Today was certainly nothing like yesterday. The sun was shining brightly this morning and the sky was a cloudless blue. The high temperature today was only around 80, but with the lack of clouds it felt much warmer. When we were out this evening the temperature was still around 73.
It was very breezy last night as we walked back from Snug Harbor, and the wind was even stronger overnight. It calmed down to 8 to 10 mph during the day, but that breeze, along with the bright sunshine, helped dry the Fair Grounds out nicely.
Everything was on schedule this morning as we got ourselves ready to go, met Rachel, and boarded the shuttle bus at the Sheraton. We were at Jazz Fest and through the security and ticket scanners in the proper location very quickly, with plenty of time to have some food. Here are today's cubes, full of great choices for listening.
Food! Alligator sausage po'boy
Jeff
Had Before: Day 5 last year; other Vaucresson sausages (mostly crawfish) six times.
Jazz Fest has changed a lot since George Wein thought to replicate his Newport Folk and Jazz festivals in New Orleans at Congo Square 50 years ago. But from the beginning, one thing has been constant: the Vaucresson family has been selling their sausage po'boys.
Levinsky Vaucresson, a butcher, emigrated to New Orleans from France in 1899. He had a stall in the St. Bernard Market, one of the public markets that dotted New Orleans. His grandson, Sonny, remained in the family's butcher business and from 1967 to 1974 also ran Vacuresson's Creole Cafe on Bourbon Street. Wein was a regular at the restaurant, which is how the Vaucressons became Jazz Fest vendors.
Sonny died in 1998, but his youngest son Vance still runs the sausage business. You'll find Vance at the Fair Grounds, still selling po'boys with hot sausage, alligator sausage, and crawfish sausage, just like his family has for half a century.
This is just the second year they have offered the excellent alligator sausage po'boy, but the gator is certainly on the same level as the other two sausages. You can even get a platter with all three. Put some Creole mustard on them and enjoy!
Food! Red beans and rice
Laurie
Had Before: Day 8 in 2014, Day 9 in 2015, Day 8 in 2016, Day 8 in 2017, and Day 9 last year.
Judy Burks and Morris Douglas have been serving red beans and rice with sausage at Jazz Fest for more than 40 years. They added the vegetarian option in the 1990s. Burks takes a lot of pride in her recipe and uses only the finest ingredients, preparing them in advance and storing them in large plastic bags to await their entry into large pots of beans and rice at the Fair Grounds. Read about Judy Burks and her red beans and rice here.
Diassing Kunda
Jeff and Laurie in the Blues Tent
Seen Before: First Time!
Diassing Kunda, from Senegal in West Africa, leads a band that plays traditional Senegalese music. Their visit to Jazz Fest this year marked their international debut. While Afrobeat is becoming very popular, this group's sound, with traditional drumming, sets it apart from the well known cross-over groups from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The group consists of three drummers, two of whom are sitting down playing two drums each, all traditional instruments. The third stands in front with a whistle and every now and then just takes off and explodes the whole thing. Standing next to him is Diassing, who plays a traditional kora and sings. It is simply remarkable, something you more than likely have never seen before.
Here is my video from today, and here is another from this morning's performance. And here is a short video without the horrorific sound of the Blues Tent.
One of the joys of Jazz Fest is the opportunity to see people like this. We made a quick stop at the WWOZ Tent and then made our way to the Fais Do Do stage.
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Jeff and Laurie at the Fais Do Do stage
Seen Before: Day 4 in 2013, Day 8 in 2015, Day 2 in 2016, Day 3 in 2017.
Steve Riley and his band, comprised of Kevin Wimmer on fiddle, Sam Broussard on guitar, Brazos Huval on the bass, and Kevin Dugas on drums, play great modern Cajun music.
Riley mostly plays accordion but is also accomplished on the fiddle, and he and Wimmer do some astonishing duets on both instruments. On keyboards today was Chris Stafford, who leads Feufollet, another favorite Cajun band. Melete Terry and Alena Savoy provide backing vocals.
Audio/Video Here's my video of Steve and the band, and here is another one from today. (I swear this dylanjames guy and I follow each other around the Fair Grounds.) Munck Music has a sample of every song in today's set here.
The earlier in the day Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are on, the better, for when they are on later in the day the crowd at the Fais Do Do stage is huge. Today this was early enough that it was a really pleasant experience. At this point Laurie split for the Gentilly stage, while I headed to Economy Hall.
