PROSE READING SERIES

SUNDAYS • 8

TUESDAYS

PM

Troy Andrews AKA

ReBirth Brass Band

“TROMBONE SHORTY”

WEDNESDAYS

Johnny Vidacovic Trio with George Porter, Jr. MONDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

3 PAPA GROWS FUNK

6 BANCROFT & JAY Open Blues Jam

7 JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY

10 JUICE

13 IDLETIME + JOHNNY SKETCH

1 New Orleans Legend WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON & The Roadmasters

17 BROTHERHOOD OF GROOVE 24 PAPA GROWS FUNK

20 ASTRAL PROJECT 27 TBA

F R I D A Y ,

14 IRENE SAGE

21 PAPA GROWS FUNK

F E B R U A R Y

2 8

17th Annual

Krewe of O.A.K. Parade & Ball featuring

Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen

Ceremonies start at 8 PM

Free Food!

2003 February

8 CARLOS WASHINGTON & the Amazing Giant People 15 KERMIT RUFFINS & the Barbecue Swingers 22 THERESA ANDERSSON

March 1 New Orleans Legend WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON & The Roadmasters

3 Free Kegs

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margaritaville

(504) 596-6914 800 north rampart

NO COVER

MONDAY 3pm Brint Andersen Blues 6pm Reed Alleman Acoustic 9pm Mike West Bluegrass

Rock

TUESDAY 3pm John Fohl Blues 6pm Joe Bennett Rock 9pm Mike West Bluegrass WEDNESDAY 3pm John Fohl Blues 6pm Lynn Drury Rock 9pm Mike West Bluegrass THURSDAY 3pm Jeannie Breazele 6pm Lynn Drury Rock 9pm Joe Bennett Rock

Variety

FRIDAY 3pm Washboard Chaz Trio 6pm Mr. Manny Variety 9pm Rockie Charles R&B

Variety

SATURDAY 3pm Kenny Holladay Blues 6pm Irving Bannister’s All-Stars 9pm Mr. Manny Variety SUNDAY 3pm Slick Wilson Rock 6pm Irving Bannister’s All-Stars 9pm Joe Bennett Rock

R&B

R&B

www.margaritaville.com

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mermaid lounge

(504) 524-4747 1100 constance street

Saturday, February 1 Friends of Jabu

Sunday, February 2 Spiraling plus Nick Diaz Experiment

Wednesday, February 5

Improvisational Arts Council

Thursday, February 6

Jonathan Freilich plays Dylan

Friday, February7 Dirty Dozen

Saturday, February 8 SophistiCats & the SophistiKittens

Sunday, February 9 Milton Mapes (Austin, TX)

Wednesday, February 12 Walk Through Walls plus KIngsnake Boogie and Will McCormick

Thursday, February 13 Jeff & Vida plus the Geraniums and Kim Rhuel

Friday, February 14 Girl Distraction

Saturday, February 15

Big Blue Marble feat. Dave Fera

Sunday, February 16 Matt Heimovitz,

cello, performs J.S. Bach suites 3 & 4

Wednesday, February 19 Improvisational Arts Council

Thursday, February 20

Electrical Spectacle

Friday, February 21 Mayfair plus the Supercarters

Saturday, February 22

New Orleans Klezmer Allstars

Sunday, February 23 The Drunken Masters plus the Geraniums

Tuesday, February 25

Naked on the Floor

Wednesday, February 26 Colonel Sanchez

Thursday, February 27 Already Slated for Crashville 2am Rotary Downs plus Cien Fuegos

Friday, February 28 Brotherhood of Groove 2am Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes www.mermaidlounge.com

2003 February

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snug harbor

(504) 596-6914 800 north rampart

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tipitina’s

(504) 895-8477 501 napoleon avenue

All shows 10 pm unless noted. For tickets: (504) 895-TIPS

EVERY SUNDAY CAJUN FAIS DO DO BRUCE DAIGREPONT SATURDAY 1 DEL PANTANO & LOS VECINOS + OTRA TUESDAY 4 8TH FLOOR HOMEGROWN NO COVER WEDNESDAY 5 KKND PRESENTS PAPA ROACH + BLINDSIDE + UNLOCO THURSDAY 6 MOFRO + THERESA ANDERSSON GROUP FRIDAY 7 KUDZU KINGS + BIG NASTY SATURDAY 8 BENJY DAVIS PROJECT THURSDAY 13 THE LATELYS FRIDAY 14 "LONEY HEARTS CLUB BAND" A VALENTINE'S DAY BEATLES TRIBUTE FEATURING: ANDERS OSBORNE, TOMMY MALONE, JEFFERY CLEMENS, CHRIS CHEW, BRIAN COOGAN & GUESTS + JOHNNY SKETCH & THE DIRTY NOTES

