First there was the Civil War TV series and then there was Baseball, offering an epic glimpse into the great American soul. Now, historical filmmaker Ken Burns, whose programs have attracted record PBS audiences, is focusing his panoramic lens on the history of jazz. The new series, slated to premier next summer, will inevitably spark a new level of popular interest in the subject and more firmly establish the status of jazz as a central mythic and cultural component of American identity, but as far as New Orleans is concerned, most of the attention will likely be paid to the early period of this century.
Not so with Jazz Dreams, another fascinating documentary being produced by Geoffrey Poister and Intercultural Film Associates which follows the lives of three young, emerging jazz artists in present-day New Orleans. The story focuses on drummer Jason Marsalis, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and 16-year-old composer/pianist Courtney Bryan, who is in her last year at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Unfolding over a year’s time, the documentary will chronicle the challenges and successes each musician faces as they embark on a difficult career and also the intricate family, educational and social networks which have nurtured them.
“By looking at young, promising musicians in New Orleans we are not only documenting the social process that creates jazz music today, but we are looking at the future of jazz,” Poister says. “One of the purposes of this film is to show how young people can be inspired to develop passion and commitment to something if they are nurtured by parents and teachers in the right environment. Another is to show the valuable contribution African-Americans have made, and continue to make, to American culture.”
Of course, the film’s title invites comparisons to Hoop Dreams, a documentary which achieved notoriety a few years back detailing several kids’ desperate struggles to escape poverty through professional basketball. “I chose the name because this film has similar themes and structure,” says Poister. “I am following people over time and there are themes about young people who have great ambition, but the comparisons pretty much stop there and I’m hoping that people won’t look for too many other parallels.
“What I’m trying to do is contrast Irvin and Jason’s entry into the world of performing professionally with some of the high school kids at NOCCA who are in the embryonic stage. NOCCA is a major part of the story because it shows the development. Irvin and Jason came out of there, as did Wynton and Branford [Marsalis] and many other famous musicians. I’m trying to show the environment that brings that out, the inter-generational connection. One of the things that Irvin pointed out in one of the interviews, which I think is very poignant, is that jazz is different from other forms of music because you really have to respect your ancestors, and that part of becoming a good jazz musician is really understanding the musicians who came before you. And that’s really the theme of the whole story, how the tradition is passed on and there’s a lot of respect between generations. It’s a relationship between generations that you usually don’t see in America.”
The hour-long film, which has been partially funded by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, will continue shooting through next spring and is scheduled for release next fall.
On the subject of NOCCA, the new, $22-million facility in the 9th ward should be completed by Thanksgiving, according to Sally Perry, Executive Director of the NOCCA Institute, the private, non-profit group which raised $7-million for construction and programs. The question is whether students and staff will be allowed to occupy the space at that time, thanks to an unresolved dispute between the Orleans Parish School Board and the state.
“It’s an ownership and power issue,” Perry says. The state, which put up $17-million for construction, expects to retain ownership of the site, while the Orleans Parish School Board recently said it wouldn’t allocate the $3-million annual operating budget unless ownership was transferred to the School Board. As for the NOCCA Institute, Perry says, “We just want to get the facility fully funded so it can live up to its full potential.”
The School Board recently decided to form a “Community Committee” to discuss the issue, a move which skeptics say will only delay the process further. Meanwhile, NOCCA’s 295 students continue to attend classes in the old building on Perrier Street.
Those who question the connection between NOCCA and the future of jazz should go check out young trumpeter Christian Scott. Scott, who currently attends NOCCA, joined his Uncle Donald Harrison, Jr.’s band at Sweet Lorraine’s on October 8th and dazzled the audience with a surpassingly rich tone, good technique and expressive ideas. It would have been a solid performance by an artist of any age, but was all the more impressive because Scott has only been playing trumpet for three years.
Harrison and his band (which also included drummer Ricky Sebastian and bassist Chris Severin), were in top form, aided by the new club’s warm acoustics (now absent of all reverb and much improved from my first visit). Sweet Lorraine’s continues to offer live jazz with Quintology on October 29th, Betty Shirley on the 30th, Harry Rios & Los Monstros on November 5th, Walter Payton on the 13th and Ed Perkins on the 19th.
Jazz Walk of Fame
A groundbreaking ceremony took place on October 20th for a “Jazz Walk of Fame” which will be located on the Westbank levee adjacent to the Algiers Point ferry terminal. Once completed next year, the interactive exhibit sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz Centennial Celebration (NOJCC) will feature a series of French Quarter-type street light standards, each displaying a street sign bearing the name of a jazz legend and pictures and a biography of the artist in the light’s window panes. The standards will be equipped with a push-button activated “sound-clip” of the artist’s music and a brief audio description of the artist’s contribution to jazz. For more information, contact the NOJCC at 504-835-5277.
November Events
On the 7th at House of Blues, Los Hombres Calientes celebrates the release of their second recording “Volume 2” (see feature story this issue). On hand will be a string quartet from the Louisiana Philharmonic and many special guests. Snug Harbor also hosts a three night Los Hombres Calientes stint November 26-28.
McCoy Tyner graces the stage at Storyville District, November 19th and 20th. Tyner, one of the greatest living jazz pianists, played in John Coltrane’s most famous group and his trio, composed of bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott, continues to amaze audiences. This is the first time that Storyville has hosted a jazz luminary of Tyner’s stature, hopefully a trend which will continue.
On November 20th and 21st, Snug features a rare local appearance by Patricia Barber, a singer-songwriter/pianist who has made international waves in the last few years. Her transfixing, “whispering soul” jazz/pop style became an above-ground phenomenon with the release of Café Blue and Modern Cool, and she’s currently touring to promote a new live album, Companion (see Reviews). Snug also features Costa Rican sensation Manuel Obregon November 4th, Mose Allison on the 6th and 7th, and Jason Marsalis’ quintet on the 14th.
Some of you may not know that saxophonist Tim Green is now part of spontaneous composition group 3 Now 4, along with bassist James Singleton, drummer Johnny Vidacovich and pedal-steel guitarist Dave Easley. They play Funky Butt November 4th, and with these guys you never know what to expect, although it’s always an incredibly atmospheric trip. The Butt also features the Jonathan Lefcoski Trio (which includes Jason Marsalis and Roland Guerin) every Monday night and the Funky Butt All-Stars (with Steve Masakowski, Rebecca Barry, Singleton and others) on the 5th.
Starting November 16th, drummer Stanton Moore, most famous for his work with Galactic, will start a regular Tuesday night gig at the Old Point Bar in Algiers (when he’s not on the road with Galactic). Billed as “Stanton Moore and Friends,” it’s clear that this will be an informal gig where you never know who might show up, since Moore’s “Friends” range from Charlie Hunter to members of the Klezmer All-Stars. The drummer lives in Algiers and says he hopes the gig provides a good place for him to stretch out in his neighborhood joint, while also offering a new and different “hang” for the local scene.