Bonerama
Laurie at the Gentilly stage
Seen Before: Day 4 in 2014, Day 9 in 2017 and Day 4 last year. Also at Tipitina's on Day 5 in 2013 and at the Hamilton in DC in June 2013.
What's not to like about a rock band led by three trombones, whose latest album consists of covers of Led Zeppelin songs? Not a dang thing, that's what. The trombonists are Mark Mullins, Craig Klein, and Greg Hicks. Bert Cotton plays guitar, Matt Perrine plays bass guitar and sousaphone, and Walt Lundy is on the drums.
Audio/Video: Can't find anything from Jazz Fest, but here's 35 minutes from the Louisiana Music Factory during Jazz Fest this year. Here’s a link to a playlist with the Led Zeppelin covers.
After this Laurie headed to the Acura stage by way of the WWOZ tent.
Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble
Jeff, in Economy Hall
Seen Before: First Time!
This band provided yet another completely unique New Orleans music experience, and a bit of a history lesson as well. Its stated purpose is to recover the heroic era of classic jazz and to restore it to its original luster. You might think that a band bearing such a stodgy name and pursuing such a serious documentary purpose would make music that comes out stiff, or at best tame by present day standards. Not so. The band's members have a loose, easy relationship. The tempos are relaxed, and there is none of the anxious rushing that takes over most groups that attempt this kind of period jazz. By getting the tempos right and feeling at home in them, the ensemble brings out some of the charms of New Orleans jazz that have been buried under repeated modernization.
As the band peeled away layers of mass-market popularization, they found a more vital, more energetic, more infectious kind of music than what today is known as "Dixieland" jazz. Their performance has none of the hackneyed standards that purveyors of Dixieland-as-tourist-business never seem to tire of grinding out. The late Danny Barker, the iconic New Orleans-born banjo player who was an alumnus of the Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Duke Ellington bands, said, "Listening to them carries me back to my early playing days in New Orleans. They really have the sound."
The band was founded by Fred Starr, who plays clarinet and tenor sax. He played on the Mississippi riverboats beginning in 1957 and is the biographer of New Orleans' premier composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk. David Boeddinghaus plays piano. He is classically trained and has also performed with Leon Redbone and Banu Gibson. John Joyce plays drums. He is a Juilliard-trained musicologist, veteran of Pete Fountain's band, and editor of The Jazz Archivist at Tulane University. Fred Lonzo plays trombone. He is a veteran of the Young Tuxedo and the Olympia brass bands and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the leading exponent of the New Orleans "tailgate" style of trombone playing. Robert Nunez plays tuba. He's a fourth-generation New Orleans jazzman and also a member of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. John Parker plays banjo, Charlie Fardella plays cornet, Duke Heitger plays trumpet, and Tom Fischer plays alto sax and clarinet.
Audio/Video: Here's my video from this afternoon. Here is a full performance from 2017 with interviews, and here is a YouTube playlist with a complete album.
If you looked at the video, you already know, but I had a lousy view of this band, as the only seat I could find was way off to the side. It wasn't so bad because I had a great view of Fred Lonzo, who is absolutely incredible to watch on the trombone.
After spending some time in Economy Hall, I, too, headed off to the Acura stage, but I approached the field from the back and decided to sit on the bleachers. The long day and late night yesterday really took a toll.
Tab Benoit
Jeff and Laurie at the Acura stage
Seen Before: Day 9 in 2013, Day 11 in 2015, Day 3 in 2016, Day 11 in 2017, and Day 5 last year. Also at the Rock 'n' Bowl on Day 4 in 2014 and at the State Theater in Falls Church in May 2015. We also have seen him with his Voice of the Wetlands all-star band on Day 3 in 2013, Day 9 in 2015, Day 8 in 2017, and Day 4 last year. Needless to say, we like Tab!
We also like the astonishing bass of Corey Duplechin and the drumming of Terrance Higgins. with Tab, there's no swapping of guitars, no delays for tuning. Just music. He is one of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from South Louisiana, born in Baton Rouge and raised in Houma, where he still lives today. Laurie was in the crowd down front while I basked in the Louisiana sunshine on the bleachers, listening to Tab's great music from the bayou.
At a young age, Tab was exposed to the traditional Cajun waltzes and the country music broadcast on his hometown's only radio station. His father was a musician, and the family home was filled with various instruments. He began playing drums but switched to guitar because the only gigs to be had in rural Louisiana were in churches and at church fairs, and organizers would not allow loud drums to be played at these events.
