Live at Jazz Fest 2015 and on CD

20th April 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

Hearing a musician live at payday loan cameron mo Jazz Fest often spurs on the desire to relive the musical experience and share it with friends. Here are a couple of this year’s new recordings from artists performing at the festival whose music you can bring on home.

Cassandra Wilson
Coming Forth By Day
(Legacy)

Vocalist Billie Holiday remains so fresh in the musical consciousness that it’s difficult to comprehend that April 7, 2015 marks the 100th year of her birth. She lived and performed in such a different era of history, yet her legacy remains ever timeless.

Noted vocalist Cassandra Wilson takes both the past and the here-and-now into consideration in her tribute to Lady Day on Coming Forth By Day. Performing material both written by and associated with Holiday, Wilson brings her own modern ethos and style as well as electronic technology to the program.

Creating a distinctive atmosphere was as intrinsic to Holiday as it has been to Wilson in their respective careers. That’s what makes Wilson a good candidate to take on a project as challenging and, yes, risky as Billie Holiday’s songbook. Material such as Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” can’t merely be sung. The great Nina Simone knew that and, as Wilson does here, made it her own. A native of Mississippi, Wilson gives the classic song a bluesier feel, more syncopated rhythm and a sweeter attitude. Her longtime pianist Jon Cowherd and saxophonist Robby Marshall reinforce the neighborhood barroom feel.

The rhythm section of the Australian alternative rock group’s drummer Thomas Wydler and bassist Martyn Casey contribute to bringing Holiday’s music to the 21st century though not obtrusively so. There are great splashes of cymbals and a contemporary rhythmic edge behind Wilson’s breathy vocals on another Holiday original, “Billie’s Blues.” The tune stands out on an album that during some later tracks like “The Way You Look Tonight” becomes very atmospheric with the addition of a string section and multiple electronic loops.

Wilson captures the deeply felt emotion of the singularly payday loans elgin illinois eerie and upsetting qualities of “Strange Fruit” entirely differently than Holiday yet the impact remains the same. The vocalist’s deep voice and heavy orchestration build the drama to its inevitable, fateful climax.

The final cut, “Last Song (For Lester),” stands as the only tune composed by Wilson. It’s in remembrance of Holiday’s love for saxophonist Lester Young and her being forbidden, due to legal problems, to sing at his funeral. Wilson softly interprets the lyrics as if she was speaking to Young. It’s a fitting tribute to both great artists and a jab at the inhumanity of the powers that be.

Cassandra Wilson will perform material from Coming Forth By Day at the Jazz Fest on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 4:10 p.m.

Kermit Ruffins &
the Barbecue Swingers
#imsoneworleans

(Basin Street Records)

Even before trumpeter/vocalist Kermit Ruffins begins singing the praises of the city of his birth, the drumming of Jerry Barbarin Anderson clues one in that, yes, this is a New Orleans album all the way. Then things start swingin’ as Ruffins with that ever-present smile in his voice croons, “I’m so New Orleans, I love Danny Barker, I’m so New Orleans, I love Uncle Lionel… and all the cats that had it like that.”

Ruffins continues his musical tribute to the Crescent City by looking back to its rhythm and blues heydays by including Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina.” With the piano of Yoshitaka “Z2” Tsuji — a wizard throughout the album — matched with the gritty and humorous vocals of Ruffins, the tune is once again reborn.

Continuing in the theme of looking back while bringing the music ahead, “Mexican Special” is a spectacular remake of Ruffins’ and the Frazier brothers’ – bass drummer Keith and tuba man Phil – composition. It was first recorded on the Rebirth Brass Band’s 1989 release Feel Like Funkin’ It Up and here the tempo is slowed down online cash advance safe from the street beat of the original to a swaying Caribbean rhythm. Ruffins flutters his trumpet while guest Dexter Daily enhances the island flavor on steel drums. It’s rare that a remake of a tune can totally bring it to a new level – offering new excitement – as this gem succeeds in doing.

Ruffins again returns to past Rebirth favs for “Put Your Right Foot Forward,” which he co-wrote with Phil Frazier. It’s modernized here including a strong bass line by Kevin Morris that keeps its timeless message fresh for another generation. The tune also goes from the streets to the stage with an expanded version of the Barbecue Swingers with guests guitarist June Yamagishi and vocalist Britney Chauntae.

The great James Sugar Boy Crawford gets a nod with the inclusion of his “Jock-A-Mo (Iko Iko).” Everybody gets into the party singing and having fun on this eternal song that was inspired by the Mardi Gras Indians’ chants and has gone around the world with versions by the Dixie Cups, Dr. John and others as well as on the sound track of the movie “Rain Man.”

Ruffins’ love of family is also in evidence as he brings in his daughter, Kaylin Orleans Ruffins, for a duet on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Her pure tone and rhythmic instincts take this number beyond sentimentality. She hits those high notes.

It’s so New Orleans that the tunes on this album remain so vital to our community. They never grow old. Kermit Ruffins knows that because as he truthfully declares, “I’m so New Orleans.”

Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers perform at Jazz Fest on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 2:45 p.m. at Congo Square. On Sunday, May 3, 2015, Ruffins will also be blowing at 4:20 pm in the Economy Hall tent for a tribute to Louis Armstrong.

This article originally published in the April 20, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.