Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard jingles with holiday activities

5th December 2016   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wykcoff
Contributing Writer

From Thursday through Saturday, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard will be jumping with activities of all sorts. The three days represent a something for everybody cornucopia of music, food, shopping and educational experiences.

It all begins on Thursday, December 8 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Ashe Cultural Center with the Sticking Up for Childrens’ concert and dance benefit. It will include many of the great New Orleans musicians who participated in the organization’s “Music & Arts Day,” when folks of all ages would gather to decorate drum sticks with “paint pens” while enjoying some good beats. Proceeds from the gala will benefit the non-profit Sticking Up for Children that supports youth education both here in New Orleans and in Haiti.

The program that opens the show is somewhat specialized. Each of the drummers/percussionists – Johnny Vidacovich, Alfred “Uganda” Roberts, Alexey Marti, FanFan Louis and newcomer to Sticking Up for Children, Simon Lott will select a rhythm and be joined by one or more of the impressive horn players on the bill. Saxophonist greats Roger Lewis and Donald Harrison Jr. are in the mix with sousaphonist Kirk Joseph ready to hold down the bottom with his big horn. Clarinetist Evan Christopher and trumpeter Mario Abney will be there to bring their own flavor.

It’s difficult to imagine just how this will go down but considering the imagination of the talented artists involved, it’s sure to be unique.

Following that musical extravaganza, it will be time to get up and dance to Cyril Neville & the Family Groove. Neville, a superb percussionist and one of the most expressive vocalists in the city, is backed by the band that includes some of his talented kin with his son Omari Neville on drums and nephew Norman Caesar of the Caesar Brothers Funk Box on keyboards.

It probably is a good idea to shake what your mama gave you after enjoying an abundance of Creole and Cajun food. The good news is that the vittles are free with the price of admission be it table seating or the reasonable individual $30 seats and $20 for students.

Further information and tickets are available atwww.stickingupforchildren.org.

Holiday on the Boulevard keeps the vibe going on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard on Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10. The Boulevard is simply one of the most progressive and inspirational locales in this city. It shares those qualities with its namesake who stood as a leader and activist in the fight for civil rights, women’s rights and human rights throughout the struggles in New Orleans and beyond. To see how this area, named in her honor, has bloomed would, no doubt, have filled her heart as it does ours.

On Friday, following an educational tour for children at 10 am , some of the various activities include checking out the James Singleton Marching Band and the Africa meets New Orleans sounds of Bamboula 2000 cultural group. Author Kalamu ya Salaam will be on hand to sign his book “The Magic of Ju Ju” at 6 p.m.

The boulevard really gets rolling and dance ready on Saturday afternoon with a host of artists that represent the heartbeat of New Orleans. The programs begins on the street appropriately with the spirit of The Blessings Community Choir at 1:15 p.m. Next up is the always jubilant vocalist Rudy Mills at the head of his Caribbean Funk Band, the name of which indicates its musical locale – somewhere between the sea and New Orleans that is often referred to as the northernmost Caribbean city.

The talented and versatile vocalist Sharon Martin enjoys a host of loyal and exuberant fans though considering her abilities and warm delivery, she remains somewhat under appreciated in her hometown. Check out what some folks have been missing as she hits the stage at 3:30 p.m. The street, which will also offer a bountiful of arts and crafts at its Holiday Market Place, closes out musically with Ray Wimbley & Cool Nasty at 4:30 p.m.

Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard with it core being the Ashe Cultural Center stands as beacon of achievement and hope. It’s a ray of light indicating the direction to what’s possible for communities city-wide to create with hard work, dedication and love. Keep the light shining.

The NOLA Players
Christmastime in New Orleans
(AimHigher/Verve)

Eighteen of some of this city’s best modern jazz musicians get together to perform holiday classics on Christmastime in New Orleans and do what they do best – make them their own. With imaginative arrangements provided by pianist and musical director Mike Esnault, familiar tunes like “Away in the Manger” and “I Saw Three Ships” become transformed and sometimes barely recognizable though in a very, very good way. For instance, the usually solemn “Away in a Manger” absolutely swings and includes a wailing sax and ends with a drum fade out by Geoff Clapp.

Considering the syncopation that enlivens many of the songs like “Joy to the World” and the style that the ensemble brings to repertoire, it could be said that the carols and secular holiday tunes like “Jingle Bells” been given the New Orleans brand. That brand, which has made this city’s music popular around the world, includes a sense of fun. These musicians, including vibraphonist Jason Marsalis, bassist Roland Guerin, saxophonists Rex Gregory and Tony Dagradi, trombonist Terrance Taplin and many more, have often crossed paths on the local jazz scene. So when they met up to record the album in the Saenger Theatre, they were already friends and musical companions. The music reflects that camaraderie as the ensemble not only plays as one but the guys sound like they are really enjoying themselves.

Christmastime in New Orleans is a Yuletide gift for jazz lovers, big band fans and those who delight in the classic songs of the holidays.

This article originally published in the December 5, 2016 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.