January 31, 2005

Sounds of the Season


Carnival Past and Present


With Carnival in full swing and my Mardi Gras countdown in progress over at Home of the Groove, here’s a list of some related music that should be enjoyable all year. After all, when Ash Wednesday dawns, it’s only 364 more days until Mardi Gras! Yeah, you rite.

Mardi Gras In New Orleans (Mardi Gras Records)
One of the first Mardi Gras music compilations, originally on LP. And I’d still recommend it, with cuts by Professor Longhair (with Earl King), Earl himself, the Wild Magnolias and other classics of the genre. A good starting sampler.

Mardi Gras Essentials (Hip-O Records)
This CD shares some of the same cuts as above but has others worth having from the Meters, Neville Brothers, Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and more. If you are new to this music or don’t have much of it, these collections and your intoxicant of choice should get you in the mood to wear wild costumes and grab some…beads.

Live: Mardi Gras in Montreux, Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Rounder Records)
This is a party record with the band as it was in 1985, back when Kirk Joseph was still pumping some incredible sousaphone for them. As I’ve said on HOTG, brass band music is the irrepressible funk music unique to the streets of New Orleans, suitable for second lining and buck jumping any time of year. This is a great place to start with the Dirty Dozen. All of their CDs are high quality; but I give the edge to them live. That said, try also to locate their newest live recording, We Got Robbed – Live In New Orleans, either at the Louisiana Music Factory or their website.


Feel Like Funkin' It Up, Rebirth Brass Band (Rounder)
This CD came out in the 1980’s, when these guys were teenagers and Kermit Ruffins was still with them on trumpet. Thus, it has a youthful exuberance that makes it that much more exciting for a studio recording. As one of the best brass outfits in New Orleans on the streets or in the clubs, the band continues to come on strong. I just saw them live last weekend; and they’ve still got it. Any of the their CDs are good, but this has one of their Mardi Gras classics, “Do Whatcha Wanna (pt 2)”.

Wild Tchoupitoulas, The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Mango)
As featured on Home of the Groove, January 28, 2005.

The Wild Magnolias
A long running Mardi Gras Indian tribe and performance ensemble which has the distinction of being the first to combine their songs with funk music in the early 1970’s, collaborating with Willie Tee and his band on singles and two LPs, later re-issued on CD. The following are good choices:
Life Is A Carnival (Metro Blue/Blue Note) – This 1999 release is strong, heavy with the Indian spirit, and long on funk with collaborations with the best musicians New Orleans has to offer and other guests.
1313 Hoodoo Street (AIM) – An Australian label; but recorded in NOLA. This one doesn’t really have as much Indian vibe, as they cover some New Orleans funk by Dr. John and the Neville Brothers, a Louis Jordan tune, as well as some Indian tunes and a couple of obscure Allen Toussaint Mardi Gras tunes. The playing is pretty good; but frankly, Bo Dollis’ ragged vocals wear a bit after a while.
The Wild Magnolias (Polygram) – Well, the prices have soared on the CD re-issue of the original 1974 LP, since it is now out of print. You can find it at GEMM (the LP, too) or check your local used CD sources and, if you are patient, maybe you’ll get a deal. Willie Tee and band make these tracks ooze funk and the production tends toward the trippy at times. A classic.
They Call Us Wild (Polygram) – Ditto the re-issue of their second LP from 1975; but a bit less overboard on effects. Again, with both LP and CD, you can find it at GEMM. Good luck.

January 26, 2005

The Bonerama Experience



>>Reprinted revised from Home of the Groove 12/16/2004<<

The Friday before Thanksgiving, we took I-10 across the Basin, that great swath of swampland, lakes, bayous and waterways, that lies just to the east of Lafayette, and went down to New Orleans for the big Bonerama CD release party at Tipitina’s. They were throwing down in celebration of their new one, Live From New York, a worthy follow-up to their 2001 debut, Live at the Old Point.

Both their CDs recorded live? Obviously, they thrive on that musician/audience synergy and don’t want to be damped down by the remote confines of a recording studio. Having seen them play numerous times over that past few years, I can attest to the impact and prowess of this aggregation that probably could have sprung up nowhere else but in The Home of the Groove. In the basic unit, you’ve got four trombonists, one playing at times through wah-wah and a cranked guitar amp, a sousaphonist, guitarist, and trap drummer, all wailing on ballsy, brassy, funk-infused originals, some fine tunes by other NOLA composers, plus unbelievable covers of classic rock (!) songs by Hendrix, the Allman Brothers, et al. Such experimentation could have been a disaster; but, inspired by generations of musical cross-breeding on New Orleans’ streets and stages, these masterful, inventive players have birthed and raised-up a gloriously conglomerated harmonic groove-monster.

When Bonerama unleash their New Orleans Brass Funk Rock, they blow you down, turn you around, then suck you into a wild, irresistible carnival ride. The tunes are joyous (even funny) and mind-bending. My favorite song of our night and on the new CD (so far) remains co-founder Craig Klein’s “Shake Your Rugalator”, struttin’ its classic second line roots. Recorded at the Tribeca Rock Club in Manhattan, Live From New York is a great representation of the band’s show and has some cool special guests, legendary ‘bone man Fred Wesly (James Brown, JB Horns) and Galactic drummer Stanton Moore. The party at Tip’s had even more. Fred and Stanton couldn’t make it; so, instead, trombonists Rick Trolsen (a former member), Big Sam Williams, and Andy Pizzo joined the horn line. Not only that, singer/guitarist Anders Osborne sat in most of the night, along with master sousaphonist Kirk Joseph, and the patron saint of funk bass, George Porter, Jr. In all that’s seven trombones, two sousaphones, bass, drums, and two guitars. Am I forgetting anybody? Oh yeah, drummer David Russell Batiste (who played on the first CD) of the Funky Meters sat in on a song, too.

We reluctantly left the club near 2:00 AM with them still holding forth and the crowd hanging on for more. I had that righteous new CD in my hand; and I keep it spinning regularly. It’s the next best thing to being at one of their impressive gigs; and you don’t have to burn your clothes afterwards. Go to Bonerama.net to hear audio clips, find out more about the band, get on the mailing list, and buy a CD; or pick one up at Louisiana Music Factory. And check out the Offbeat interview with the band’s other co-founder, Mark Mullins, for further enlightenment.

To sense the unique and powerful mojo of contemporary New Orleans music at its shape-shifting finest, a Bonerama encounter, live or virtual, is in order. Catch ‘em, if you can. You probably won’t ever be the same. Hell, I didn’t even realize I had a rugalator, until I shook mine that night. Thanks to everybody for all the fun.