2003 February

SATURDAY 15 GEORGE PORTER JR. & THE PARDNERS, ALREADY SLATED FOR CRASHVILLE TUESDAY 18 8TH FLOOR HOMEGROWN WEDNESDAY 19 SPOONFED TRIBE + TBA THURSDAY 20 MOTORWAY + CATCH VELVET + PUNCH PEOPLE FRIDAY 21 BAG OF DONUTS + BLUE COLLAR UNION SATURDAY 22 THE IGUANAS + WALTER "WOLFMAN" WASHINGTON TUESDAY 25 8TH FLOOR HOMEGROWN THURSDAY 26 FUNKY METERS + REBIRTH FRIDAY 28 DAVE MATTHEWS COVER BAND (DMCB) + CAST IRON FILTER www.mermaidlounge.com

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Louisiana Music Factory

Instore Schedule Saturday, February 1st Parading CD On Sale $12.99

Saturday, February 15th Reverend Goat 2pm LIVE At The Leaf CD On Sale $12.99

Linnzi Zaorski 4pm

Willie West 3pm

Tony DaGradi Trio

3pm

Linnzi Zaorski & Delta Royale CD On Sale $12.99

When You Tie The Knot CD On Sale $12.99

Saturday, February 8th

Irvin Mayfield 4pm

Liese’s Living Room 2pm What Already?

CD On Sale $7.99

Half Past Autumn Suite CD On Sale $13.99

Introducing…Julia LaShae CD On Sale $12.99

Saturday, February 22nd Brock N’Roll 2pm “Big House” b/w “That’s Hot” CD Single - $4.99

Brian Stoltz 4pm

Tipitina’s Presents

East Of Rampart Street CD On Sale $12.99

Lil’ Rascals Brass Band 4pm

Julia LaShae 3pm

Rebirth Brass Band 3pm Straight From The 6th CD On Sale $12.99

210 DECATUR ST., NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 PHONE: (504) 586-1094 • (504) 586-8818

JAZZ • CAJUN • BLUES GOSPEL • AND MORE RECORDS • TAPES • CDS www.louisianamusicfactory.com

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Musicians on Music

MARDI GRAS & BRASS BANDS

By Brice Miller

Way Back When "When you go to new Orleans, you gotta go see the Mardi Gras!" Oh, so many have heeded Mr. Longhair’s potent words. And now, as we celebrate 146 years of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, folk from every corner of the planet will flock here, New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and home to the largest free party in the world.

Carnival krewe in New Orleans) paraded through the streets of our beloved city. Reveling all the way, they threw down with two makeshift floats, handheld lanterns and two brass bands. The brass bands provided the grooves, though not in contemporary form — just a lil’ musical something so the krewe members and partygoers could all get down.

We all know that Mardi Gras is the world’s largest example of festive mayhem amid social obscurity about its real origins.

And, we know that no New Orleans event will be truly festive without a healthy dose of America’s original art form, jazz.

And not just any jazz, but the jazz played by the oldest and most totally mobile and musically diverse of any ensemble: brass bands.

Fast Forward to Today

As we know, Carnival has undergone many changes over the years. Unfortunately, from my perspective as the leader of the Mahogany Brass Band, those changes include the diminished role that brass bands play in Carnival festivities. Though some Carnival krewes still use brass bands, their involvement has become more of a novelty than in the old days, when they were virThese indigenous groups created tually required. the sounds of jazz, defined each instrument’s role, and spread the As Carnival developed into gospel of jazz from "back-o’-town" the commercial success it is today, to the world over. Brass bands some consider it fitting that the gave many of our most beloved musical mainstay at parades and New Orleans musicians their other Carnival-related activities starts, including Buddy Bolden, has become junior- and highLouis Armstrong, Leroy Jones and school marching bands. With large Nicholas Payton. ensembles filling the whole street, Since 1814, brass bands have been part of the entertainment fabric that defines what is a "true" New Orleans event and what is not. In 1857, Comus (the oldest

2003 February

colorful, matching uniforms, blaring instruments and reverberating drums, they seem to fit in better with the bright and bold commercial ambiance that now defines many of the parades.

