Holding fast to New Orleans’ culture and its vitality in the community
10th December 2018 · 0 Comments
By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer
Keeping New Orleans treasures in the “family” and vital in the community can be celebrated this week with the purchase of the legendary Uptown club Tipitina’s by the deeply rooted band Galactic and the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, a traditionally rich anchor of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard.
It’s difficult to imagine what this city’s music scene would be like if Tip’s fell into the “wrong” hands. It’s comparable to how the music community held its collective breath until trumpeter Kermit Ruffins finally purchased the Mother-In-Law Lounge. Man, somebody could have snatched that place up and made it into a Burger King, a taco stand or who knows what. Now it represents what this city is about – it’s a cultural meeting place with music, barbeque, Mardi Gras Indians, Baby Dolls, social aid and pleasure clubs and, of course, the Saints games.
Stanton Moore, a New Orleans native and drummer with Galactic says that the band’s primary focus on buying Tipitina’s from Roland and Mary Kurnatowski, the purchase of which closed on Friday, November 30, was to ensure that it was kept in the New Orleans family.
“Not only has owning Tip’s been a group dream since we were kids but we realized if it wasn’t us, who else?” Moore offers. “We didn’t want it to go to a major corporation or somebody from out of town. We felt like well, we’ve played there more than anybody else in the last 20 years, we’ve toured the world and have seen how other clubs operate so we can borrow little tidbits of good ideas.”
“We started there as fans and we’re still fans,” he continues. “It’s still my favorite place to hear music. So we understand how you want to be treated as a patron and we also understand how you want to sound on stage and how you want to be treated as a musician.”
Tipitina’s was established in 1977 by 14 avid music fans in order to provide pianist, singer and composer Henry Roeland “Professor Longhair” Byrd with a home base and venue where he, as well as other hugely talented yet underserved musicians, could play regularly. Its name comes from one of Fess’ most famous songs. In 1997, the Kurnatowskis purchased the business and the club though recent financial and legal troubles made the time right to sell. Back in 2015, Galactic’s manager, Alex Brahl, had already expressed the band’s interest in buying Tip’s. The sale does not include the Tipitina’s Foundation established by Kurnatowski.
“To his credit,” says Moore, “Roland let us know that he had other people approach him over the years and he had other offers but he really felt like the right place for it to go, where the true spirit of Tip’s would be respected and carried on, would be for it to go to us. We take that very, very serious. The response, so far, has been overwhelmingly positive and that means the world to us.”
“We don’t want to change Tip’s but to enhance the experience for the patrons and the musicians.”
The first move by the band that includes Moore, saxophonist Ben Ellman, guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Rob Mercurio and keyboardist Rich Vogel, is to improve some of the basics like bringing in a new PA system and stage lighting and to install commercial grade toilets.
Musically, Moore was hesitant to name any specific bands or styles that Galactic is considering to book at Tipitina’s. “What we want is to create experiences that people say, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe that’s coming to Tip’s.’ We want to create experiences of ‘Wow!’ on a regular basis.”
Having gained his early training playing jazz at Tipitina’s Sunday afternoon Young People’s Jazz Forum where his fellow students included trumpeter Nicholas Payton and drummer/vibraphonist Jason Marsalis, Moore, who leads his own jazz trio, would like jazz in the mix at Tip’s. “It’s one of the things I want to put up for vote but I’m one of five partners. We’re not going to firm up ideas too fast.”
As is tradition, Galactic will perform at Tipitina’s on New Year’s Eve. This time, however, the guys will be taking the stage at their own club.
“We realize that it is up to us now to guard and protect the legacy that is Tipitina’s,” Moore says with the seriousness of the endeavor in his voice. His demeanor then changes when he offers, “It’s going to be a fun ride!”
Ashé Cultural Arts Center Turns 20
It doesn’t seem that long ago when empty buildings lined Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, which was renamed in the late 1980s to honor the civil right pioneer. Decades earlier, the wide, Central City thoroughfare called Dryades Street had been a bustling commercial district but as times changed, it suffered from underuse and finally neglect.
Carol Bebelle and Douglas Redd saw a lack of places in New Orleans for African Americans to gather, share and showcase their talents in music, creative arts, dance and other cultural activities and pass them on to another generation. They found just the right spot for their endeavors when they bought and then in December 1998 took the keys to the large building at 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard that soon was to become the Ashé Cultural Arts Center. During the last two decades it has presented an array of enriching programs that offered such memorable moments as the Mardi Gras Hall of Fame inductions, a musical performance by saxophonist Kidd Jordan, its annual Christmas on the Boulevard shows, art displays, the “Lift Every Voice and Sing” celebration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and a kids’ clinic that had youngsters painting drumsticks with noted drummer Johnny Vidacovich.
It’s doubtful that Bebelle and Redd could have foreseen that Ashé, as it is affectionately known, would start a renaissance on the boulevard standing as an anchor as other businesses – New Orleans Jazz Market, Café Reconcile, Casa Borrega, the Southern Food & Beverage Museum and more – began popping up nearby. OCH Boulevard has since become a destination for music, arts, food and cultural expression.
The public is invited to Ashé’s 20th Anniversary Celebration that takes place at the Center from 7 – 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 15. Those performing at the free festivities include poet/vocalist Sunni Patterson, vocalist Michaela Harrison, Bamboula 2000, Frederick “Hollywood” Delahoussaye, Spirit McIntyre and more.
Congratulations to the Ashé Cultural Arts Center for keeping the spirit of unity alive.
This article originally published in the December 10, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
