New Orleans multi-instrumentalist Renard Poché is a true musician's musician. The short list of his collaborators includes Crescent City musical royalty Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, and Dr. John.
Poché's work isn't confined to New Orleans. He's also teamed up with Herbie Hancock, Bono, and Peter Gabriel. And as bandleader, his most recent release 4u 4me is a delectable mix of funk and soul, fused with jazz, Latin, rock and hip-hop.
At this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Poché, along with fellow musicians Leslie Smith and Terrin "Greezy" Gren, played a captivating acoustic set at the Allison Miner Stage. Afterwards, Poché headed for the food area, where he shared some Jazz Fest memories and favorite food picks with independent radio producer Diane Bock.
This feature was produced by a member of the Association of Independents in Radio, with assistance from Mike Elliot of WWOZ in New Orleans. You can visit WWOZ online for a live streaming broadcast from the festival. Visit NPR Music's complete archive of features from New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011.
How do people learn about jazz shows — and why do they go? We're continuing our investigation through the Meet The Jazz Audience interview series at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Independent producer Lauren Peterson caught up with community organizer and New Orleans native following a performance of a local college jazz band. —Ed.
Kimberly Dilosa, 36 Performer: Delgado Community College Jazz Ensemble Venue: Congo Square Stage, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, La. Date: May 6, 2011
How did you decide to come see this particular performance? Well, I'm always here in Congo Square. It's my favorite area in the Jazz Fest. So we're just hanging out within, you know, cooling out.
What did you think of the performance? Oh, I thought it was wonderful. My husband is a Delgado College alumni, so we always try to support the things that they do, and I always like to support things that young people do.
Do you often attend more of the actual jazz events at Jazz Fest? I do. I love jazz. I love all forms of music, but I'm really partial to jazz. That's what I listen to when I need to relax.
Lewis Milgrim (left) and Bob Milnes, of the New Jersey/New York area.
Diane Bock for NPR
Lewis Milgrim (left) and Bob Milnes, of the New Jersey/New York area.
How do people learn about jazz shows — and why do they go? We're continuing our investigation through the Meet The Jazz Audience interview series at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Independent radio producer Diane Bock spoke with Lewis Milgrim and Bob Milnes, who had just enjoyed a performance by a Frenchmen Street regular, jazz chanteuse Linnzi Zoarski. —Ed.
Lewis Milgrim and Bob Milnes Performer: Linnzi Zaorski Venue: People's Health Economy Hall Tent, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, La. Date: May 5, 2011
Hi! Can you tell me your names, and where you're from?
Lewis: My name's Lewis Milgrim, and I'm from Glen Rock, N.J. This is my first time at Jazz and Heritage. I've been wanting to come for about 20 years and I finally came here for the second weekend, and I'm having a great time so far.
What made you finally pull the trigger? What brought you out here?
Bob: [Laughs] It was me! My name's Bob Milnes. I'm from Brooklyn. I'm a musician, and Lewis produced my CD. We've been musical buddies for 25, 30 years. A friend of mine talked about the festival and I'd never been. So I said, let's go!
How do people learn about jazz shows — and why do they go? We're continuing our investigation through the Meet The Jazz Audience interview series at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Independent producer Lauren Peterson spoke with one well-traveled Canadian. —Ed.
Barb Tomlinson Performer: Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony Venue: People's Health Economy Hall Tent, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, La. Date: May 6, 2011
What show did you just see? I just finished seeing Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony.
And how was that? It was very good. I really enjoy seeing the entertainment at this tent, and I like seeing people that come out with their umbrellas and parade around. I love the type of music that they play in this tent, and I always seem to be drawn back to it even though there are other performances that I come to see. I always seem to come back to this tent.
Are you a jazz fan? I love jazz, I love a little bit of blues, I love a little rock, so I love a lot of the variety that they're coming out with, but my favorite is the jazz.
Jo Jo McCarver (right) and Dana Spanierman of California.
Diane Bock for NPR
Jo Jo McCarver (right) and Dana Spanierman of California.
How do people learn about jazz shows — and why do they go? We're continuing our investigation through the Meet The Jazz Audience interview series at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Following a performance at the Jazz & Heritage Stage by traditional New Orleans brass band The Paulin Brothers, independent radio producer Diane Bock spoke with two Jazz Fest veterans from California, Jo Jo McCarver and Dana Spanierman. —Ed.