In the late 1980s, Tab began hanging out at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas (father of Chris Thomas King). He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, leading to a whole lot of recordings and a whole lot of touring. He has kept up a touring schedule of some 250 shows a year for more than 20 years.
Around 2000, Tab began using his music to bring attention to Louisiana's coastal erosion. He began to spend more time in the wetlands and it was there he began to write songs and develop his own original sound and style. He founded the Voice of the Wetlands non-profit organization in 2004 and put together the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars and an annual festival in Houma.
Audio/Video: Here's my view of Tab's show from the bleachers and here is something from closer in, down where Laurie was. Here is an outstanding complete show from the Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival later this year.
Did I mention that we like Tab? OK then. I don't know how or where we met, but we ended up together at the Fais Do Do stage for the last part of the set by Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
Jeff and Laurie at the Fais Do Do stage
Seen Before: Day 4 in 2017 and Day 5 last year
This member of the legenday Dopsie family of zydeco musicians is known as the Jimi Hendrix of the accordion, and there is nothing else you need to know (except for what's at the links above). With the wildman scrub board player Paul Lefleur and Dee Fleming on drums, Dion Pierre on bass, Brandon David on guitar, and Reggie Smith Jr. on saxophone, this was yet another nonstop zydeco party that featured Dopsie and LaFleur leading a second line in the crowd. We weren't close enough to participate in that, but it was a wild time nonetheless.
Audio/Video: Here is my video from today's show, and here is a whole concert from the Simi Valley Cajun and Blues Fest in 2014. This Munck Music page has a brief audio sample of every song in today's set.
Dopsie never disappoints. As this performance ended we headed next door to the Congo Square stage. There's a nice path leading from Fais Do Do to Congo, and on it we somehow managed to bump into Rachel. The three of us worked our way into the throng there just as Karl Denson's Tiny Universe was getting cranked up.
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Jeff and Laurie at the Congo Square stage
Seen before: First time!
Denson and his band are a high-energy bunch who mix modern jazz with hard rock on top of a funky beat. From the second they hit the stage, besides blowing and playing tight, synchronized arrangements on their horns, guitars, and keyboards, they are also showing some pretty nifty dance steps.
From choreographed steps and sashays in tandem with Denson, trumpeter Chris Littlefield slipped into free-form dancing with various other musicians on stage before joining up with Denson again to finish their routine. It's totally infectious.
Besides Denson, who sings and plays sax and flute, and Littlefield, the Tiny Universe is guitarist D.J. Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, and slide and lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman. Each of them shine in their own right as they play in constant communication with one another, a seamless polyrhythmic show of great musicianship. It's rocking (but not rock) soul music laced with modern jazz.
Denson powers everything around him while playing his tenor saxophone and flute or picking up a cowbell or tambourine. He's an extraordinary performer, sincere from start to finish in his ebullient delivery and energetic danceable antics. Littlefield, too, alternates between singing, dancing, blowing, and tapping out percussion. Between the two of them, it's hard to watch the rest of the band.
In addition to leading the Tiny Universe and recording on his own, Denson for the past five years has played with the Rolling Stones, taking over on the sax when Bobby Keys had to leave the band.
Denson has recorded a dozen albums since 1992 as a solo artist and as the leader of Tiny Universe. He has been featured on albums by several Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, including the Allman Brothers Band and Steve Winwood in addition to the Stones. His other credits include recordings with such jazz and funk greats as Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Fred Wesley and the jam bands Slightly Stoopid and Gov’t Mule. And he's recorded extensively with funk-rock star Lenny Kravitz, who personally recommended Denson to Mick Jagger.
"My gig with Tiny Universe is my gig and I work the whole gig. With the Rolling Stones, I'm on stage between a third and a quarter of the time," Denson said. "And, really it's the funniest thing. I mean, with the Rolling Stones I couldn't care less that we're playing in front of 60,000 people — it's the fact that I'm on stage with those four guys. I'm as excited as the crowd is to see those guys, you know, so I'm just up there as a part of it. My feeling, always, when I'm on stage with the Stones is really, I'm just like: 'There's Mick Jagger dancing around! There's Keith Richards! Ronnie Wood just came over and watched me play a solo and Charlie Watts is giving me a smile,' or whatever. So it's just those four guys."