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Shake What Ya Got One would think that with so much going on in town during Carnival, brass bands would be so overbooked that they’d be calling for support from the national and international brass band contingents that have sprung up in recent years. Yet only a small number of krewes hire brass bands. I have been providing bands, including the Mahogany, the Lil’ Stooges, Coolbone, and the Panorama Brass Bands, for parades over the last four years.

While there are more brass bands on the streets than in pervious years, only a few krewes are hiring them.

However, looking at the bigger picture, what is unfortunate is that there has been little or no formal dialogue between the brass band community and the Carnival krewes. This dialogue could possibly meld two New Orleans traditions together and return the New Orleans brass band to its rightful place.

Brass bands have the ability to play an integral role in all Mardi-Gras festivities. From the captain’s ball to the float party, from the parade to the afterparty, brass bands can crank out traditional gems, funky originals, or contemporary / hip-hop influenced tunes, all in the same breath. They can parade and jam with participants and revelers until their feet fail ’em. And with the "hot" jazz that only a brass band can provide, brass bands possess a powerful musical crossover influence that serves to blur all age, gender, racial, and socio-economic lines.

With handkerchiefs flowing in the air, the old and young alike dance the two-step to the smooth syncopated rhythms echoing from the bass drum. Celebratory sounds of laughter fill the night sky. Folk from any and everywhere gather in unison, dancing, yelling, crying, and reminiscing. What could it possibly be? It’s none other than a New Orleans second line at Mardi Gras time!

We want your opinion. www.neworleansbeatstreet.com everywhereallthetimehanginlikeagecko

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Live from the Publisher’s Head

OOPS, IS THAT EGG ON MY FACE?

L

ittle did we know when crafting the “Friendly Opposition” editorial for January’s edition the reaction our opinion would receive. We tried to remain objective while at the same time being critical of one particular aspect of the Nagin administration’s programs and plans. We also tried not to get personal and attempted to focus on business — not personalities. Needless to say, people took it personally — very personally.

to me that the main reason her office did not contact any of the clubs directly about participating in the Mo’ Tunes program was a reasonable sensitivity and concern about any potential misunderstanding that could arise from coaxing by a governmental entity.

Plainly put, even the appearance of political strong-arming would send the wrong message.

In a free-wheeling conversation that took place in the kitchen of the joint on the corner of St. Ann and Rampart, I learned a valuable lesson about the difference between business communications and political communications. She explained

the team. New players need to step up. They can’t do it alone.

She continued to inform me that they did communicate with the clubs using every other means After the issue hit the street, a possible. Only the House of Blues chance encounter with a major got the message! We at B e a t player in the Mayor’s Office of S t r e e t were guilty of not being Economic Development turned sensitive to possible miscommuniinto an opportunity for real dia- cation between parties. logue. Where did I run into Beth We will do our best to make James? Right on B e a t S t r e e t at amends. Let’s move on and let’s Donna’s on Monday night as Bob communicate. Club owners and French & Friends were throwing musicians — call the city. Get on down and patrons were enjoying board with their efforts. They are free red beans and rice and BBQ willing and able to listen to your chicken. concerns and they want you on

50 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

Next month, B e a t S t r e e t is going to Main Street to talk to the members of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. Stay tuned. Stay focused. The only thing that’s in our way is us.

February 2003

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Indian Red’s Hebrew Honky-Tonk Studio Michael Hirsch Cabinetmaker (504) 486-7529 3027 Chartres Street New Orleans, LA 70117

2003 February

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Photo of Genevieve ` Duval by Michelle Elmore

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MP3 Confidential

SURFING TO NEW ORLEANS: A SEARCH ENGINE SHOOT-OUT

T

his month, MP3 Confidential looks at New Orleans music on the Internet. It’s a snapshot of New Orleans music as it appears to the rest of the world — a mix of authentic, funky, cottage industry and Bourbon Street-level commercialism, plus schools, politicians and some cultural sacred cows.

