Strange!... auspicious and perhaps a little suspicious. I have made it to Rising Star in the guitar category in the Downbeat Critics Poll. Getting the attention is, as Jeff Albert says in his blog, probably a good thing. Jeff's article puts it well and points out that Aurora Nealand also made it. Congratulations to Aurora, Jeff, and... Me!
Local playwright, Adam Falik approached me about writing the music for his recent original libretto, ee me and pollock thee. The work is set to be performed in New Orleans in the middle of November. The production will involve conductor Francis Scully (New Resonance Orchestra) who conducted my previous opera, Bang The Law. It will also involve actor Chris Lane who played the lead acting role in Bang the Law.
Tim Green is one of the most interesting saxophonists that you can hear in New Orleans. Occasionally he travels, but most of his career has been within the city. Over the years he has played with many of the greats that people associate most with the city- Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Irma Thomas, Cyrille Neville, Mem Shannon, Herlin Riley and many legendary others. In fact, he is one of the greats, but he plays a unique role by very particular design and musical conviction.
His affection goes out most to original, creative, music projects. He is interested in so much music and, has brought himself to a place where he can insert very creative ideas in almost any context without breaking the balance or excitement of a piece of music or its setting. He was a large figure in many explorational bands from, Gulfstream and the Stick Band in the 80's, to Michael Ray, Naked On The Floor, and James Singleton, Dennis Gonzalez, and others like Fred Wesley in the 90's. In fact, he was a huge supporter of my own musical developments and projects and I think there are many things in life on which we see eye to eye and this really is something, speaking as a grateful collaborator, that Tim is able to show just by playing- support!
Tim has a very deep linguistic or conversationalist playing style that really has its best place on stages for live audiences. Where the musical "moment" happens is where he strives to be and his best work is there. For that reason, you won't find records under his name. One day perhaps someone will be brave enough to release some of the extensive collection of recordings he keeps of his involvements in truly epic improvisational moments.
Tim's genius and where it resides really emerge in this relaxed, and probably pretty rare, interview.
A conversation with Luke Allen of the Happy Talk Band is now up on the interviews page. Luke is a very honest fellow with a dark songwriting style and a band that delivers the picture. It speaks to a large number of folks in New Orleans. The discussion is fairly informal and took place at Markey's Bar on July 9th.
Performing at The Boom Boom Room in San Francisco on Aug 13. I will be appearing with Robert Walter on a double bill with Gypsophonik Disko (Ben Ellman+)
Robert Walter was in New Orleans for a long time playing across the scene with a driving organ style. He was already well established at that point from his work with the Greyboy All-Stars and the Headhunters. On this particular show, Robert will be leading band a composed of notable instrumental stylists, as well as having Jonathan Freilich in the guitar seat.
Ben Ellman's Gypsophonik is an interesting DJ melange. He calls the style, Sissy Gypsy and it really keeps folks on the dance floor achieving some other state of mind with his mixture of New Orleans Sissy Bounce and Eastern European music. If you equate his name with Galactic or the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars this will shatter the frame you've got him in.
By the way...
Those of you in the area can also catch a rare West Coast appearance of my other band, The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars at the Outside Lands Festival on the day before, Aug. 12.
Henry Griffin conducted this very moving and honest interview with the incredibly vibrant musician, Hart Mcnee. It was done shortly before his passing. Hart gave a lot (he let us know when there was nothing left) and a lot of it is here, beautifully condensed. This is probably as real as you can get.
Thanks to Henry Griffin and Kate Mcnee for allowing this to go up.
What follows is a piece written for Lee Barclay and Chris Porche West's great collection of short pieces by New Orleans residents from all across the city and its complex social layers. It was written after the 2005 hurricane that wiped out so much but then there was the city wide pondering over What Can't be Lost. The roster of contributors is epic and being invited to participate was an honor. It's still available here...
Though the book is a few months old now and the subject even older I'm still including it under "What's New?"...because it hasn't been seen outside the book yet.
Jewish-New Orleans Art?
Over the last 16 years, playing with the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, I have had a close view of what a hybridized New Orleans- Jewish art form might be and, more interestingly, what forces in any locale might contribute to the alteration of certain sounds in music.
The common definition of Klezmer music is usually given by the translation of the word coupled with the origins of the sound. The word Klezmer is from two words, kley and zemer, meaning vessel of song. Some go on to say that this describes the musician who is the vessel who channels the melodies that in a sense are already out there in a metaphysical space given by God. From a cultural or ethno-musicological standpoint, Klezmer denotes Eastern European Jews playing the secular music of those regions but with an instrumental inflection from the liturgical-singing style of the Chazzans or synagogue cantorial soloists of those regions.
It is interesting how people begin to identify with phenomena such as sounds and places and relate to those things as being their own. Since this band started playing the bars of New Orleans in the early nineties, the energy of that world began to seep in. People wanted to dance, and they wanted rhythmic, ecstatic music that lasted for hours into the night. That was their idea of New Orleans music at that time. People who saw that element said that we were New Orleans players; that we played New Orleans Jewish Funk. On the other hand, many said that we were
"Ability to produce something new through imaginative skill, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form. The term generally refers to a richness of ideas and originality of thinking. Psychological studies of highly creative people have shown that many have a strong interest in apparent disorder, contradiction, and imbalance, which seem to be perceived as challenges. Such individuals may possess an exceptionally deep, broad, and flexible awareness of themselves."- Brittanica Concise Encyclopedia (online)
There has been requests for an index of the growing interviews section. One is now added to the left navigation bar. Enjoy!
The Latin Dance band, Mas Mamones will be out at DBA, New Orleans this Sunday
night starting at 10pm. The band will feature the usual suspects plus this week Antonio Gambrell will join us on trumpet. Our fearless leader/bassist, Andrew "catch-you-out" Wolf has announced the arrival of the hot girlie tees. Come get one and be the sexiest in your neighborhood.