Denson first attracted the attention of music fans in 1993 as a member of the acid-jazz band Greyboy Allstars, with whom he still does annual reunion tours. His debut solo album, the hard-bop-fueled Blackened Red Snapper (video here), had been released a year earlier.
Although jazz remains his first love, Denson favors a groove-intensive funk and rock style with Tiny Universe. And while his saxophone practice regimen still includes jazz classics, Denson now focuses on the blues, the music that gave birth to jazz, rock, soul, funk, and much more.
"As a kid growing up in Orange County, I never really got the blues, because I was a jazz guy, and I didn't really understand it. But probably 20 years ago, when I became an actual blues fan, it was because I watched a Howlin' Wolf documentary and that totally put my head on a swivel. I was just like 'Whoa!' When you hear vintage Wolf songs like "Smokestack Lightning" or "Shake for Me" and think about how long ago that was ... it just blows my mind because those songs are so right now. ...
"I realized how deep that whole blues thing is. The blues mean you're feeling real things. If you can feel for yourself, then you can feel for other people. I've always thought the idea behind my music was to make people happy, because that's what it does for me."
Audio/Video Here is my video from Congo Square today, and here they are doing "Tumbling Dice" later in today's show. For more, here is a complete concert from earlier this year. And if you want even more, here is a three-hour extravaganza from Tipitina's during Jazz Fest this year with awesome Naughty Professor as the warm-up band. And you can find tons more Tiny Universe music on this Archive.org page.
We were going to be heading off in different directions for awhile but wanted to catch a couple more blues rock sets before doing so.
Chris Thomas King
Jeff and Laurie in the Blues Tent
Seen Before: Day 2 in 2014 and Day 10 in 2015.
I've talked about Chris Thomas King before, and you can read all about him on the blog pages linked above. Instead, please settle down and read an excerpt from his book, where he tells the story about when his father, the great Tabby Thomas, decided to open a blues club, the aforementioned Tabby's Blues Box in Baton Rouge.
And if you're really in a reading mood, here's a great article from Living Blues magazine.
Audio/Video: I wasn't in a good place to get any video today, so instead here are 1, 2, 3 from a club called Ana O'Brien's in Honolulu.
We caught a couple of songs from King and thn moved on to the Grandstand and the quirky little Lagniappe stage.
Alvin "Youngblood" Hart's Muscle Theory
Jeff and Laurie at the Lagniappe stage
Seen Before: Day 2 in 2016 and Day 9 in 2017
This guy has become a favorite. Hart, with Bill Blok on bass and Rickey Shelton on drums, plays very grungy Hill Country blues, and it's right in my wheelhouse as far as music is concerned. Plus they are a power trio, also my favorite. It's a literal explosion of music that creates a blurred line of blues, roots, and rock. They bend the strings, drop the groove, and provide an excellent, very eclectic music experience.
Audio/Video: Here is my video from today, and here's a full concert from later this year at the Summertime Blues Festival in Castellammare del Golfo, which is near Palermo in Sicily.
I'm not sure why Jazz Fest put this great band on the Lagniappe stage when they have been in the Blues Tent previously. It's hard to get a good view of a band on this stage and there is a lot of commotion, although the sound is better than the big tent. Regardless, Hart and Muscle Theory are always a treat.
Laurie headed off to the WWOZ tent and the Acura stage, while I was going to do some sampling around a full performance in the Jazz Tent.
Kathy Taylor and Favor
Jeff, in the Gospel Tent
Seen Before: Day 2 in 2017
Kathy Taylor is a gospel singer from Houston. She started her music career in 1999 as a soloist with the legendary James Cleveland's Gospel Music Workshop of America. Since then she has become an accomplished national recording artist, minister of music, songwriter, producer, and community activist. She has a powerful voice and she and her Favor ensemble together make some wonderful harmonies.
Taylor is Minister of Music at Windsor Village United Methodist Church, a post that she has held for some 30 years. It is the largest United Methodist Church in America, with more than 15,000 members, and Taylor oversees a massive music and arts department that has more than 1,200 staff members and volunteers.
The innovative programs she has developed have set a new standard for music ministry. These include a series on the sacred music of Duke Ellington (presented with an orchestra, actors, and dancers) and an annual worship arts and music conference.