These are the sites that people will first encounter when looking for New Orleans music on the World Wide Web, and they are frontline representatives of our music community. We queried major search engines for the words "New Orleans Music" and took notes on the top results. We wound up with a list of leading Web sites for New Orleans music, purely in terms of search engine rankings.

We looked at Google, Yahoo, HotBot, MSN and AltaVista. While results vary, these sites rank near the top on most or all of these engines. The list does not include sites like www.neworleansbarguide.com that purchase sponsored links at the top of the results – we’re only considering what Yahoo calls "Web Matches," meaning the unsponsored results.

We’ll discuss what we like – and don’t like – about the sites in this survey.

We’ll also offer some suggestions for improvement; just our two cents. To make this list you had to be a firstpage result on either Google or HotBot, and rank high in AltaVista or MSN. That’s a killer ranking – all of the sites here are winners in that respect! We’ll wrap up with some Webmaster tips that can help your own site get seen. www.satchmo.com Louisiana Music Archive & Artist Directory – Run by Greg Hardison, Satchmo.com is an outstanding fan portal for New Orleans music. The site is slightly inelegant but packed with information. It takes an inclusive approach to the concept of Louisiana

2003 February

music, making room for Cash Money Records and Britney Spears alongside Kermit Ruffins and a host of others.

Some parts are a little out of date, but we’re not complaining. A fine site with great ranking on HotBot and Google. It looks like a labor of love, now in its eighth year. www.wwoz.org WWOZ 90.7 FM – A first-rate radio station with a second-rate web site.

We would have made different page color and font choices. But what’s worse is the audio streams, which are only offered in the low-fidelity 22 kilobits per second (kbps) bit rate.

No hi-fi option for broadband users.

The Windows Media streaming is especially bad, so aliased and distorted that it’s essentially unlistenable.

The RealAudio stream is slightly better sounding, but drops out frequently. Our suggestions: Try some preprocessing before the encoding, up the bit rate to 30 kbps, or at least Webcast in mono as opposed to stereo. You’ll double the overall sound quality.

Check out NewOrleansRadio.com to hear what real streaming sounds like. www.offbeat.com Offbeat Magazine – It looks like the site was partially redesigned at one point, but left unfinished. There are two different sets of mastheads and navigation elements. The site map and message board areas have a completely different design than the rest of the site, which is confusing. Certain parts are growing cobwebs – the Music News page hasn’t been updated since November. And get a load of that Ad Configurations and Specifications page, it’s completely indecipherable! www.neworleans.com NewOrleans.Com – This site is a slick, commercial city portal in two different flavors for visitors or locals. It includes a basic search engine for live music listings. It’s hard to find fault

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with this fine example of a generalinterest regional resource. Nothing terribly music-specific, but a well-executed for-profit site that is part of Darin McAuliffe’s Metairie-based Internet properties.

www.neworleansonline.com The Official Tourism Site of the City of New Orleans – This is your tax dollars at work. It is run by the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Commission and is a fluffy, generalinterest tourist portal. As one of the best-designed sites in this survey, it’s very easy to look at and use. Three layers down, under the "Uniquely NOLA" section, you’ll find some timeless light-reading music features, cursory club listings and a smattering of recommended artists. The site also has low-fi 20 kbps streams from Radio Free New Orleans. The music programming is pleasant but sound quality is pretty bad.

www.tipitinas.com Tipitina’s – A great club, but their site needs work. Start with the logo: It’s grainy and low-resolution. It looks like they’ve added navigational elements without redesigning the masthead, resulting in a jumbled waste of space.

The masthead changes location as one navigates through the site and is missing from certain pages. We don’t care for the overall color scheme or the mish-mash of font styles and sizes; it’s hard to look at.

Check out the "Get Windows Media Player" ad included in the masthead: it has better placement than Tip’s own merchandise, and it is sized wrong.

We think these buttons are passé.

Streaming pages can detect the presence of a compatible media player on the user’s computer, and point visitors to the requisite player if missing.

Why give free top-of-page advertising to Microsoft?

On the plus side, there’s lots of streaming media on this site, including 300 kbps video streams for us broadband users. They do a good job with the streaming, in terms of picture q u a l i ty, s o u n d a n d r e l i a b i l i ty.

