Springtime in New Orleans means festival time with the French Quarter Festival (April 10-12) and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the end of the month. Roadtrippers will be well rewarded by checking out the Festival International de Louisiane April 21-26 in Lafayette (consult our cover story). Meanwhile, that old spare parts pot is bubbling over…
NEW MUSIC FROM THE PARK DEPT… The Audubon Zoo’s annual JazzSearch competition will take place on April 4 and 5, with the finals on April 11 at the Hibernia Pavilion at the Zoo. Twelve semi-finalists were selected from a field of several dozen entries. Semi-finalists include (to perform on April 4): Lenny LaFever, Latteta, Tangent, Zaemon, Ace Hebert & the Blues Bandits and Gulfstream.
Performances of semi-finalists on April 5 are Deadeye Dick, Overload, Jim Messa with The Junior Mays Band, Michael Ward & Reward, The Bagdaddies and Anders Osborne. The winner will be selected on April 11 at the Zoo and will have the chance to perform at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Performances start at noon. Call 861-5102 for more info.
COVER STORY DEPT… Doug MacCash, a great local artist who’s done a slew of OffBeat covers, recently had his works featured in “Short Stories”, an exhibit of his paintings by the St. Tammany Art Association in Covington. ”Brass Angels,” which was the cover of the 1991-92 Louisiana Music Directory, was picked as the best work in the show by art critic John Kemp. Congratulations Doug!
SIGN UP NOW DEPT… The 1992-93 Louisiana Music Directory is now in production. The deadline for info for this year’s LMD has been moved up a month so the LMD can be distributed at the New Music Seminar in New York (June 17-21). If you want to be a part of this year’s LMD, fill out the form and return it to OffBeat by no later than June 1, 1992. Limited advertising space is available for music businesses and musical groups. Call Jan Ramsey at 504-522-5533 for more info on special rates.
MESSAGE FROM MONK DEPT… The CAC’s latest program for connoisseurs of fine music is “A Message From Monk.” Performances of Monk’s music are scheduled for 8 p.m. on April 3 and 4 at the CAC’s Freeport McMoRan Theater, and a workshop will be held on Friday, April 3, at UNO’s Performing Arts Complex. The concerts will feature a lively program of Thelonius Monk’s original arrangements as performed by UNO Jazz Studies Professor (and AFO Records producer) Harold Battiste and his AFO Orchestra: The Next Generation, plus special guest bassist Larry Gales. Gales’ 30-year career includes seven years performing as Monk’s bassist and recording stints with George Benson, Aretha Franklin and many others. Admission to the concerts is $10 for CAC members/students/seniors and $12 for non-members.
Admission to the workshop is free. For tickets and reservations, call the CAC box office at 528-3800.
CONGRATS DEPT… To Keith Spera, OffBeat‘s young Turk Associate Editor, who recently was published nationally in Music Express magazine. Also to Larry “Rockin’ Jake” Jacobs, OffBeat‘s primo ad sales man, who’s taken a job as Marketing Director for Charlie B’s. And welcome to our new ace salesguy, Jim Lavac.
And let’s give a cheer, finally, for the opening of Charlie B’s jazz club, just in time for Jazz Fest. The club, at 829 Convention Center Blvd., has parking just a half block away in the Fulton Street garage, or valet parking if you want to be that way. The room will seat 400 cabaret-style in a comfortable, upscale setting and will also serve food from 11 a.m. Breakfast will be served anytime and late night/early morning “Breakfast Jams” will follow scheduled performances on Fridays and Saturdays. Charlie B’ s will also have a Ticketmaster outlet.
The club will present “top flight New Orleans, national and international artists in a congenial, upscale milieu,” says Bering. ‘Bout time for a comfortable club where us older music freaks can sit down and listen to some great tunes.
LONG OVERDUE DEPT… The members of one of this town’s most popular bands, Tribe Nunzio, plan to have their first CD out by mid-April. Produced by Mark Bingham, Lies On Fire will feature 10 songs; word is that the band and Bingham created a special chemistry in the studio.
