Part 2 of interview with Brice Miller is out!
The interview is on the interviews page...
For more on the fascinating Brice miller, bandleader, scholar, trumpet player see the entry further down on this blog about part 1.
This week's gigs: Jonathan Freilich Quartet, Mas Mamones, The Tom Paines, Naked On The Floor
Hello All,
This week is the last chance to catch me locally for quite a long stretch. Luckily it is a great week of shows for a send off. You are assured to see some of the city's finest up to some unusual and interesting musical escapades and explorations in some unusual local haunts.
Here is the run:
Sunday Aug. 18th at Snug Harbor- The Jonathan Freilich Quartet
w/ James Singleton-bass; Tim Green-sax; Johnny Vidacovich -drums
Tuesday Aug. 20th- The Open Ears series at Circle Bar - Naked On The Floor feat.-
Jeff Albert-tb; Paul Thibodeaux-drums; James Singleton-bass;
Ray Moore-Bari Sax; Tim Green-sax
Friday Aug. 23rd- at Casa Borrega- w/ Mas Mamones
Saturday Aug. 24th- at Siberia- w/ The Tom Paines
Part 1 of Interview with Brice Miller, trumpeter, bandleader, scholar...
...amongst many other things. This interview will be of great interest for anyone with an eye and ear toward New Orleans musical traditions and culture. That doesn't cover all that is opened up here, however. Much is also explored on the relation of the music to the history of the city, and the many unfortunate changes of late. It speaks a lot to musical meaning in general- something important to everyone- so worth every bit of attention.
Brice's picture of these things is heightened by the authority of his experiences as brass band leader, and by the fact that his Father came from the same tradition. He grew up in the stories and transmissions of a previous generation of New Orleans musician and has an intimate experience of that life. He is old enough to chronicle some change himself. He has traveled the world as a representative of this tradition with its cornucopia of beautiful, rhythmic music.
His interests and inquiry do not stop there...
Brice is also currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alabama for an interdisciplinary degree with an emphasis on New Orleans brass bands after Hurricane Katrina. There is much discussion of his academic focus in the interview, and this ends up speaking of the horrors of intentional community displacement, and the results of that in New Orleans's ongoing identity and survival struggles.
And then there is talk of the fascinating tales of Ecirb Müller: revelations and perspective coming to light at a club near you.
It has been quite some time since the last audio interview was posted. This is a long and complete one on important musical subjects thanks to Brice's generosity. It will be posted in digest-able segments over the next short while. There was a final hour that became more conversational. Perhaps that segment will also be posted, as much was uncovered there as well.
The Interview is now up on the interviews page
At 3muses tonight at 8pm-joe Cabral band
Tonight. after your linen has been truly gallery dirtied. get over to three muses- nola. great songs played at a high level. no sacrifice of essential humanity involved. you will beam and easily grab a fine wine at the same time!
Alex Mcmurray-guitar/vocals
James Singleton-bass
Joe Cabral-saxophone
Jonathan Freilich
The Jackals ride again-Circle Bar Wed Aug 7-10pm(that's tonight!)
Hard as it's been to get some time where we can all make it, we finally did. If you are unfamiliar with The Jackals, it was the sequel to 007 which became 00-Doug when drummer Jeffrey Clemens wasn't around. Lip service had to be paid to those voices that attempt minor potential gains through strict name recognition, so we changed the name to The Jackals. Now it is vastly distinguished from 007. You'll see!
Anyway we are at The Circle bar this Wednesday at 10pm.
Be there or don't. But...
As Louis Armstrong said "I never was born to be a Square about anything, no matter what it is..."
How about you?
The lineup is:
joe cabral
Alex Mcmurray
The Itunes podcast, 'Interviews with notable New Orleans musicians' is back
Go directly to the new feed...
The itunes feed was down for some time while this site was revamped. Now the old interviews are slowly going back up. The podcast was initially conceived to ask deeper questions of musicians than what the standard music press, in its often genre-based, marketing centric, 'false-omniscience', tends to presume. When these interviews started several years ago, I had a distinct sense that musical awareness and interest was perhaps declining because questions were not being asked. Things may actually have gotten even worse in music journalism than a few years ago when these interviews started.
If you are interested in New Orleans's musical drivers plow on. There are many that I haven't had the opportunity to interview yet but I hope to. I try not to bias specific groups or styles but I have only had access to these figures so far. Connections are unintentional as far as preference goes but sometimes it does expose a network or community which is of interest.