Continuing a family legacy of community involvement, Taylor founded a summer youth program committed to empowering socially and economically challenged youth. This unique program has served as a springboard for several local youth to enjoy opportunities with a number of national organizations.
Here is my video of Kathy Tyalor in the Gospel Tent today, and here is a "Trust in the Lord" medley that's got some serious gospel revival going on.
While I was in the Gospel Tent, Laurie moved on from the WWOZ tent to the Acura stage. Despite the gospel detour I was really on my way to the Jazz Tent.
Foundation of Funk
Laurie, at the Acura stage
Seen Before: First time!
This project teams Meters founders George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste with Ivan and Ian Neville and Tony Hall of Dumpstaphunk along with the some horns.
Audio/Video: Here is Fire on the Bayou from today's set at the Acura stage, and here is a complete performance from last summer's Lockn' Festival in Virginia (it has the great Cyril Neville on vocals as well). Munck Music has short excerpts from each song in the set as well.
This was funky! Laurie stayed for the whole thing, then had some food before returning to the Acura stage.
Food! Seafood au gratin, spinach and artichoke casserole, and a sweet potato pone
Laurie
Had Before: Day 3 and Day 10 in 2013, Day 9 in 2014, Day 2 and Day 11 in 2015, Day 10 in 2016, Day 10 in 2017, and Day 4 last year.
Obviously Laurie likes this platter from Ten Talents Catering out of Covington, Louisiana. Peggy Miranda and her husband, Jim, run Ten Talents. They've been vendors at Jazz Fest for 30 years. The seafood au gratin is rich and melty; the casserole buttery, with plenty of onion, garlic, and spinach; and the pone a yummy thick bread. Laurie always wraps the pone in a napkin and stashes it away in her special Jazz Fest bag to have later.
Astral Project
Jeff, in the Jazz Tent
Seen Before: Day 2 in 2017, Day 11 last year
I don't know what took me so long to see Astral Project at Jazz Fest, but now that I have this awesome band is in my regular rotation in the Jazz Tent. It is modern jazz perfectly done. The group is so tightly focused, it seems to be telepathic. On tenor and soprano saxophones, Tony Dagradi's huge tone and soaring lines provide the energy. Drummer John Vidacovich plays with a command of dynamics, distinctive melodic accents, and effervescent swing. On bass, James Singleton's solid rhythmic concept and harmonic sense are the foundation of this innovative group's improvisational strength. Steve Masakowski's technique on the unique seven-string instrument that he designed is subtly masterful and has influenced a generation of guitarists.
Astral Project played their first Jazz Fest in 1978, but Vidacovich and Singleton played at the first Jazz Fest in 1970 with R&B singer Snooks Eaglin. Speaking of New Orleans legends, Vidocovich also has played with Professor Longhair and James Booker.
Audio/Video: Here's a 20-minute excerpt from a show last year at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center. And here's 20 minutes more from that one. The bands's website has full-length excerpts from all of their albums, Munck Music has short excerpts of every song in today's set, and archive.org has tons of audio.
Astral Project is outstanding. I was completely mesmerized by their music, so much that I never even got the camera out. That's saying something. I used the break between sets at the Jazz Tent to grab some food.
Food! Cajun duck po'boy
Jeff
Had Before: Day 3 in 2013, Day 10 in 2014, Day 11 in 2017.
I've had the Cajun duck and shrimp pasta from Crescent Catering many times as well. What makes this sandwich so good is the way the duck is cooked, braised in a spicy gravy and then shredded. Plus the bread is good. Add the hot sauce and a touch of horseradish and it's just real good. Duck isn't something you see on menus at home all that much, so it's alsways good to get it a few times down here.
Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective
Jeff, in the Jazz Tent
Seen Before: Day 9 in 2017, Day 12 last year. Also Blanchard with Abdullah Ibrahim on Day 3 in 2017 and with the E-Collective last June at the Hamilton in DC.
"Music and art have the power to change hearts and souls," says Blanchard. It is a belief brought to life through his music with the brilliant E-Collective. This revolutionary ensemble thrives off the perfect mixture of Blanchard's genius and the innovations of four young musical pioneers: guitarist Charles Altura, pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist David 'DJ' Ginyard Jr., and drummer Oscar Seaton.
When they were recording the scores for Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee, and Talk to Me, directed by Kasi Lemmons, Blanchard and Seaton first envisioned a band that layered grooves teeming with funk, R&B, and blues colors. That vision came to fruition and formed the foundation for the E-Collective's signature sound. And what a sound it is.
