Posted in: announcement
A very happy return to a weekly gig at The Bacchanal Wine Bar in New Orleans. The fun kicks off tomorrow, Monday June 11 at 6pm, with The Tom Paines: Alex Mcmurray- guitar, vocals; Jonathan Freilich- guitar, vocals.
The music is different each week and will feature all of my groups and associations and occasionally something completely new. The concerts will go on until mid-August.
The food and wine is also outstanding.
Look out this week for recent audio interviews with New Orleans's musicians, Tim Robinson and Dan Oestreicher.
Oestreicher is now most known as the Baritone saxophonist with Trombone Shorty.
Tim is a survivor of Bourbon St. rounds and plays guitar or sings with Dirty mouth, Amanda Shaw and Neslort.
That's right y'all! I'm back home for a good chunk of the summer so I'll be out with one of my oldest associations, Mas Mamones at Tipitina's in New Orleans. Andrew Wolf-bass; Manny Lander-vocals; Michael Skinkus- percussion.
You'd be crazy not to come!
It's also my first real appearance in LA since I've been spending a good deal of time out there. Come out and support if you get the chance- the music will be outstanding!
Robert's a great organ player who started a rather notorious group amongst other things, and Stanton is my old uber-talented friend from the Klezmer All-Stars who likes to keep his drumstick wrapping fingers in many pots as possible.
For those of you with that real spirit of musical adventure...I will be playing at Skerik's Saucefest, at Hi-ho Lounge on Tuesday May 1st. I don't know what time and neither will you- so MAKE IT!
Will be performing with the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Sunday, April 29.
The All-Star lineup will be:
Joe Cabral-Bass
Glenn Hartman-Accordion, Keys
Jonathan Freilich-Guitar
Ben Ellman- Saxophone
Stanton Moore-drums
David Rebeck-Violin
You don't want to miss this.
The opera, ee me & pollock thee, written by Adam Falik(Libretto) and Jonathan Freilich (Composer) has been nominated for an award in the Gambit's creative opera category...
My old guitar teacher, friend, and brilliant New Orleans musician, Carl Leblanc has just released his brand new recording- Those Who Have Ears. It's available at CD Baby amongst other services and... help out an artist and pick up a copy.
I wrote a string quartet arrangement for one of the pieces on the record and am honored to find out that he wanted to use it on its own for the finale of the record. It's called Hesed if you pick up a copy.
Carl is a great guitarist and all around musician who always comes out with a landscape of musical statements on record that really shows all he can breathe life into for a listener. He has played on some key New Orleans recordings and has played in many of the greatest groups associated with the city including the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Toussaint- (actually the list is so extensive- I'll let you music fans seek out the rest of the bio information). He was also guitarist for the Sun Ra Arkestra for about 9 years and luckily my generous guitar teacher for a long time.
This one is worth checking out and many great musicians were involved...
ee me & pollock thee
an opera
by Adam Falik and Jonathan Freilich
Director: Chris Kammenstein | Musical Director: Francis Scully
An official participant of the 2011 New Orleans Fringe Festival
Venue: The Marigny Opera House(Trinity Church on St. Ferdinand in the Marigny)
Thursday, November 17th, 7pm
Friday, November 18th, 9pm
Saturday, November 19th, 11pm
Sunday, November 20th, 7pm
ee me & pollock thee accounts a relationship between poet E. E. Cummings and painter Jackson Pollock. The two artists journey to the dark heart of inspiration in this multidisciplinary extravaganza. As poet and painter wrestle their muse, mutual obsession and mystical appropriation ensue. This modern opera with live musical accompaniment explores the cost of great art and dangerous genius. Dramatic scenes are interwoven with original musical compositions and operatic performance of E. E. Cummings poems.
Goat in the Road Productions’ Chris Kamenstein will direct, and Francis Scully, conductor of the New Resonance Orchestra, will serve as musical director.
The production features: Chris Lane as Jackson Pollock, Andrew Vaught (Cripple Creek Productions) as E. E. Cummings, Kathleen Halm as Lee Krasner, and JeAnne Swinley as Rebecca Cummings.
