Taking notice and remembering the Legacy of our Musical Families

13th August 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

Most New Orleanians are aware of this city’s tradition of musical families. Some are obvious, “household” names like the Nevilles, Marsalises, Jordans plus the Brunious, Andrews and Batiste clans. Yet it is easy to lose sight of the members of the next generation of musicians who are carrying on the legacies of their predecessors.

The recent Satchmo SummerFest offered a reminder of the cats who are following the large footprints laid down by their fathers and other kin. Most strikingly was seeing Jamil Sharif, the son of the wonderful Umar Sharif – also widely remembered as Big Emory Thompson – blowing trumpet next to clarinetist/saxophonist Louis Ford, the son of the late, great reedman Clarence Ford who blew jazz as well as R&B tenor sax with Fats Domino’s band.

That Jamil and Louis should wind up on the same bandstand with each other playing instruments associated with their fathers seems both remarkable and, indeed, heartwarming. Also on the frontline of Sharif’s group was trombonist Wess “Quad” Anderson IV, who is the son of saxophonist Wess Anderson. Unlike those musicians previously mentioned, this father and son play different instruments than one another and stand for a younger generation. Just to keep things in the family mode, pianist Michael Torregano, the brother of the late clarinetist Joseph Torregano was also on Sharif’s fine set.

The next day, saxophonist Calvin Johnson took the always comfortable festival stage by Esplanade Avenue. He proved himself to be as stylistically versatile as his late uncle Ralph Johnson performing both jazz and rhythm and blues with great tonality and flair. While Calvin plays tenor and soprano saxes, Ralph blew tenor and clarinet.

Everywhere you looked at SatchmoFest – the same can be said of Jazz Fest and the French Quarter Festival – New Orleans musical families ruled. Vocalist Topsy Chapman was onboard with her trio Solid Harmony that includes her daughters Yolanda Windsay and Jolynda Phillips. Trombonist Corey Henry, who leads the Treme Funktet is the nephew of Benny Jones who heads the mighty Treme Brass Band that put the beat on the street at the festival’s second line salute to the man of the hour, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. Jones is the son of the late Chester Jones, a much sought after and highly respected drummer both in the brass and traditional jazz communities.

We are so spoiled by all of this city’s great talent that sometimes we take it for granted. Therefore it’s often important to take a good look at the roots of who’s actually creating all of this inspired music.

An end of era for the incredibly musical Adams family occurred last week with the death of bassist Gerald Adams, who died on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at the age of 91. Adams, who was hard to miss with his red bass, sharp, brightly colored suits and ties and an abundance of glittering rings and necklaces all set off by his stylish shades, was a member of the hugely talented Adams family that included his brothers bassist/drummer Placide Adams and guitarist Justin Adams.

At the age of seven, Gerald began taking lessons from his uncle, the renowned multi-instrumentalist Manuel Manetta and by age 12, he was playing with the family band led by his mother pianist Dolly Adams, who was also talented on many other instruments. Gerald’s earliest gigs were performing in the Algiers neighborhood that was the Adams’ home turf. Later the group played regularly “across the river” in New Orleans at the Million Dollar Room.

Adams, a very warm and friendly man who mentored artists like banjoist/guitarist Don Vappie, spent some years “in-and-out” of town with jazz combos headed by the likes of greats including drummers Freddie Kohlman and Paul Barbarin, guitarist/banjoist Danny Barker, reedman Louis Cottrell and trumpeter Thomas Jefferson. Adams spent seven years with Kohlman in Florida and returned to work with Clarence “Frogman” Henry.

Rhythm and blues was also Adams’ domain having played his upright with Fats Domino’s band and recorded on guitarist/vocalist/composer Earl King’s first record release. (Presumably, that was 1953’s “Begging at Your Mercy” with the flip “Have You Gone Crazy?,” recorded under King’s given name, Earl Johnson.) He also toured with the great Roy “Good Rockin’ Tonight” Brown.

Adams stepped away from music for 14 years to work at his body and fender shop but returned to the scene in 1977 to play at Commander’s Place, a gig that would last eight years. In 1978, he also picked up his bass to performer in the lounge at Canal Street’s Marriott hotel with an incredible trio that included saxophonist Clarence Ford and pianist Ed Frank. It was a long-standing, three-days-a-week, gig that couldn’t be missed by true jazz lovers. Wow, what a group – it dug into some modern jazz too.

In more recent years, Adams could be heard at the Palm Court Jazz Café, mostly with the Friday night band with trombonist Lucien Barbarin. Even when he wasn’t performing, the affable Adams along with his wonderful wife Inez, would stop by the Decatur Street traditional jazz mecca just to hang out, listen to the music and visit with friends.

In 1994, Gerald Adams was recognized by New Orleans magazine as one of it Jazz All-Stars and in 2008 he received a Lifetime Recognition Award from the Cultural Alliance of the Americas organization. He was also seen in the 2002 movie, “The Scoundrel’s Wife,” which starred Tatum O’Neal.

Gerald Adams, who many people familiarly called Jerry, was always a solid and bright addition to a bandstand. He sounded as good as he looked.

This article originally published in the August 13, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.