The E-Collective is not only a stellar quintet, but the natural next dimension for a master trumpeter who has helped shape the contours of modern jazz. His passion and resolve are behind virtually every note. He blends spoken word, rock, funk, fusion, the electrified, the experimental, the second line, the bop, blues, and hip hop and the result is often staggering. It's hard and angry but also forgiving and human. It's a band that I will see over and over again and be moved to emotional heights every time.
Audio/Video: Here is my video from today, and here is a full concert from Jazz St. Louis later this year. The Munck Music previews of each tune in the set can be found here. This group is highly, highly recommended if you like modern jazz.
That was it for the Jazz Tent for today, but what a day it was. Astral Project and Terence Blanchard are going to be pretty hard to top. Not that yesterday was all that shabby either.
It was now time for some late afternoon sampling, starting at the Gospel Tent with Arthur Clayton IV and Anointed for Purpose (see my video here ... and here's a Facebook page with some of today's performance plus a lot more.) Like many of the gospel acts, it's not easy (or in this case impossible) to find any information about them other than the fact that Clayton is from New Orleans. They were really good, though.
Next, my notes tell me I stopped by the Blues Tent to see some of the Robert Cray Band, who were closing that venue today. I don't have any photo or video of it, so I'll have to take my word for it. He's a Jazz Fest regular; his blues-rock style fits perfectly in the Blues Tent. He grew up in Newport News, Virginia, and Tacoma, Washington, and by age 20 he had seen his heroes Albert Collins, Freddie King, and Muddy Waters in concert and decided to form his own band. Before long he was playing college towns up and down the West Coast and beginning to record some great blues albums, gaining a reputation that has allowed him to play with Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, and many others. Robert Cray trivia: in the film Animal House, Cray was the uncredited bassist for Otis Day and the Knights, the house party band.
Here's an excerpt from today's show, from someone probably a whole lot closer than I was for my brief stop in the Blues Tent, and here's a complete show from earlier this year.
Next I zipped out to the Jazz and Heritage stage to see some of Da Truth Brass Band, who were closing that venue today. These guys were very good, very very brass heavy, almost like a marching band, and you could tell they have been playing together for quite some time. This stage draws a very eclectric crowd late in the afternoon, and it's always a lot of fun to close the day there.
It was after 6, but I still had more to see. Here's my video of Da Truth, and here's 15 minutes from somewhere in the French Quarter. Sometimes you think this is just a bunch of guys messing around, having fun. Well, they may be having fun, but they are outstanding musicians, and what they are doing takes A LOT of practice.
I found time for another quick trip to the Gospel Tent, this time to see Pastor Tyrone Jefferson and his choir, who were closing out the day on that stage. We saw this group way back in 2012 on our first trip to Jazz Fest. At that time I remembered that a now long-lost coworker and friend who had been to Jazz Fest back in the early 1990s tried to explain the diversity of music there and singled out the Gospel Tent as a highlight. That's what inspired us to check the Gospel Tent out then, and it has never lost its appeal. Here's my video of Pastor Jefferson from today in the wonderful Gospel Tent, and here's a very nice 14 minutes from the Gospel Tent in 2017.
So now it was time to end the day, and to do that I picked Economy Hall.
Wendell Brunious and the New Orleans All-Stars
Jeff, in Economy Hall
Seen Before: First Time at Jazz Fest, but we saw him in the House of Blues as part of Kermit Ruffins' Big Easy Trumpet Battle Royale on Day 8 in 2015.
Wendell Brunious is one of the most respected trumpet players in New Orleans. He's the son of the late John "Pickett" Brunious, a trumpeter who wrote songs for Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstine, and others. His older brother, John Brunious Jr., was also a well-regarded trumpet player, as is their nephew, Mark Braud. By his count, he knows more than 2,000 songs.
In the family's native Seventh Ward, people can tell you everything about the family, including the fact that Wendell has traveled the world with his own band and with stars like bandleader Lionel Hampton. But despite his travels, it's New Orleans that really feeds Wendell Brunious' spirit.
Brunious believes what's considered the "Brunious sound" all began with his father's influence. "When my father first started to develop as a trumpet player was in an era before amplification, so you had to play loud enough to hear yourself and to be heard in the band. I kind of think that's where what some people call the Brunious sound kind of started. That 'sound' is being able to interpret ballads when you are also trying to hear the actual words coming out of the end of the trumpet. What was important was the tone, playing in tune, and being able to play nice ballads -- not just fast stuff. My daddy used to say this: 'If you don't know the melody, you don't know the song. A million songs have the same form but what sets those tunes apart is the melody."
