Batiste’s charisma, style captured fans worldwide

16th July 2012   ·   0 Comments

By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer

It’s no surprise that ‘Uncle’ Lionel Batiste headlined local media outlets last weekend as the news spread of his passing last Sunday. But the love affair with the debonair, cultural icon goes far beyond the city limits.

This week, Uncle Lionel’s life and legacy was detailed in news sites such as NPR and the Washington Post, the personal stories have been shared from as far as Japan and Norway. Batiste’s significance to New Orleans music and culture was larger than that of his image that loomed over New York’s Time Square to promote Spike Lee’s documentary, “If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise.”

“Every year we visit New Orleans to play Satchmo Summer Fest, and I had to honor of playing Jazz Mass at St.Augustine Church with Tremé Brass Band, and he was always there,” said Yoshio Toy­ama, noted Japanese musician and leader of Yoshio Toyama and the Dixie Saints.

“Uncle Lionel sure looked so good with such character, he was right there in the true tradition of New Orleans. He will be missed.”

Monica Rånes recalls the first time she met Uncle Lionel. It was in her hometown of Molde, Nor­way during the Molde Inter­national Jazz Festival, one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe.

‘It was 1998, when he came to Molde,” she says. “He was a wonderful and kind gentleman, with a soft voice. I was one of the saxophone players in the Festival parade band. The way he looked-how he dressed and how he posed for the camera, it was so priceless. He always had a smile, and it was so nice to hear him sing. Everyone loved him. I guess he was “my Uncle” already then.”

According to Rånes, Uncle Lionel showed the young drummers in the band how to play the drums ‘the right way.”

“Uncle Lionel has been an inspiration to our group, so I guess you can say that there is a piece of NOLA here in Molde,” she adds.

Batiste served as Grand Marshall of the daily festival parade for over a decade.

It’s been nearly ten years since Duane Hoyt’s first trip to the Big Easy. “I was there with my girlfriend for a swing dance weekend exchange called Lindy Gras that was planned during the Krewe du Vieux parade.”

Uncle Lionel served as King that year.

While in town, Hoyt (a Lake-wood, Ohio native) discovered (the popular music club) Donna’s on Rampart St. and had stopped in to see the Tremé Brass Band.

“During the first band break, I went outside to have a smoke and the band was out front too. Being a swing dancer, I was dressed up in my vintage 40s suit with a vintage 40s Bogie” style fedora,” he told The Louisiana Weekly. “This little old man comes up to me and mumbles something that I had a difficult time following. Keep in mind it was my first trip and I had not learned to understand some of the finer points of the NOLA local language, and a younger guy, who was one of his many nephews “translated” for me.”

“He said, “Uncle Lionel says he likes your hat.” This was a fine compliment coming from this distinguished gentleman, who himself was dressed in a fine brown suit, two-tone shoes and a matching brown derby.”

Uncle Lionel then invited Hoyt and his girlfriend to his birthday party at the renowned Candlelight lounge a few days after.

“‘Unc’ was sitting in the back at a long table with all his friends and family, and when he saw us, he popped up and called us back to his table. We sat at the table with him just like we were family and had known him forever. He introduced us to so many aunties and nephews, nieces, cousins I felt that the whole city was his family.”

Hoyt and his girlfriend were married in the city the weekend of the French Quarter Festival in 2008, and fittingly, Uncle Lionel sang at the wedding.

“He showed up almost dressed better than me,” Hoyt added.

When the couple tried to pay Uncle Lionel for singing, he refused. “These are memories, and you can’t pay for memories,” he said to them.

“Honestly, that sums up everything Uncle Lionel was. The kindest, most loving, generous man I have ever known,” Hoyt told The Louisiana Weekly. “When I met Uncle Lionel, I knew what the heart and soul of NOLA was about, I knew Uncle Lionel Batiste’s bass drum was the heartbeat of this city.”

Because of his overwhelming influence, the soulful beat of Uncle Lionel’s drum will go on; not only here in New Orleans, but in cities all over the world and for generations to come.

This article was originally published in the July 16, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper