Holiday time in New Orleans
21st November 2016 · 0 Comments
By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer
Vocalists Al “Carnival Time” Johnson and Margie Perez pair up on the single, “Don’t Go, Santa!” that’s New Orleans all the way. Like so many tunes from the Crescent City, it emerged from folks enjoying a good time with friends.
“I invited some people over for Christmas a couple of years ago and Al and Toby (composer Toby Wraye) were two of the people who came and we had a kind of little jam session,” remembers Perez. “And Toby pulled out this song and said, ‘I’d like to hear you sing it.’ Al and I did it as a duet – we just traded lyrics. It was just a hit at the party.”
The wonderfully humorous tune, which was actually released at the end of November 2015, came out a little too late to gain attention from the media last year thus kind of slipped by the public’s attention. This holiday season, the catchy and the sexily innuendo-filled number definitely needs to be danced to, heard and enjoyed.
The story starts with Johnson, who is in excellent voice throughout, singing as Santa, “My woman she’s hot in the season but I can’t stay home.” Perez, seductively replies, “My man’s so hot when the season it comes around… in that little red suit he’s the sexiest man in town.”
Similar in its call and response format to the often recorded “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” with one of its exemplary versions sung by the great Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan, this time the tables are somewhat turned around. It’s the woman, vocally portrayed by Perez, trying to lure Santa into putting off his duties of delivering toys and staying by her side.
“The lyrics were quite suggestive so I had to put that spin on it,” acknowledges Perez, who alluringly tries to seduce Santa. “So I said, ‘Okay, let me do this sort of flirty.’”
“Don’t Go, Santa!” evolved organically from the studio to the hands of producer Louie Ludwig and ended with Johnson in front of a microphone at home with Perez nearby singing along to her track. Their friendly intimacy is well-captured on the recording.
Perez believes that Johnson improvised a funny bone hitter line calling Dancer and Prancer “lazy deer” rather than “reindeer” and repeating it twice that underlines the humor. “He’s still got it,” Perez declares of Johnson’s vocal prowess and ability to animate a song.
A solid band with the horns of saxophonist Derek Huston and trombonist Craig Klein backs up these two soon to be satisfied lovers once Santa has “done been all around the world.”
New Orleans old-school rhythm and blues lives on in the pure fun of “Don’t Go, Santa!”
Time to Catch Up with Old Favs
Musically speaking, during the holiday season, things get back to what could be considered “normal” for New Orleans at least. The outdoor festivals that reigned during many fall weekends with some Saturdays and Sundays offering two, three or four events have ended as have the weekday musical series that presented solid artists that offered entertainment to help folks make it through the work week.
With all these (wonderful) distractions, it can be easy to take for granted some favorite acts and clubs that light up the night throughout the year. As Kermit Ruffins sang on his tune, “Happy Weekday Blues,” “Happy Monday, happy Tuesday, happy Wednesday… We have to live life good and swing those happy weekday blues.” The song, off the his 2005 album, Throwback, which reunited the trumpeter and vocalist with the Rebirth Brass offers good advice and this city’s man standing gigs help fill the bill.
For instance on Monday vocalist Charmaine Neville performs at Snug Harbor with a New Orleans repertoire of jazz, rhythm and blues and Mardi Gras Indian music. Just down the street at d.b.a. the big voice and big horn of Glen David Andrews brings it to the street and to the church. Several blocks past N. Claiborne Ave. at Ooh Poo Pah Doo, his cousin, trumpeter and vocalist James Andrews touches on a bit of everything New Orleans – traditional jazz, rhythm and blues, brass bands.
Tuesdays are a good night for jazz both classic – veteran reedman Charlie Gabriel leads the band at Preservation Hall – and modern – drummer Stanton Moore’s trio impresses with wizards pianist David Torkanowsky and bassist James Singleton.
It’s back to d.b.a. on Wednesday for guitarist/vocalist Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Incidentally, Washington, a true jewel of this city, put on an amazing show at this year’s Blues & BBQ Festival. Wow… Another good choice for this Wednesday, November 23, is a special show by the Original Gentlemen at the Maple Leaf. It’s got the guys, guitarist Derwin “Big D” Perkins, bassist/vocalist Cornell Williams and drummer Jellybean Alexander, that are the core of keyboardist Jon Cleary’s band.
Uptown is the spot on Thursday nights again when the Maple Leaf features the brilliant drummer Johnny Vidacovich who brings in special guests each week. It rules.
The Palm Court in the French Quarter is a good place to head on Friday nights when the band is led by trumpeter Kevin Louis. This week, B-3 organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith, who performs so often in New Orleans he’s now considered one of our own, leads a trio with guitarist Detroit Brooks and drummer Joe Dyson at Snug Harbor both Friday, November 25, and Saturday, November 26.
To finish the “happy week” off right, the Original New Orleans Men and Lady Buckjumpers present their annual parade on Sunday, November 27. The second line starts at noon at the E&C Bar on Apple and Monroe streets and disbands four hours later at the Sports-man’s Corner at Second and Dryades Street. This parade has become like a grand reunion among old friends and family in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s also one of the only second lines that the Rebirth Brass Band, which once regularly ran the streets, still makes. “Let’s go get ‘em!”
This article originally published in the November 21, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
