Stormy Singing

It was Sunday, April 25th, and just as Jazz Fest was getting underway, the heavens opened up. That might have brought more people than normally would have been there into the tent where the Vintage Jazzmen of Paris with gospel singer Tori Robinson were starting up at 11:15 a. m. A lot of folks were almost certainly just trying to get out of the rain. “It’s God just showing us his power,” is the way Ms. Robinson greeted the crowd, and when she broke into “Hallelujah, Anyhow, Never Let Your Troubles Get You Down,” dozens of people, many of them drenched to the skin, immediately leapt to their feet and joyfully started second lining. There’s nothing unusual about folks dancing and marching in the Economy Hall tent. But to see so many high steppers start up so early in the day, and to hear such wonderful music booming out at us in the midst of a raging thunderstorm was one of those defining moments that keeps so many of us who live here constantly coming back for more. Only this time the sounds came not from our own locals, but from an expatriate singer from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and a band from Paris, France.—Steve Steinberg

 

Abbreviated Branford

The Jazz Tent was abuzz prior to saxophonist Branford Marsalis’ set—he might have had a casual attitude, but the crowd did not. Though there were up moments, provided greatly by the power of drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, what unfortunately sticks in the mind was the set’s sudden stop. The rhythm section was going full blast and we were ready for Marsalis’ horn to join the fray. Instead, he stepped to the microphone and announced his time was up. The stage manager assures that they would have allowed the saxophonist to wrap it up but he chose to end it. Mind-numbing.—Geraldine Wyckoff

 

Zig Zag

Zigaboo Modeliste kicked ass on the Sprint stage with Renard Poche laying down a grizzly layer of freakfunk Johnny Taylorized guitars. Zig’s usual compatriot Camile Baudoin was conspicuously absent from the other guitar chair, which was occupied by Chris Rossbach, the guitarist on Zig’s well-crafted new album, I’m On the Right Track. The band laid out behind some tricky licks from David Torkanowsky, who is everywhere one turns on the keys or the air, tenor saxophonics from Raymond Jennings and Zig ripping on skins and vox. “People Say,” played superfast, had the Zig-out stamp with a Zappa-esque flourish and a rain dance of a trombone solo from Mark Mullins on the out chorus.—John Swenson

 

Bonerama

It was very early in the morning to be blasted into submission by the loud brass of Bonerama, but it felt great. They were as on as I’ve ever seen them, whether it was Matt Perrine’s stop-sign red face during his sousaphone solo on trombonist Craig Klein’s new brass band hit “Get Your Rugulator Workin’” or guitarist Burt Cotton’s so-out-it’s-in solo on “Crosstown Traffic” that sounded like he was channeling James Blood Ulmer. On their final song, they took the old cliched warhorse “Whipping Post” and made it sound new with great dynamic shifts and Mark Mullins’ trombone blowing through a wah-wah pedal.—David Kunian

 

Gumbo Weather

The heavy rains and thin crowds that characterized Jazz Fest this year must have been terrible on the food vendors, but one silver lining to those cloudy days was a deeper appreciation for their heartier dishes. Thick gumbo and piping hot bisque are usually enjoyed in spite of the hot and shade-less Fair Grounds surroundings, but this year they were ordered up as an anecdote to soggy sneakers and chilly weather. Particularly rewarding was Prejean’s perennially excellent pheasant, quail and andouille gumbo, Jamila’s zucchini and crawfish bisque and the oyster Rockefeller bisque from caterer Food For Thought. Also, the beer stayed a bit colder for a bit longer, which has to count for something.—Ian McNulty