Jo Jo McCarver and Dana Spanierman Performer: Paulin Brothers Brass Band Venue: Jazz and Heritage Stage, AKA Second Line Stage, NOLA Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, La. Date: May 5, 2011
Ladies, what brought you to Jazz Fest — and to this stage in particular?
Jo Jo: The vibe. The vibe of New Orleans. I think we were kind of pulled to this stage without meaning to, and it ended up being just a really fun classic NOLA band that just made me want to dance. And I haven't even had any cocktails yet! We're here at the Heritage Stage, and we just saw the Paulin Brothers Brass Band, and it was awesome. They were in really cool outfits and funky hats, with their horns and big tubas, and the dance floor went from just a few people to getting very large very quickly, and everyone was dancing and having a good time.
Dana: I was listening to them because to me that's the heart of New Orleans. It was a jazz, Cajun, fusion funk and it just got my body moving.
Trumpeter Shamarr Allen, who has recorded both as a leader and sideman for Threadhead Records-funded projects, plays at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Trumpeter Shamarr Allen, who has recorded both as a leader and sideman for Threadhead Records-funded projects, plays at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
The Botanical Gardens in New Orleans City Park is a small jewel hidden behind a black iron fence. Statues of flutists and fauns stand beneath dripping Spanish moss, and walkways are lined with flowers in bloom.
On April 28, the doors to the Gardens were thrown open for Threadhead Thursday, a free concert on the night before this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The show featured some of Threadhead Records' top acts: Paul Sanchez, Shamarr Allen, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Ensemble Fatien and Alex McMurray. The event marked the arrival of the four-year-old company as one of the top record labels for New Orleans music today.
That arrival is all the more remarkable for being driven by a non-profit group of volunteers. They started as fans, basically — fans from all over the world who shared a love for New Orleans music and who met in the message boards on www.nojazzfest.com. As they sustained long online comment threads, they began to call themselves Threadheads, and made arrangements to meet in person at New Orleans' annual Jazz Fest.
A few years back Meschiya Lake was best known for singing on New Orleans streets with various bands, including The Loose Marbles. Now, she's in high demand at all the local clubs featuring "trad jazz."
At the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this year, Lake brought her Little Big Horns to the Lagniappe Stage. The music seemed the perfect fit for the sunny kick-off day of the festival's first weekend. Lake and the band drew smiles on everyone listening and, at one point, in the middle of a song, she frantically waved at a friend to get up on the stage with her and lindy-hop. And dance they did!
After the performance, my co-producer Mike Elliot and I walked with her to grab a bite to eat and then worked our way back to the track's enclosed grandstand to chat.
This feature was produced by a member of the Association of Independents in Radio, with assistance from Mike Elliot of WWOZ in New Orleans. You can visit WWOZ online for a live streaming broadcast from the festival. Visit NPR Music's complete archive of features from New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011.
L-R: Alex Roseman, Shelley Sackett and James Roseman of North Boston, Mass.
Mike Elliot/WWOZ
L-R: Alex Roseman, Shelley Sackett and James Roseman of North Boston, Mass.
How do people learn about jazz shows — and why do they go? We're continuing our investigation through the Meet The Jazz Audience interview series at this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Independent producer Ben Pagac intercepted three folks coming out of the tent where local free jazz master Kidd Jordan had just performed. Mother Shelley Sackett, a Jazz Fest veteran, was sharing the experience with sons Alex and James. —Ed.
Shelley Sackett, Alex Roseman (21), James Roseman (17) Performer: Kidd Jordan & Improvisational Arts Ensemble Venue: WWOZ Jazz Tent, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans, La. Date: April 30, 2011
You all just came out of the Kidd Jordan performance in the Jazz Tent. Are you jazz music lovers and/or musicians?
James: Yup, I would say so. I play guitar, saxophone and baritone saxophone for the school band.
Alex: I play guitar, piano, bass, drums. I like avant-garde jazz; it's really of interest to me. The lack of structure really shows what our constructions of jazz actually are. I think it's very interesting.
The Pine Leaf Boys' members perform at the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, La.
David Simpson/Courtesy of the artist
The Pine Leaf Boys' members perform at the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette, La.