Merchandise and advance tickets can be purchased through the site, which we strongly approve of. We love reliable online sales and quality video streams. We’d suggest a redesign that refocuses the site on those two key elements.

www.uno.edu/~music/ UNO Music Department – A typical

54 New Orleans Beat Street Magazine

music school website, garish but functional and low-maintenance.

www.ikoiko.com ikoiko.com – This defunct webzine is still getting great search engine placement. Yet, it is a deserted outpost of the Greg Hardison Satchmo.com empire. Nothing to see here, move along please.

www.icorp.net/cmill Charlie Miller and Peace Horn – The only New Orleans artist site with a top-ten Google placement in our survey. Miller’s home page is unglamorous but effective and a testimony to the power of good keywords. The words "New Orleans" and "Music" appear in many different combinations in the metatags and throughout the site’s content, resulting in fantastic placement on Google (and Yahoo, which uses Google results).

Miller, a music director/arranger for Dr. John, has a no-frills, no-design website that trumpets his credits and pushes his solo CDs. Miller links to Louisiana Music Factory for CD fulfillment. We would urge Miller to add links to other discs he plays on, or CDs from his associates. And consider the Amazon.com affiliate program, since they pay decent commissions on all referred sales, and are super easy to work with.

www.seeneworleans.net/ music.htm The Yat Cat’s See New Orleans Travel and Hotel Guide — Yat Cat evidently figured out about the Amazon affiliate deal back in 1998, and displays dozens of commission-bearing links to classic New Orleans records along with a handful of links to other worthwhile music resources like WWOZ. An unglamorous but functional site that is meant to do one thing: Turn traffic into money. O u r h a t g o e s o f f to G re g C h a s e o f D e s t i n e t i o n . c o m , t h e p u b l i s h e r o f t h i s s i te .

www.partyhats.com New Orleans Radio – An awesome streaming audio site that can also be found at www.neworleansradio.com.

The site features dozens of programmed channels of New Orleans music, plus beaucoup archived shows, tributes, interviews and more. A wealth of audio, and the streaming is very well done. Even though the streams are 20 kbps, they’re not distorted and sound terrific for narrowband. It’s the total opposite of the WWOZ online experience.

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We attribute the difference to Webcasting in mono, which gives better overall sound quality at low bit rates. We’re not crazy about some of the design choices, they could do more with the player window and as usual we’d like to see broadband streams. But with sound this good, we’re not complaining. Major kudos to Mark Glynn and his team.

www.loyno.edu Loyola University New Orleans – An attractive, professionally-executed Web site. Loyola’s College of Music and Music Business Program do great jobs, and their Web presence reflects well on the organization.

www.new-orleans.la.us City of New Orleans – Greg Meffert’s official site for the City is a beauty, one of the best looking and easiestto-use examples in our survey. Simple, clean, sensible and nothing is broken.

Unlike the City Council’s Web site (which is linked to from here) this site makes a terrific impression. We wouldn’t change a thing.

Click on the picture of the guitar player for info on upcoming Mo’ Tunes gigs, Mo’ Music Fest, music business workshops and networking events. Performers and music business professionals should take a close look at how Nagin’s administration is trying to help. You’ll see us at the March 6th workshop about "How To Buy a House on a Musician's Paycheck."

www.ralphrecords.com Ralph Records – No, this ain’t the home of legendary synth band the Residents (that’s RalphAmerica.com.)

Run by Mr. Eddy Deloney, the other Ralph Records is a New Orleans record label with a good-looking roster and a site as ambitious as it is garish. It’s heavily merchandised, selling not just audio CDs but also MP3 CDs and individual downloadable MP3 files. We wonder how many tracks they’re really selling at $1.99 each, but give Ralph mad props for trying.

That’s cool homespun innovation.

Design-wise the site’s a mess, with bizarre inclusions such as the Google search field and a link to a "Playboy Model" web site. Not sure what that’s all about! A Web designer would change a lot of things on this site, and in doing so probably lose some of the cool garage-tech feel. It’s cheap, amateurish, disjointed and visionary all at the same time. Of the sites we visited, Ralph Records is the one where we’d most likely spend money.