Chris Lane as Jackson PollockDont' miss this upcoming premiere of a new opera/play/melodrama by Adam Falik(Libretto/script) and Jonathan Freilich(composer).
-E.E. Cummings and Jackson Pollock journey to the dark heart of inspiration in this multidisciplinary extravaganza. As poet and painter wrestle their muse, mutual obsession and mystical appropriation ensue. This modern opera with live musical accompaniment explores the cost of great art and dangerous genius.-
The music is now finished and the opera is in final run up towards the New Orleans Fringe Festival It's a co- production with the librettist, Adam Falik and will feature Chris Lane as abstract expressionist painter, Jackson Pollock. Chris appaeared in my previous opera, Bang The Law and knows how to deliver this type of role. The other cast is also exciting and as of now the music writing is novel and should provide for a really interesting creative set of performances. The show will be under the musical guidance of conductor, Francis Scully.
ee me & pollock thee at NO Fringe fest...
I'll meet you there!
Finally getting back to the land and people I love...
Flying in to New Orleans Thursday for a hat-trick of hits.
Thursday night at Bayou Beer Garden with a few noteables from The Iguanas.
Saturday 29th- with The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars at Hi-Ho Lounge. Double bill with the real raucous good timers, Debauche: The Russian Mafia band.
Sunday 30th, 1-2pm with The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars on the Preservation hall Stage at the Voodoo Fest. in City Park.
Check out Patrick McCurry's enthusiastic review of the interviews page here and on the itunes store...
I always feel that more people should know about one of the most individual voices on drums in New Orleans. Dave Capello is quite a unique personality and there are experiences that he clearly had that contributed on the musical level. For a few musicians in town it's known that if you want to get a boost into the unknown with a project, and prevent the threat of staleness, then Dave is the man to call...(if you aren't afraid of the reactions of many, both musicians and audiences, who can't recognize more naked kinds of beauty in music.)
Dave Capello(dr.), Helen Gillet(cello), my Chip Wilson custom 7-string guitar(r)Part 1 up on the interviews page now.
A complete interview with Jeff Treffinger is now up on the interviews page. You may have seen him with the singular Geraniums, or any number of other projects. You may also know him as one of the key hands in the, legendary to some, Mermaid Lounge.
Here he talks about his foregound and background activities that at different times have shaped the New Orleans music scene. Treffinger describes how he came to be putting a bands together in New Orleans at all and, what his purposes were in doing so...or at least his thinking at the time. He tells stories about the accidental discoveries that led him to architecture and how that led him into certain other nooks in New Orleans music. He is frank about what he learned and how, and the interesting folks that he collaborates with or has dealt with over the years that have enabled his dealings to be loaded with a delightful, risky creativity.
Also available as a podcast from the itunes store.
Anthony Cuccia- Percussionist, keyboardist, composer, idea man for The Other Planets. Anthony uses music both for social consciousness and for exploration of its own various technologies. He is always striving for a new way to assemble his ideas.
Both parts of the interview have been posted and are also available as a podcast from the itunes store.
Standby, for three new audio interviews.
Anthony Cuccia- Percussionist, keyboardist, composer, idea man for The Other Planets. Anthony is uses music both for socially consciousness and for exploration of its own various technologies. There is always a new way he is striving to assemble his ideas.
Dave Capello- a singular creative drummer with a desire for what is unique and portraying the importance of going for it even where there are risks involved. Originally, from Kansas City, Dave has spent many years playing with a smorgasboard of the most interesting creative units. Previous to New Orleans he was in New York playing with The Bern Nix Trio, and William Parker.
Jeff Treffinger- Architect, song writer, cofounder of Tribe Nunzio, guitarist with The Geraniums, co-owner of The Mermaid Lounge and The Truck Farm. That list is short and only covers the things that folks know most. He went pretty deep in this interview that discusses changes in the New Orleans music scene and the factors that contributed to it, as well as anecdotes that describe what it looked like at various times since his arrival.
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.
