2 Secondline Parades This Weekend

Check it- get out and support!

http://m.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/blogs/Post?basename=second-lines-are-rolling-saturday-and-sunday-this-weekend&day=31&id=blogofneworleans&month=05&year=2013

Tujaques to carry on!

More good food news out of New Orleans- i'll take boiled brisket over t-shirts anytime.. Read about it here..

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/28/historic-tujagues-will-remain-open-in-new-orleans/

Hooray for Hubig's!

Comin back!

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/hubigs_pies_plans_new_bakery_o.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Scenes from Money Wasters Secondline Parade

..Yeah you right...looks like a good time was had by all..as it should be..more pics from NolaDefender.com HERE

Today's Second Line in NO

It's Sunday so it's time for a Secondline. Today it's the 39th annual Money Wasters parade. Info - including route sheet- at In The Streets section of WWOZ.org.

http://www.wwoz.org/events/204112

Irma Thomas Soul Queen of New Orleans Live NOW

Live from the Old US Mint in New Orleans.

http://musicatthemint.org/?page_id=93

The tradition continues...

...great to see..read and see about it here..


(photo from NolaDefender.com)

You got the mango? I do..

Got mine a couple weeks ago. Read about it here:

Back to the Streets

Today will be the first Sunday Secondline parade in New Orleans since the outrageous incident on Mother's Day. Hoping there will be a huge turn out.

See parade details here:

http://www.wwoz.org/events/204110

Meet me at the secondline

A couple photos from this past Sunday's Uptown Swingers secondline in New Orleans. Thanks goes out to my sister's friend Sylvia for the pix.

From NO to your door

Not sure what took me so long to figure this out but a couple years ago realized I could mail NO food items home to myself vs trying to transport via suitcase or backpack on flight home. Think disappointment- and embarrassment- of having several bottles of NO hot sauce very publicly confiscated by the TSA folks at Armstrong airport in NO a couple years back got me thinking differently. At this point anytime I'm in NO I make sure to make groceries (as they used to say) at Rouse's market gathering up my favorite Louisiana-centric non- perishables. I pack em in a box and mail it to my home back East Where i can enjoy a little bit of Louisiana eatin from a distance. As you can see in photo below, I tend to favor canned goods and condiments along w Zapp's chips . This last shipment included a whole line of Zapp's items. In addition to some chips also grabbed up their spicy bean dip (excellent) and a couple of items I hadn't tried before: jars of Cajun Picante and a Smoky Salsa which I think will become regular items in future shipments. Also included are the requisite red beans (dried and canned) and NO local favorite Blue Plate mayo. I had in the past tried on more than one occasion mailing home one of my favorite NO treats - Hubig's pies- but discovered they do not fair well when shipped via mail so now I bring those home via my carry on bag - they are Homeland security safe! Yeah you right.

If it's Monday..

..that means red beans and rice. I recently purchased a case of Blue Runner red beans (via Amazon.com of all places) and now can very easily whip up red beans and rice pretty much any Monday . Today, opened up a can of beans, added some smoked sausage and using some leftover Chinese takeout rice was able to create an East Coast version of this NO classic. Yeah you right!

NOJHF 2012 Comanche Hunters Mardi Gras Indians

Photos taken at Jazzfest 2012 on first Friday at Jazz and Heritage stage. The Comanche Hunters Mardi Gras Indian tribe. Enjoy.

Sis Pics from New Orleans

Live from Armstong Park. Bo Dollis and Mr. Okra. There is a Music and Cultural Series sponsored by People United for Armstong Park this spring. Here are a couple of shots taken tonite by my sister who is on the ground in New Orleans. 

NOJHF 2012: More Mardi Gras Indians

Thought I would share more of my photos taken of Mardi Gras Indians at the Jazz and Heritage Stage during Jazzfest 2012. These are from  the Friday of the first weekend. These were actually my first photos of the festival; Each day I rode my bike from my sister's house in Mid-City, parked and locked my bike near Liuzza's By the Track and walked into Fest via the Sauvage Street entrance which brings you onto the Fairgrounds right near the Gospel tent and immediately behind the Jazz and Heritage Stage. Anyway, on Day 1, I headed right for this stage and caught the first "Indian show"-the Semolian Warriors- of the day and then right after, a parade featuring the Black Mohawk and Black Foot Hunters Mardi Gras Indians. The parades start "backstage" from the Jazz and Heritage stage area and continue out onto the Fairgrounds, so if you are at the Jazz and Heritage stage you get the bonus - or lagniappe- of also being around to catch the Mardi Gras Indian parades or the various second line parades that step off from the same place during the day.

