A front-page story In the Times-Picayune about Tipitina’s being up for sale triggered all manner of speculation about the club’s Immediate future and what should be done with It (see Plugged In,” p. 34). According to co-owner/manager Mientje Green, the bottom line is:
The club is for sale, and has been for some time. The asking price is in the $675,000 range.
There are no plans to close Tipitina’s. If It doesn’t sell, says Mientje, she and husband Jim will continue to operate it for the foreseeable future.
Living in Houston with a successful coffee shop business and a new baby, the Greens say they are simply ready to get out of the local nightclub business–a business that has not been made any easier by competition from the House of Blues, Tip’s inability to retain a booking agent, problems (since resolved) with the licensing of the name “Tipitina’s,” the street construction around the club, and now, the change in the drinking age that makes it illegal to serve booze to persons under 21. So the Professor Longhair shrine, which was opened in 1977 by a consortium of local music fans, closed in 1984, and then re-opened in 1986 under the auspices of the Greens, does not appear to be in danger of closing anytime soon.
THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC … The Cutting Edge Music Business Conference, now In Its third year, gets underway on August 30, and runs through the Labor Day weekend until Sept. 3. A couple hundred bands, many from Louisiana, will showcase at nightclubs around town, hoping to be discovered by some of the national record Industry players the conference seeks to attract. Passes to the showcases, as well as the daytime panels at the Sheraton Hotel, are available. Call (504) 827-5700 for more Information.
Of more Interest to the casual music fan Is the conference’s free concert that will be staged In Woldenberg Park on Saturday- Sunday, Sept. 2-3. The line-up was not finalized at press time.
LET HIM TALK … Nineteen-year-old piano prodigy Davell Crawford will celebrate the release of his first proper CD, Let Them Talk, at the Louisiana Music Factory on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 2-4pm. The concert will be broadcast live on WWOZ. For more on Crawford’s new record, see “Crescent City Bounce” on p. 23.
IN MEMORIAL… In last month’s issue, we failed to note the June passing of Harry Mayronne Sr., 64, one of the behind-the-scenes players who helped to bring New Orleans music to the world.
Mr. Mayronne operated a Bourbon Street record store, The Jazz Center, in the 1950s, and worked for many years as a graphic artist. But In 1967, he started booking tours for the venerable Olympia Brass Band, which he continued to do up until the time of his death. He also worked with Charmaine Neville’s band, Pete Fountain, the Storyville Stompers, and the Basin Street Jazz Band, which his son, Harry Mayronne Jr., a pianist, leads.
Following his death from a heart attack, the senior Mr. Mayronne was honored with a traditional jazz funeral.
OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUTH … There’s more to Cowboy Mouth drummer Fred LeBlanc than the madman he becomes at gigs, as illustrated on his new eight-song solo CD, Dammit. LeBlanc has described Dammit as being extremely personal in nature. It is, a sort of homespun snapshot of his creative process. Liner notes describe the sometimes humble origins of each song (“recorded at home using the back of an acoustic guitar as a bongo”). The project was meant to be low-key and low-tech, but one whose insights fans of the band may well enjoy. Incidentally, Fred and the band, just off a string of West Coast dates opening for Hootie and the Blowfish, return to New Orleans for an Aug. 12 show at the House of Blues.
ERRATA … In last month’s column, the owner of Chemical City Records was misidentified. His name is Sam Irwin, not Sam Owen. You may recall that Chemical City’s debut release, a self-titled disc by Baton Rouge rock band Becky Sharp, was picked up by national label MCA. The write-up failed to mention that that album was produced by Chemical City’s Kevin Brashear.
JAZZ EATS … As part of the ongoing recognition of the approximate l00th anniversary of the birth of jazz, “Jazz Feast!,” a series of free lunchtime jazz concerts, will be held on Wednesdays throughout August. They include Jason Marsalis at the New Orleans Centre (Aug. 2), Greg Dawson & Crosswinds at Lafayette Square (9th), Reggie Houston and Amasa Miller at the New Orleans Centre (16th), Andrew Hall’s Society Jazz Band at Lafayette Square (23rd), and Joe Simon’s Jazz at the New Orleans Centre (30th).
IN BRIEF …A two-day music festival centered around a display of art from India will be staged at the New Orleans Museum of Art and the surrounding grounds on August 12-13, beginning at noon each day. Charmaine Neville, the Greater St. Stephen Choir, Bamboula 2000, Ancestro and other groups are scheduled to perform. Call 488-2631 for more info. . Through Aug. 19, you can catch Friday and Saturday night performances of Herb Garnder’s “A Thousand Clowns” at Theatre 13, on the 13th floor of 333 St. Charles. For reservations, call 524-3090.
Baseball fans who stick around after New Orleans Zephyrs games on some Fridays in August will be treated to free concerts at the UNO baseball field. Stavin’ Chain is scheduled to perform following the game on Aug. 11; shows with other bands are slated for the 18th and Sept. 1.
The Krewe of O.A.K. will stage its 10th annual Midsummer Mardi Gras celebration on Friday, Aug. 18, starting at the Maple Leaf at 9pm. The Krewe will march through Old Carrollton, stopping at Carrollton Station and Snake & Jake’s. Smilin’ Myron is the official band for the event.
The Louisiana Film Commission and the State Library of Louisiana are holding a statewide contest to find artwork for a forthcoming promotional compilation CD of Louisiana music. The contest is open to any student in Louisiana. Prizes will be awarded to the winning entry. Deadline is August 11. For more info, call (504) 342-8150.
Rock Against Racism will stage a concert at Cafe Istanbul on Saturday, Aug. 5, at 10pm. The line-up includes the funky Catawampus (from Kentucky) as well as local hip-hop artist Goldielox and rockers Dang Bruh Y. Admission is $4 or $3 with a non-perishable food item. For more info, call 861-2956.
City Lights nightclub in the Warehouse District is hosting Laughfest ’95, a multi-night comedy contest with cash prizes. Contest nights are Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26; the show starts at 8pm each night. Admission is $8. Call 888-4007 for more info.
