Posts
I'm finally all moved in, and for the most part adjusted. I will say it's a dream to be able to finally make a living playing music and dancing.
For those that don't know I moved into Jelly Roll Morton's childhood home New Orleans on Frenchmen st. and that can be a blog all by it's self. (it has been)
After Jelly Roll Morton's birth it's possibly he went to live with his father for a few years on Gravier st. But around 1895 he went to live with his Mom and Step father at this house on Frenchmen st.
It was at this house around 1900 that Jelly Roll started using his step dads Name "Morton". and about 1904 when Jelly Roll left New Orleans to Travel around the United States.
Living playing music and dancing among the New Orleans jazz clubs is a wonderful life, there is no other place like it on earth, and being able to share some dance history here is a great feeling.
Because it's New Orleans it doesn't take much to get people dancing, in their blood here like no other place i've been. Unfortunately, I haven't really been out to "Lindy social dances" which take in the Mid city (I've been corrected, they are also in Surrounding neighborhoods and since this was written another has started at the WW2 museum ).
[I have updated the information on the social Lindy locations, I incorrectly used the term "Suburbs", i apologies for my lack of geographically knowledge, and any harm it might have done]
I have continued to work traveling to festivals while at the same time moving to New Orleans. That's a tricky one to say the least, None the less this past season i was in France,Slovenia,Hungary and North Carolina. In Hungary i sat in on washboard with with Tamás Bényei Hot Jazz Band, in France I saw Dan Levenson from New York who has always been one of my favorite Clarinet players since the Rhythm Rascals recordings, and in Carolina over new years i played with the Loose Marbles who are from New Orleans and have been helping to lead back "old style" New Orleans jazz. Slovenia was more a vacation, aside from doing one workshop and some privates, it was hanging out with Katja and friends eating great food and sitting in a Absenthe bar called the Green Rabbit.
The Spring time is going to bring many more stories from here and abroad with Mardi Gras season starting up and a European tour on the Horizon.
Also, I have many articles on the shelf to share once i find the pics to go along with them!
Fantastic! You are living the history, in the history!
ReplyDeleteThe performance at Lindy Shock was amazing! As were the conversations with you about vintage clothing! I wish I knew as much about dancing and vintage jazz as you, but that is a feat that I will probably never master. Looking forward to seeing you again in Ljubljana in March!
ReplyDeleteHave you met Ben Jaffe (pres hall?) Also Bob French is a lot of fun to listen to.
ReplyDeleteNew Orleanians -- especially those of us who lived through Katrina and chose to come back in spite of everything -- are very sensitive and passionate about this city and our culture. It's _why_ we came back. I remember people crying (self included) at Dos jefes uptown in November 2005 when Sunpie played with a slapped together band and we were hearing live New Orleans music in New Orleans for the first time.
My perception of what's happened post-K is that musicians really began to grab ahold even more strongly of the threads that were already present but perhaps not as deeply appreciated as they are now. So we've got a really cool mix of people who have been here a while, the older guys, and younger guys coming in playing all sorts of variations of New Orleans styles.
well Put Scott,
ReplyDeleteYes, I know Ben, wow, he is an amazing player, so is Clint and all the Musicians at Pres.hall. But Pres Hall is obviously an exception being that they are in fact trying to preserve the Original Jazz in which New Orleans is Famous.
How many how many other bands can say they try and capture the teens and twenty's music as there sound...
You said it best in the last paragraph..
"So we've got a really cool mix of people who have been here a while, the older guys, and younger guys coming in playing all sorts of variations of New Orleans styles"
Yup I agree, and since Katrina there has become a scene around one of those "variations of New Orleans Styles" that had not existed before...that's all, and it's really cool!