The podcast features notable figures that relate in some way to the current vibrancy of the New Orleans music scene and community. It seeks to form a dialogue between ideas and motivations behind the music and the relationship of those ideas to the sound artifact being presented. The podcast also addresses what the audiences' state of understanding is about the music and whether understanding is relevant to the "success" of the musical artwork at all.
The real podcast had to be slightly renamed because of obscure problems with the iTunes store. If you search and find two podcasts under the name, Jonathan Freilich, the operational one will be 'Interviews with notable New Orleans musicians' The podcast features the material from this site's 'Interviews with Musicians' page and showcases in depth interviews with well known and lesser known contributors to New Orleans musical life. To get there on itunes click here...
Satchmo Fest: Celebration of Louis Armstrong's writings
On Sunday 4th of August at 8pm, come to readings from the work of...
Louis Armstrong- premier jazz journalist
Louis Armstrong
New Orleans music journalist, John Swenson will be curating this presentation of Armstrong as first 'jazz journalist.' The show is an effort by the New Orleans chapter of the JJA. Come by and see notable New Orleans voices including Chuck Perkins (poet), Mark Bingham(engineer/composer), Joe Cabral (musician/composer), and many more reading selections from the writings of the jazz, and 20th century music mastermind, Louis Armstrong. This will be towards the end of the festivities for the Satchmo Summerfest at Cafe Istanbul, New Orleans. Armstrong was an all-round artistic voice; a prolific writer to boot and, as always his distinctive artistic bent and style pervade this medium as well as his colossal music contribution. Of course, he was also a central shaping figure of the 20th century art so his stories are ground central for an important viewpoint of the world in his time. For more information and times check the calendar entry...
John Swenson
Jose Torres-Tama's Immigrants, Aliens and others show closing at Barristers Gallery, Tuesday 30th July
Performance and fine artist, Jose Torres-Tama and I, joined up for a collaboration on his recent works on the sidelining of immigrant laborers in New Orleans. That was an intimate but unusual event at Barrister's Gallery in New Orleans and, there is a closing party on Tuesday the 30th of July to celebrate this pop-up gallery show. There is also an interesting installation piece to see at the gallery by film and video artist, Alberto Romero.
For more info on the current work and thought see his blog...http://elbigeasyamigoblogger.blogspot.com
His website...
The entry below on this blog has the rest of the information about the location of the show and other particulars.
Aliens and Immigrants: performance 7/20/2013 with artist, Jose Torres-Tama
Tomorrow evening, I am honored to be involved in a collaboration with all-around visual and performance artist, Jose Torres-Tama at Barristers Gallery, New Orleans. We will be performing selections from the Aliens Performance project. The theme is the ongoing difficulties of immigrant workers to gain a voice in the cultural landscape of New Orleans despite their massive contribution to the reconstruction and revivication of the city after hurricane Katrina and the injustices of identity manipulation from American ignorance. The performance will happen amidst the opening of Torres-Tama's gallery exhibit of his other related photographs, paintings and other artworks.
playing tonight 7/17-stellar lineup at Cafe Istanbul, NOLA 10pm
Tonight 7/17 will be a special Naked On The Floor show at Cafe Istanbul- in the Marigny.
The lineup will be-
Rick Trolsen- Trombone
Jeff Albert- Bass Trombone
Tim Green- Tenor Sax
James Singleton-Bass
Jonathan Freilich Guitar
Paul Thibodeaux- drums
New arrangements, compositions, and band personnel.
Support for this great varietal of improvised, sociable music is critical and your presence is the provider. The playing will be spiked with musical titillation to show our gratitude for your attention.
You also get to be helping, by default, a great club that is showcasing many more varieties of worthy, novel , soulful expression.
NEW SITE! Itunes podcast temporarily interrupted
Yes, it's true...a new site for your enjoyment but the same content is available. Leave comments if there are things that would improve the site. I will have the itunes feed straightened out soon.
I thought it would be nice to kick off with this fascinating interview with King James. Check it out...
Upcoming audio interview with Jimmy Horn a.k.a King James (leader of the Special Men)
Just before King James and the Special Men took off for shows in New York City, including at The Lincoln Center, I sat down with their leader, Jimmy "King James" Horn, at BJ's bar in New Orleans for a relaxed audio interview. There, at BJ's, his band, The Special Men, have been holding down one of the greatest weekly gigs in town for quite some time now. I felt quite lucky to be able to catch some words by a bandleader riding at a crest of the project's development.