2 New NO Recordings



PHJB Vinyl EP Cover

Received 2 new New Orleans recordings of note this week. First up is a limited edition vinyl EP of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band that includes 5 songs recorded live at their 50th Anniversary Concert this past January at Carnegie Hall in NYC. (See NY Times Concert Review here).This recording is very cool for a number of reasons. First, it's PHJB; second its live, third its a limited edition (only 504 copies) vinyl release and last-and maybe coolest of all- I was at the show! (along with my wife and some other East Coast New Orlean-ophiles). To my understanding, a full recording of the show will be released sometimes this year, but for now, this is pretty cool.



PHJB Vinyl EP Back Cover

Next up, I was listening to 'Oz on Friday and local NO musician Alex McMurray was in the studio talking up a record release party for one of my favorite New Orleans bands- the Valparaiso Men's Chorus. If you don't know who this group is you gotta check em out. Go here -their new website- for details. The group includes a large cast of New Orleans musicians including McMurray, Matt Perirne, Washboard Chaz, Rick Trolsen, and Greg Schatz backed by a large supporting "chorus" that is 25+ persons strong and includes among others WWOZ DJ George Ingmire  . They were making a rare appearance last weekend at the Saturn Bar and Mr. McMurray gave a little bit of background and history about the band, the origin of the name and concept. Very interesting- it turns out the group takes their name from the Chiliean port city of Valparaiso which was a major stopover for ships and sailors travelling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the early 19th century. Their first CD release-Guano and Nitrates (2007)- is one of my favorite cds. The first time I heard it-on Oz of course- I was blown away (no pun intended). As soon as I heard mention made of the new CD being released I went right to the website and placed my order. Within minutes I received a confirmation email of my order-from Alex McMurray himself- and- blow me down-today I received the CD in the mail- shiver me timbers! Anyway, on first listen this second CD-titled The Straits of St. Claude- is as much fun as the first and I hope someday to be in New Orleans when this group makes one of their rare late night club appearances. It has to be a real blast. Yo ho ho and yeah you right.

Jazzfest Pic of the Day: Indians and Brass Bands

One of my favorite stages at Jazzfest is the Jazz and Heritage Stage..also known as the "Indian Stage","Brass Band Stage" or the "Second Line Stage". As you can tell from the various names this is where each day during Fest you are sure to see Indians  and Brass Bands; it is also the jumping off point for both the Mardi Gras Indian and SecondLine parades that happen throughout the day on the festival grounds. If you want to experience New Orleans music and  culture firsthand this is the place to be. While it does not quite capture the excitement of a brass band in a club, or on the street as part of a second line; and the Indians are not in the "wild" of the streets, it's the next best thing for folks who may not have the opportunity to be in town to chase a secondline on one of the 42 (!) Sundays of the official New Orleans second line season or to see the Indians out in the street on Super Sunday or St. Josephs nite. The picture is not my usual vantage point- I took this either leaving or approaching the stage. I like getting right up close in order to really feel and appreciate the power of the brass bands, the beauty of the Indian suits and to feel the energy, joy and excitement eminating from the stage from the performers and supporting cast of characters that invariably show up to sing, dance and "act the fool" along with the band or tribe up onstage. Yeah you right...

2 Online NO Music Events

A couple of online music events y'all might want to check out . 1st up tomorrow Friday nite at Tipitinas you can watch a webcast of the Treme vs The Wire Battle of the Bands. See details HERE but basically the show is a fundraiser for the Tipitinas Foundation and the Roots of Music and will feature NO Bands (Galactic, Stooges Brass bands) vs a couple of bands from the Baltimore-DC area where go-go music is big. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun to watch. 

Next event is on Saturday night. Here you have a live broadcast of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra featuring NO's Kermit Ruffins on trumpet playing live from Champion's Square outside of the Superdome. Go HERE for details.

Live Webcast Tonight at Tipitinas.com

Tune in tonight around 10pm EST for the Soul and Blues review featuring Otis Clay and one of my favorites, Glen David Andrews. Should be a great show.

Uptown Super Sunday

Today in New Orleans is Mardi Gras Indian Uptown Super Sunday. This is an annual event and features all of the Uptown Mardi Gras Indian tribes in a festival and parade. I am a big fan of the Mardi Gras Indians- having discovered them initially at Jazzfest where they perform on the Jazz & Heritage Stage periodically throughout the festival. I had never seen them outside of the festival setting until a couple years ago when I had the opportunity to attend Super Sunday. It was fantastic- it was a combination of a parade, festival , second line and featured more Mardi Gras Indians in full costume than I had ever seen. If you ever get the chance you gotta get down to New Orleans for this event. Here are some photos I took of the event back a couple years ago.