Brunious credits some of his early development to having worked with the Olympia Brass Band under the direction of his cousin, Harold Dejan. He is extremely knowledgeable in the the tradition and history of New Orleans music and enjoys adding to his performance with quotes from his father and other artists who have crossed his musical path through his decades-long career.
Audio/Video: Here is my video from Economy Hall today. Onstage with Brunious are Freddie Lonzo on trombone, Roderick Paulin on sax, Steve Pistorious on piano, and Richard Moten on bass. That might be Shannon Powell on drums but I'm not positive. And here's Brunious with most of this band in the WWOZ studios last year during the station's semi-annual fund drive.
I would have gladly ended my day with this great group of musicians, as it was a pretty mellow scene in Economy Hall as the day wound down. However, Laurie sent me a text and said I just had to get over to the Acura stage because Santana's performance was stunningly good. So I hurried off to that stage, camping out as usual on the fringe of the crowd near the track, with a sort-of view of the stage but just in front of the speakers and video board.
Santana
Jeff and Laurie at the Acura stage
Seen Before: Not at Jazz Fest, and not for many, many years (like 45)
Santana is a Jazz Fest perennial, having performed here more than a dozen times since 1989, so it only made sense for them to return for its 50th anniversary while celebrating the band's anniversary of their breakout at Woodstock. The crowd was large and enthusiastic. It jumped, clapped, and danced to their timeless music.
"Besito, besito," serenaded the Latino rocker, while blowing kisses to the crowd during the band's new track "In Search of Mona Lisa." "Kiss your boyfriend, kiss your girlfriend, kiss anyone." This spirit of love, communion, and peace permeated throughout the show. After opening with a quick succession of hit songs like "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman," Santana hushed his guitar's quivering whammy bar and uttered his first words of the show.
"It is incredible to be here. This is the mother of all festivals," said Santana. "We want you to remember you are significant and meaningful. You have the ingredients to create hope, courage, and blessings in this troubled world."
Despite being the band's namesake and only original member, Carlos Santana often shares the limelight with his partners on stage. He left the vocals to Andy Vargas and Ray Green, who commandeered songs in their own distinct voices. Vargas took the lead on Latino pop hits like "Maria, Maria," while Green crooned Peggy Lee's "Fever." Benny Rietveld plays bass.
But the biggest star of the show was Santana's wife, Cindy Blackman, who mesmerized the crowd with her lengthy, passionate drum solos and a raspy rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine."
As the clock neared 7:00, which wasn't all that long after I arrived, Santana made it clear he wasn't going anywhere, and introduced Trombone Shorty. It was a storybook ending to the dual 50th anniversary celebration of Santana's debut at Woodstock and Jazz Fest's opening.
Shorty mingled his jazz melodies with the spellbinding riffs of the 71-year-old rock icon. They did a mega-medley that included "Fever," Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child," Swamp Dogg's "Total Destruction to Your Mind," and Earth, Wind and Fire's "September." At the show's reluctant end around 7:30, the duo embraced and held one another for nearly 30 seconds.
Audio/Video: So here is my video, mostly from the video board, that I shot during Trombone Shorty's time with Santana. Here's an hour-plus video by somebody who was way back in the crowd, but the sound is great, considering.
I am so glad Laurie got me over to see this. It was a perfect end to a very diverse and satisfying day at Jazz Fest. We somehow found Rachel in the mob exiting the Fair Grounds and the shuttles got us back downtown in reasonable time, but nonetheless it was already after dark.
By the time we got ready to head out, the hour and the late night yesterday sent us just down the street to one of our standbys, Lucy's, the retired surfers bar. It's nothing fancy, just a dive bar, but it's very comfortable and the food is always really good. I had Urban South's Holy Roller IPA and a Juicy Lucy burger. It's a great burger served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. I added pepperjack cheese. Laurie had a Bloody Mary and the blackened fresh Gulf fish sandwich served on a brioche bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, and key lime mayo. I had regular fries, she had sweet potato fries.
Another great day ended with a quick walk back down Tchoupitoulas Street to first the Old No. 77 and then the Staybridge.