QUACK QUACK DEPT… Thanks to Anthony Eschmann, I saw a new aspect of Mardi Gras this year. Anthony, a founding member of the marching group The Ducks of Dixieland, invited me to bear their banner as the Ducks marched in the Tucks Parade. Since Pete Fountain was King of Tucks, I also got to wear a custom-made clarinet costume. The Ducks formed in 1985 and each year the ten members devise a theme for the Tucks Parade and a different gimmick while they waddle through the Quarter on Fat Tuesday. You may have caught them in the Quarter as “People Who Forgot to Duck,” doing ducky impersonations of such notables as Abe Lincoln, Goliath and Jayne Mansfield.
WRAP IT UP DEPT… Don’t miss the finals of the Abita Beer Open Blues Jam at Mid-City Bowling Lanes on Thursday April 9. Competing for a choice slot in the Rock ‘N’ Bowl Jazz Fest schedule will be The Red Hot and Blues Band, Tab Benoit’s Big Dogs, Veja Du, Willie Lockett’s Blues Krewe, Sunpie Blues & Zydeco Show and Anders Osborne Orchestra. Lots of goodies are given out as door prizes at these jams so get out and enjoy the final blowout.
Now here’s an art gallery scoop courtesy of Curtis Cottrell…
ARS GRATIA MUSICA DEPT… Walter Pater once observed that all art aspires to the condition of music. Painter Charles Norman and photographer Rick Olivier took this maxim quite literally when they conceived a new gallery dedicated to the portrayal of Louisiana music.
The first exhibit will include pop art prints on wood by Peter Mars and the multi-media expressionism of David Rex-Joiner. An extra dimension is added with the inclusion of furniture, such as a “Redfish Table” and a nightstand in homage to James Booker, with piano keys in the drawer. Other artifacts include goodtime headgear by Oliver of Circ de Ville and modern primitive jewelry made from rattlesnake and human bones by Nance Smith of Necromance. Native Naïve (5207 Magazine) officially opens Saturday night, April 4th, with soundscaping provided by Enoch Light Presents… Call 899-5004 for details.
JAZZ FEST DRESS REHEARSAL DEPT… If you’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of Jazz Fest, WTUL has a warm-up for you. WTUL, the non-profit radio station of Tulane University, is holding its 22nd Annual Rock-On Survival Marathon on April 3rd, 4th and 5th. The activities begin at noon on the 3rd with one of three lucky DJs taking the mic for 24 hours, playing pledge requests. Other DJs will come in Saturday and Sunday to fulfill the Marathon concept.
The Rock-On part of the weekend begins Saturday at noon. At least seven bands a day will play in the Tulane Quad. A $2 fee grants you admission to food and crafts booths, as well the likes of Tribe Nunzio, The Phantoms, Marva Wright, and more on Saturday. The nighttime fun rolls on as the second DJ continues to play pledge requests from the Quad. Don’t be afraid to stop in and say hi—DJs don’t bite till well after thirty hours on the air. Sunday, the bands start up again at noon, with Union Station, Percussion Inc., Cowboy Mouth, and Dash Rip Rock plus others.
The next four days feature benefit shows at clubs. The ‘TULBox rocks Tip’s Monday night with Lush and Poster Children.
The money from the Marathon and the shows goes to the station. Even though ‘TUL is nonprofit, it still needs money to run.
Local talent get support from ‘TUL, proven by the bands appearing at the Marathon, but it doesn’t stop there. ‘TUL plays a cut from a local artist each hour. Also, ‘TUL has a New Orleans Show from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday. Besides playing only Crescent City music, the station usually has local entertainment-type persons as guest DJs. If any artists out there have tapes ready, get in touch with the New Orleans Music Director at WTUL (504-865-5887).
Look for a fundraiser from WWOZ April 3 – 12. I know that’s a lot of fundraising, but both stations are well worth the effort.
Whew, time for me to de-part… see you at the Fairgrounds!! I’ll be riding the Gray Line Jazz Fest Express… it’s the best way to get there!
WE HAVEN’T GOT THE BLUES… Kat Stratton has taken a vacation from “Blues News”, her monthly blues column. The column should resume next month.
Due to an editing error, March’s “Blues News” implied that guitarist Ronnie Earl records for Antone’s Records. Many years ago, he did. But Earl’s last six albums have been on New Orleans-based Black Top Records. Sorry about that, guys.