The power and delivery that make for attention grabbing music always have stories in the background that are supplying the power. It is scarcely possible to create depth in music by mere emulation. Imitators can be very good but they can't supply the hidden mysterious qualities in music. King James is not an imitator but his drives musical and otherwise do come from somewhere. He has possibilities and there are reasons why the sound takes this form right now.
Transformation is discussed.
You may figure some of it out on the interviews page. The same place you can get the ideas of so many key New Orleans players in need of more attention.
Monday Night Duo At Bacchanal with cellist, Helen Gillet
I return to Bacchanal, this Monday 7/8 at 7:30pm for an evening of musical delights with my old friend
Helen Gillet. Come out...food, wine, contemporary local music.
Bacchanal gig tonight! Very interesting lineup
Join us tonight for a Pan-Amero-Caribbean Ecstatic Naked Dithyramb at the bar named for the God of all that...Bacchanal in New Orleans from 7:30-10:30pm. Corner of Chartres and Poland.
Tim Green-saxophone
James Singleton-bass
Hector Gallardo-Cuban percussion systems
Jonathan Freilich-guitar
You'd be crazy to miss! Interesting music, great food, possible sacrifices varying from blood to the extremely symbolic and unknowingly abstract.
See you there
Naked on the Floor rides again
James Singleton-Bass
Dan Oestreicher-Bari sax
Rex Gregory-Tenor Sax
Rick Trolsen-Trombone
Paul Thibodeaux-Drums
Jonathan Freilich-Guitar
What an interesting and strong lineup for a concert at the Circle Bar (Lee Circle, New Orleans).
New arrangements and I guarantee as yet unknown and exciting exploration. Heights of sociable music.
Oestreicher, saxophonist with Trombone Shorty is also interviewed on this site- poke around and get a listen on the audio page. Look for Rex Gregory's while you're there.
See you tomorrow!
Circle Bar Show tonight
M'luds, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pausing the words on the death of the constitution and the snarky spy humor (see facebook) to bring the following announcement:
Tonight at the circle bar in New Orleans at 10:30pm I'll be performing withAlex McMurray, Doug Garrison and Bill Malchow. We will be engaging in everybody's favorite form of offline subversion- MUSIC! - the good kind. Cheaper than a Po' Boy (now a local designer sandwich).
For those of you concerned with class and respectability, Mcmurray will be grass fed and fennel rubbed and rear gentrified
The great caroline valencia will be bartending. its the perfect midweek gateway to the rest of the week. Don't miss it!
See you tonight
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The Arthur Blythe Sextet!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of my favorite groups ever. Featuring Kelvyn Bell, one of my favorite guitar players in my favorite period! So driving! So interesting! So much there, given, in so many directions. If there is one major influence...
With Klezmer All-Stars Duo March 1 & 2: Fillmore Aud. SF
Will be appearing at The Fillmore, Sf in the poster room with accordionist before some band named Galactic. I think two heretics fromThe New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars are still bopping around with Galactic. So, you never know what may happen when they begin to fall in line again under the weight of hyper-modern Yiddish music pressure.
Show up for a show. Friday or Saturday or...both. 8pm
Coming up! The big yearly performance- Feb.12
The Klezmer All-Stars will be back Mardi Gras Day at DBA, New Orleans at the terminus of the Krewe of Jewlu parade. I will be there. Remember the gig at DBA on Fat Tuesday has been going on since 1998. That's some history!
Pt. 2 of audio interview with NOLA pianist, Tom McDermott posted!
The second part of an audio interview with New Orleans pianist, Tom Mcdermott is now up on the interviews page.
If you are interested in exciting New Orleans piano styles you should take a listen. Tom has interesting ways to engage with traditional forms and personalized composition style within those forms.
In part 2, Tom discusses the following:-
Coming to New Orleans for James Booker; the different rhythms in traditional jazz- tresillo, cinquillo; working with Lil Queenie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band; starting the New Orleans Night Crawlers; what's changed in New Orleans music over the years; loss of older players and lack of replacement; John Cleary; Dave McKenna, Dick Hymen; attempting music journalism; playing with Trolsen, Matt Perrine, Evan Christopher.
Remember- the interviews are available in the itunes store as a free podcast!