2003 February

For Webmasters Only We consulted with an expert, Christopher Skinner of MakeBuZZ, LLC, to learn more about getting better search engine rankings. Every search engine is a little different, but there are a few tips: Having relevant content helps on Google. In this survey, sites that contained the words "New Orleans Music" multiple times in the course of the text fared the best, because they appear to be the most relevant.

Use regular text whenever possible, text that is inside a graphic can’t be indexed.

Don’t use Frames, they’re gauche, it’s a lousy user experience and although they can be crawled by Google the results may be unpredictable.

All-Flash sites have a similar problem — search engines can’t really catalog them.

Include a title and a description metatag in your web pages.

Breaking with conventional wisdom, Skinner says don’t bother with keyword metatags. He says, "no search engine reads them."

Google gives preference to sites that are "popular destinations," sites that are linked to by many other sites.

Submit your site to DMOZ.org, which reports to Google. "But don’t hold your breath," says Skinner, their review process "takes at least two months."

We never used to pay for submission services or ranking, but it’s becoming the norm. Pay-to-play works. At this point it’s only "Google and a few other small players that maybe do site crawl," says Skinner, "cost per click became dominant over pure search in late 2002."

For more information and free newsletter see http://www.makebuzz.com/ Warren America is the nom de punque of a New Orleans writer, technology entrepreneur and skateboarder. He wrote the book on music and the Internet, so he oughtta know.

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The Friendly Opposition

"Do You Know What It Means to Miss [Out On] New Orleans?"

By Jerry Brock

irst and foremost I love New Orleans.

There is no place in the United States that I would prefer to live. This city is home to the friendliest people with a depth of spirituality that they express daily through their culture. I applaud and encourage anyone trying to work in the music business here. Regardless of whether you fail or succeed, it’s still a positive thing.

F

talking about Jazz Fest, the clubs, or the streets. In fact, world-class music with very deep roots exists here like the weather. Despite all the positives, frustrations breed among the active participants, and many aren’t quite sure what to do. Yet, everybody keeps plugging away.

Public speakers have hired music for noise and fanfare since the beginning of time and they still do. It’s a gig. Danny Barker’s accounts are the best reports S i n c e D u t c h M o r i a l ’s admin- from these parts. He wrote about istration, public interest in the it in the short story titled “The business of music has grown Last Days of Storyville”: steadily. Thirty years ago, this “Before he got elected, when I barely existed. Music seminars gave him my money to help using public and private funds with his campaign, that lyinghave been held yearly for approxiass Mayor swore on his dead mately 25 years. These seminars mother that we’d have peace — while important— have generand prosperity. Now look ally repeated topics and programs what happens.” annually with little creativity.

King Louis the XIV glorified Fifty years ago, Fats Domino this tradition into fine art, while made musical and financial history. ancient native Indians lived with But today, New Orleans is con- their own similar practices. spicuously absent among the music business capitals. The music The City of New Orleans’ relationbusiness has changed, and New ship to the music, musicians and Orleans has not kept up. Besides the music business is not a simple being an art, music is a trade. one. It encompasses over two cenSmall businesses do the best they turies of social, political, military, can, and some artists, entertainers religious, educational, economical and businesses manage to excel. and cultural history that includes But to change things, we all need racism, classism, manipulation, to work together. favoritism, nepotism, fraud, violence and corruption. That’s just Unquestionably, the city has one part of what makes this city so of the greatest live music scenes in damn interesting. the world today, whether you are

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New Orleans is a parochial city, which is key to understanding our equally great and poor quality of life. Because of neglect and systematic oppression of the population, an environment has been created where traditional cultures — including music — thrive.

Attempts to create a vision of productive music business and small business in general have proven disastrous.

not replaced Storyville? Imagine tour buses pulling up to the real Mahogany Hall to listen to Professor Henry Butler tickle the ivories as the visitors gulp cold Abita. Instead we have Bourbon Street, where the young and old have fun amid a mishmash of musical styles. Of course that is fine for the less sophisticated tourist, but what about the hordes of musicinclined visitors?

Truth be known, the City of New Orleans administration has not been fiscally in the black for one year since the Civil War. That was 1864. C’mon, the reality of history is that this was by design. An astonishing track record exists of city and state tax laws, which have regularly burst the IRS’ aching head. Couldn’t some of that tax money go to music business development?