The first day of this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival culminated in back-to-back sets by West London's Mumford & Sons and North Carolina's The Avett Brothers before a crowd more than 20,000 strong. Here was conclusive proof, as if it were needed, that a new wave of young string bands has broken out of the underground into genuine stardom. These two bands, which performed together with Bob Dylan on this year's Grammy Awards telecast, have shown that young people can respond in large numbers to the combination of fiddles, acoustic guitars and doghouse bass played with the same energy as punk rock.
If those kids will embrace Mumford & Sons and The Avett Brothers — as well as related bands like Old Crow Medicine Show, Uncle Earl, The Wailin' Jennys and Carolina Chocolate Drops — might they also embrace the new wave of Cajun bands that have emerged around Lafayette, La.? After all, bands such as the Pine Leaf Boys, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Feufollet and the Red Stick Ramblers play their string-band instruments with the same contagious momentum as their better-known counterparts.
On Saturday afternoon, for example, you could see the Pine Leaf Boys whip the crowd — smaller than the Avetts', but equal in enthusiasm — into a frenzy with thumping two-step dance tunes. Wilson Savoy stood center stage with his legs dramatically spread apart like Billy Zoom from the punk band X, but instead of an electric guitar, Savoy held a handmade button accordion, its bellows stretching and collapsing with the propulsive beat. Backed by skinny Courtney Granger on fiddle and cowboy-hatted Jon Bertrand on acoustic guitar, Savoy had the young crowd spinning dance partners in the dusty grass.
This Jazz Fest appearance was just an example of what happens at Lafayette's Blue Moon Saloon every weekend. On the tavern's half-covered back porch, young Cajun bands play for crowds dominated by twentysomethings going out to drink and dance on a Saturday night — not Baby Boomers looking for exotic culture and aerobic exercise.
As a result, Cajun music has shaken off its museum dust and returned to its origins as social music. It's become more muscular to keep its young audience on the dance floor, and has embraced new songwriting and modern influences to keep those kids coming back. It's a culture that's no longer just preserving its past, but also redefining its present.
Trombone Shorty joins The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Trombone Shorty joins The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The 2011 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has begun its second of two long weekends of concerts. Big things are happening at the massive annual celebration of Louisiana music and culture: Traditions are being passed down, jazz musicians are getting engaged, and gallons of mango freeze are lining gullets. You can tune into WWOZ online for a live broadcast from New Orleans.
NPR Music is there too. We're not there there in person as we were last year. But we do have a small crew of producers from the Association of Independents in Radio, working in conjunction with WWOZ, sending us updates. And our contributor Geoffrey Himes has been on the ground gathering up good stories for us too.
Throughout this weekend and into next week, we'll be posting dispatches from Jazz Fest here at A Blog Supreme. We'll keep this page updated with links to all our posts. Yea you rite.
The Gentilly entrance to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Hello! from a ... well, fair-to-middling opening day at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival 2010, weather-wise.
As I type, a bolt of lightning has just struck somewhere in the area and rain showers are falling moderatelypouring down. And enthusiasm on the fairgrounds — that is, the massive horse racetrack complex here in New Orleans — has dampened somewhat.
But for an overcast moment, the lawn chair armada did get a chance to decamp, the cozies to fill with Miller Lite cans, the flags and regalia to unfurl, the peanut vendors to stroll about, and the bands to play. Updates from music that Josh Jackson and I have caught so far, soon to come.
And as you know, you can follow @blogsupreme (me) and @checkoutjazz (Josh) on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates. Now, back out into the damp and the music.
A freshly-painted, half-completed mural will depict Treme Brass Band stalwarts Benny Jones Sr. and Lionel Batiste outside the Candlelight Lounge.
For an admitted jazz carpetbaggerout-of-towner such as I am, the Treme Brass Band's weekly Wednesday night residency at the Candlelight Lounge felt like a ideal introduction to the unique, beautiful music of this city. Three reasons:
1. People dance. For those of us used to the jazz listening rooms (and concert halls) of the East Coast, seeing many people dancing to instrumental music playing swing rhythms has a foreign aura about it. In this city, people have a different relationship to the blues. It includes moving a lot.
A Blog Supreme is an ongoing conversation about jazz for both indoctrinated fans and curious listeners, with NPR Music producers and special guests. Follow us here, on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS feed.
