Last week was really heavy in singer/songwriter, mellow, acoustic style stuff, but this week we are going to jazz it up a little (pun completely intended). This week's edition of new music suggestions is all about New Orleans (at least I waited until the second one to turn the subject to NOLA). I wanted to post this one today because it is the official beginning of Mardi Gras because the first parade in Orleans Parish rolls tonight (Krewe du Vieux in the French Quarter).
You could make an argument (and I can make a really good argument), that New Orleans is THE American music city, no disrespect to Nashville. I mean, come on, this is where the first truly American music form (jazz) was born. But please don't make the mistake of thinking that New Orleans music is just jazz. This city's music scene is just like it's food scene...it has a little bit of everything and something for everyone. You can literally walk down the street and hear better musicians playing on street corners than the "artists" currently selling millions of albums, filling the radio airwaves and selling out arenas. In New Orleans you can walk into record stores and see live performances that will rival the best concerts you've ever attended. I know this because I've done it. If you love music, you will love New Orleans. You can walk in small venues that hold less than 100 people, and on any given night see a local act welcome musical legends and Grammy award winners to take the stage and jam with them unannounced. (We once missed the Red Hot Chili Peppers doing this very thing at Peaches Records by one day). I'm talking people like Stevie Wonder, Trombone Shorty, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle caliber musicians. I want to share with you some examples of all the great music New Orleans has to offer that you might not even know about.
Tuba Skinny - Crow Jane (Album - Rag Band) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE9hWdLG2vI (originally performed by Skip James). This is one of the New Orleans "Busker" Bands. You can find them performing most days on Royal Street. They are a throwback to the traditional New Orleans sound with homages to Depression Era Blues, Ragtime, Spirituals and traditional jazz. I LOVE THIS BAND. Erica Lewis is the vocalist and if you closed your eyes you would think you time warped back to the 1920's.
Anders Osborne - Oh Katrina (Album - Coming Down) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPtpKslnE-0 The quality of this video/recording is pretty poor, but not the quality of this song. He took the despair brought on by Hurricane Katrina and wove into what sounds like a love affair gone bad. You may not have heard of Anders Osborne but you probably are a fan of one or more of the dozens of stars who have recorded his songs. Summertime In New Orleans (Album - Coming Down) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmbwGy6IUHI If you've ever spent time in New Orleans in July you get this song and know it "gets" NOLA perfectly. I prefer the album version of both of these, but this was the best I could do.
Dr. John - Sweet Home New Orleans (Album - Anutha Zone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVXHcgoD57I I had a hard time picking just one song, but I settled on this one because I love it, and this video is a great visual tour of New Orleans at the same time. If you are of a generation older than mine you are likely familiar with Dr. John. He has written and recorded with any musician who's anybody. But don't think he's a has been, he's still relevant. He's won multiple Grammy's (the most recent was for an album produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys) and written songs you probably didn't realize. Have you ever seen a Zatarain's commercial? He's the voice of Zatarain's. Remember the early 90's sitcom Blossom? He wrote and sang the theme song. He also did much of the music in Disney's "The Princess And The Frog."
Trombone Shorty - Hurricane Season (Album - Backatown) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAdazrQaaeo This video is even better because it is from a live show at Tipitina's. He was born Troy Andrews but got the nickname Trombone Shorty as a little boy dragging a big ole trombone with him when his daddy played second lines. He got his start playing with the Stooges Brass Band (see below) but really blew up on a global level with the release of this album, for which he won a Grammy. I dare you to listen to this song and not move. I also had to put a second one on here that wasn't instrumental. On Your Way Down (Album - Backatown) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPwX_obUTcE
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Treme Brass Band, Stooges Brass Band - I didn't post any videos because they are all great and you can just type their name into Youtube and pick a song.
Grandpa Elliott - Only You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la4qa2r519Y Grandpa has been a street performer since around age 10 when he danced in the streets using bottle caps as taps. Most days you can find him sitting at the corner of Royal and Toulouse. We've tipped him to serenade us many times. We didn't see him for several years and worried he was sick or had passed, but this past November when we were in New Orleans we ran across him. You might have heard him on this video that went viral a couple of years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
Tab Benoit - When A Cajun Man Gets The Blues (Album - Wetlands) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqv5PnKm-2k If you like blues, you will love Tab Benoit. He's from Houma, Louisiana, about an hour south of New Orleans. I have been able to visit Houma a couple of times and it is the heart of Cajun country. He's also a strong advocate for the conservation of the Louisiana wetlands. These Arms Of Mine (Album - Wetlands) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK1UoAgd76g I couldn't decide which of these two songs I love the most. This latter one is an Otis Redding cover.
Hugh Laurie - St. James Infirmary (Album - Let Them Talk) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT2pL4FNlpI Yes this is the guy from House. He's British, he's an actor and he's a huge fan of New Orleans music and he is surprisingly good at it. This is one of my all time favorite New Orleans songs and everyone has a version of it, but this is one of my favorites. And it doesn't hurt that there is a little cameo from Allen Toussaint. This concert was recorded at Preservation Hall. It's a little long, but give it a few minutes till the vocals kick in.
Harry Connick Jr - Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans (Album - 20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB8BYBOLP1k Harry is one of my favorites and this is my absolutely favorite New Orleans song. I live it every day of my life. And to top it off, Dr. John duets on this one. This is another one that everybody has a version of it, but this is the best. My second favorite version is actually the first one I ever hear. It's by a couple of singers you may recognize, Billie Holliday and Louis Armstrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhkxy3ei8os
I know this is a long one but listen when you get a chance and you will be blessed with some beautiful, soulful music. I'm going to myself. My parents are here visiting, my red beans and rice are cooking and I'm about to put on some of this good music. Happy Mardi Gras everybody.
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