The Times-Picayune published an independent editorial by the writer Dean Shapiro on January 14th titled, "Who Cares About Jazz? Looks Like We Don’t." He lamented the lack of city support for the preservation of three buildings in the 400 block of S. Rampart Street. At one time, these buildings housed the Eagle Saloon, the Iroquois Theatre and the Karnofsky Store. I believe the city and many others actually do care about the hisThe romantic fantasy of jazz musicians leaving town to find tory and are New work after the closing of trying to do Storyville is portrayed in O r l e a n s i s something the 1949 movie New to preOrleans starring Louis a parochial s e r v e Armstrong and Billie t h e s e city Holiday. This myth has places. been perpetuated ever Let’s raise since. First of all, music m o r e was performed in many awareness areas of the city — not just in and get and give the District. Most musicians left more support. the city because they were tired of being looked upon as second- One recent Saturday I was in this class citizens. When artists heard neighborhood and the door to that Sidney Bechet had performed the Karnofsky building was open. I for the King and Queen of couldn’t resist and went in. The England, they realized that walls are decaying into dust. The celebrity status was considerably second floor doesn’t exist. better than the conditions of liv- Neither does the ceiling. The ing at home. Fortunately, our Karnofskys were the family that musicians are a bit more celebrat- befriended a very young Louis ed now.

Armstrong. He wrote eloquently about them in "Louis Armstrong: Can you imagine New Orleans In His Own Words." today had the Iberville projects

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The Iroquois Theatre is where Louis won his first talent show after he dusted himself with flour and sang white-faced. The Eagle Saloon inspired the name of Frankie Dusen’s Eagle Band that had been the Buddy Bolden Band before he was hospitalized.

term "Dixieland" when you write about our music. I believe in order to sell our music and develop our music industry the whole city needs a complete public image makeover, and Dixieland it ain’t.

Just consider how Cajun culture has been remade over the last Obviously, these buildings have couple of decades. People fly into invaluable significance to the his- New Orleans and they are inuntory of jazz and New Orleans, as dated with all things Cajun. You did most of this neighborhood don’t even have to go to the counbefore it was destroyed to build try anymore. Zydeco blares from parking lots and City Hall. shops throughout the ‘Quarters.

Hundreds of similar situations We have lost our identity and the exist in our city. kicker is that we’ve got much more You did a good job, Dean, but potential than the Cajuns for please don’t use the derogatory applying our culture to economic

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to the universe. Lets do it and not get confused about the message or purpose. Forget about the terms like "Oldies" and "Dixieland." Let us recreate ourselves.

Let’s get some financing and move into new technologies. Music technology is relatively cheap with huge potential return. It is environmentally sound and can reach millions daily. It offers loads of employment.

Let’s support the record labels, develop publishing, and create a better life for the musicians and music community. Let’s get our buildings fixed and honored, jazz parks built and museums organized. Once we do it ourselves, the major players will come to our doors. Everyone knows about that mousetrap, and lord knows we’ve got plenty of mice.

Let’s show the world a style they haven’t seen. The possibilities are development. We have to get over endless if we all pull together. The all the guilty and angry feelings, food and hospitality industries misunderstandings, misconcep- need to support and work with tions, poor communication and the music industry. Tourism will grow. How about having a New arguments.

Orleans World Music Festival durThe city itself, jazz, sin and ing an off-season? Louis sexual attitudes all were implicated Armstrong touched the whole in the dreaded "entertainment world once and we can touch it tax" in 1938. Let’s not make that again. The conditions are ripe. mistake again. Instead of disincentives, let us create tax incentives And by the way, would someone for local and statewide music busi- please ask Tuba Fats where he would like his new bench in ness development.

Jackson Square, or will New Bob Marley among countless Orleans remain a backwater others was deeply moved by New banana republic to the rest of Orleans music. Let’s get deeply the music world? New Orleans moved by it. We have to learn to is the most exotic city on this market one of the most amazing continent. Let’s showcase it and African-derived musical traditions capitalize on it!

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Frenchy Gallery 319 Royal Street (504) 561-5885

Frenchy signed printsGallery available 319 Royal Street prints available www.frenchylive.com (504) 561-5885 www.frenchylive.com

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