TAKE ME BACK!!!

In my late 30s Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble at "The Barn" re-lit the fire, GOVT Mule and Widespread Panic stoked the fire but New Orleans (the city and all that goes with it) ran a tanker truck filled with gasoline right into that fire and it exploded into an insatiable desire for Good Ol' Funky Music!!!  Upon leaving New Orleans in May, I knew that I had to be back a few times per year. In the meantime, I fed my jones for music by hitting more concerts this summer than many professional musicians (at one point I had a 10 day stretch with 7 shows).  The summer has ended with a pilgrimage back to NOLA.  This time, it was with my brother and two friends for the last weekend in September.  The others allowed me to create the itinerary with a few requirements such as make sure we get to hear some jazz and get  reservations at Clancy's. 

We rolled in on Thursday, dropped our bags off and headed over to Coop's Place for some of the real deal NOLA grub.  Red Fish Meuniere, Red Beans and Rice, Fried Chicken, Fried Crawfish and of course Gumbo was just what we needed to get it started.  Everything about it was right...comfort food with that extra bit of funk.  We topped it off with a walk down the street to have Beignets and Frozen Coffee from Cafe Du Monde (no apologies for being a tourist).  What a way to get the engine started.

As late afternoon approached, it was time to get our funk on.  On the agenda for the evening was a trip to Armstrong Park for a free concert then, Kermit Ruffins at Vaughan's and finally off to the Maple Leaf for the Trio.  Armstrong Park was a last minute addition and I was nervous that the rest of the guys wouldn't like the lineup of The Stooges Brass Band, Jason Neville with Russell Batiste and Friends with the Wild Tchoupitoulas.  The Stooges got up and played there asses off.  Like the best of young New Orleans, they combined Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop and Rock.  In NOLA, it is not about the style of music, it is just a  matter of whether or not it is good. Russell Batiste followed suit and brought on a funky arrangement with Jason Neville (son of Aaron Neville) on vocals.  The real treat was seeing the Wild Tchoupitoulas, Mardi Gras Indians, get on stage and perform classics like Meet the Boys on the Battlefront.  We got the night started right.

Being a bit tired and hungry, we called an audible, skipped Vaughan's and went to Jacque-Imo's for dinner before seeing The Trio at the Maple Leaf.    The Trio is an act that has a rotating cast but almost always includes New Orleans beat poet, character and solid drummer Johnny Vidacovich.  This night Johnny Sansone was joining Johnny V on stage to sing, play harp and play accordion. This combination of musicians hadn't played together before and they kept the music pretty simple. While I enjoyed myself, this wasn't the hot nasty funk we came to New Orleans for. The other guys really didn't like The Trio so we called it a night after about 4-5 songs.

These three days were a binge.....nasty, funky and flavorful.  I knew before I left that I would eat like I was facing the electric chair and get about as much sleep as if I was studying for finals.  We ate at restaurants like Boucherie (where after saying "OH MY GOD!" so many times, the statement was made "there are no atheists at Boucherie"), Couchon, Dante's Kitchen and Clancy's.  The next night started with a trip to Preservation Hall to listen to some traditional New Orleans Jazz led by Leroy Jones.  Then off to get some funk with the New Orleans Suspects at The Maple Leaf.  The Suspects are comprised of members of The Neville Brothers Band ("Mean" Willie Green-Drums), James Brown Band (Jeff Watkins-Sax), Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Jake Eckert-Guitar) and the Radiators (Reggie Scanlan-Bass).   These men lit it up, covering the classic dirty NOLA sound with originals and covers.  They bring a synergy of sound that is both the combination of all their previous projects but also something that is their own being rounded off with keys and vocals by CR Gruver.    Watch for their star to rise in the New Orleans scene.



The highlight of the weekend was going to Tipitina's for Fess' House Party New Orleans Style- A benefit to preserve and renovate the boyhood home of Henry Roeland Byrd AKA Professor Longhair or Fess.  Tipitina's -which is a bar named after one of Fess' songs- had New Orleans legendary bass player George Porter Jr (founding member of The Meters, 7 Walkers, Runnin' Pardners and countless studio sessions and sit ins) as the musical director.  George recruited his most recent project The Runin' Pardners as the house band.  The first set was a tribute to Fess and the boogie-woogie meets rhythm & blues sound that many associate with New Orleans....some may even call this sound the foundation of Rock & Roll.  After a few tunes, George called Ed "Zeke" Volker of the Radiators out of retirement and on stage to play some of Fess' music.  Zeke also played his tribute to Fess called Long Hard Journey Home.  Then it was time for John Cleary (Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Bonnie Raitt and John Scofield) to take over on the keys.  John's sound is so purely New Orleans that it's hard to believe he is actually as English as the queen herself.  Tip's was on fire and it was time to chill out a bit so George called up Ellis Marsalis, the patriarch of the Marsalis family to play the piano on a few Jazz tunes. As Marsalis walked off the stage George screamed "IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE!!!!?"  Sure enough, there was.  The next generation of Professor Longhair sound is embodied in Mac "Dr John" Rebennack.  Dr John took the stage and the piano with all the attitude that a musician of his stature should. He sat right down and went into a smoking cover of Tipitina.  This is the one that made the trip all worth it.  If it was just this highlight for the weekend, I would have called it a success.  If you have read my blog before, I have defined a high point where the band and audience come together for a climactic experience that I call "the moment"...this was "the moment".  After about 5 tunes and calling John Cleary back on stage the set was over. 

For those that aren't familiar with Fess, here is a little clip from a party that was thrown by Paul and Linda McCartney in 1978:

George let us know not to go anywhere, that he would be back for some "Tie -Die"; his way of telling us that he was going to get funky on the next set.  George put a legendary set together with his Runnin Pardners.  They played Runnin Pardners originals, Meters tunes and a few New Orleans classics such as Oop Poo Pah Doo.



The show had to come to an end but the rest of my middle aged raging friends and I were not ready.  So we hopped a cab back to The Maple Leaf  and caught the end of the 2nd night for the New Orleans Suspects. One early morning meal, a two hour nap and back to the airport for home.   For many this is where they would say that they had their fill and need a rest.   Well, this 9 course degustation of pure NOLA goodness just fanned the fire of my funk appetite......TAKE ME BACK!!!!