This is a short post because I only saw the Wardell Quezergue section with Tony Owens, Jean Knight, Tammy Lynn, Mac Rebennack and more. Before Tammy Lynn, Nick Spitzer introduced “the New AFO Executives” as Rebennack, Zigaboo Modeliste and Herbert Hardesty walked onstage, continuing the New Orleans traditions of keeping band names alive even when there are no original members in the band (Zion Harmonizers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band), but it was tough to argue with the band. Quezergue’s band rolls back the clock to the glory days of New Orleans R&B, but no matter how hard he tries to dial back, Modeliste can’t help but be funky, so the groove was a little more modern. Some songs it helped, but it hurt one of the set’s draws – Dr. John on guitar to play the instrumental “Storm Warning.”

The song is a Bo Diddley re-write with Rebennack playing sheets of heavily tremolo’ed guitar. With the song re-grooved and the guitar more sensibly played, “Storm Warning” became a little pedestrian. More effective were other songs from the same era, “Junco Partner” and Jerry Byrne’s “Lights Out.”

For me, one of the best things about the Stomp is the moment that happens yearly when someone who has toiled largely in obscurity for the last 20, 30 or 40 years suddenly has a hot band behind him or her and an audience that goes nuts – maybe moreso than any ever did. Last night that star time moment was slightly recast when OffBeat contributor Mike Hurtt sang a few songs. Hurtt and his band, the Haunted Hearts, are a part of the Stomp entourage, regularly backing Jay Chevalier and the country and hillbilly singers. Last night, he sang flanked by Hardesty and Dr. John, with Zig behind him and Quezergue leading the band, and it was pretty clearly a lifetime moment for him.

I took a break from the main stage to see Lazy Lester on the House of Blues patio, where he played backed by a drummer and Li’l Buck Sinegal. Lester took the guitar and sang Merle Haggard’s “Wanted Man” in the key of L Sharp, in process making Sinegal’s guitar sound like it fell out of the back of a speeding pickup.

After that, it was an hour-plus until Mary Weiss and I decided I’d rather see my wife since I want to hang around longer tonight.