The aroma of king cakes and the sound of jazz fill the New Orleans air
7th January 2020 · 0 Comments
By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer
Twelfth Night, which is always January 6, marks the last night of the twelve days of Christmas, the celebration of the Epiphany and the beginning of the Carnival season. In New Orleans, it also means it’s time for King Cake, revelry and even more music.
Since 2017, the Bywater Bakery has added another 12th Night tradition to those of the festivities of the Phunny Phorty Phellows, the Societe des Champs Elysee and the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc parade. The twist on the bakery’s King’s Day King Cake block party is that it takes place earlier in the day (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and welcomes everybody to join the gathering and eat, drink and dance to some great live music.
The Bywater Bakery, 3624 Dauphine St., is more than simply an exceptional bakery and cafe. It has become a core to the community and goes beyond the neighborhood stretching its warmth out to New Orleans’ musical family. That, in part, accounts for the outstanding artists who will perform at the event, which takes place in a parking lot catty-corner from the bakery and includes giants like trombonists Freddie Lonzo and Corey Henry, pianist David Torkanowsky and drummer Herlin Riley mixing it up in a “Super Group,” plus the man of the season, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, the Pinettes Brass Band and many more.
The bakery gets its heart and therefore its community spirit from its owners, Chaya Conrad and Alton Osborn. “I’m the vibe and my wife is the baker,” Osborn offers. “She creates the goodies and I create the energy,” he adds on the ingredients that have resulted in the Bywater Bakery’s reputation for delicious baked goods, a friendly atmosphere and solid music.
The bakery’s musical element entered by way of a piano that Osborn lobbied heavily to include in the somewhat small cafe. Conrad, perhaps the more practical one in this situation, was against it as she would lose precious space for two tables. “I didn’t want a piano at first – silly me,” Conrad says with a laugh. “I am so happy to report that I was wrong.”
Osborn describes the piano and its central location as a “hearth” that has encouraged a musical scene around it. Until last year, when the King’s Day party was held indoors, it accommodated the keyboardists taking part in the celebration. It’s also in use during weekend, morning performances by the likes of pianist Tom McDermott and for the bakery’s other annual events including the pre-Krewe du Vieux parade and the post-Jazz Fest parties.
As a clothing designer and “the guy out hearing music at all hours of the night,” Osborn has enjoyed long relationships with many musicians. Having gained their respect and trust he has been able to recruit some of the finest for the block party and have them work in different combinations. He put together what is billed as the Super Group that boasts two of this city’s finest trombonists, Lonzo and Henry, for a rare appearance on stage together. “That’s by design,” Osborn declares. “They are all my favorite guys.” A few other connections to those who will be performing include Osborn’s friendship with the 9th Ward Black Hatchets Mardi Gras Indians and that the Pinettes’ trumpeter Jazz Henry, the daughter of Corey Henry, works at the Bywater Bakery.
Last year’s 12th Night event, which conveniently fell on a Sunday, was a booming success and the 1,000 King Cakes that were prepared sold out by 1 p.m. This year 1,800 will be popped into the oven for sale, whole or by the slice.
Despite this year’s block party, which is being held in partnership with the non-profit Backbeat Foundation, being on a Monday, Osborn is confident it will be a big draw. “I’d bet the farm that our (musical) line-up is big enough and our cakes are just that good that people will take the day off and come and start Carnival with us,” he proclaims. “The Joan of Arc Parade (7 p.m.) is growing and people can come here and leave in time to catch that.”
Conrad, who attended the Culinary Institute of America and who, at age 14, was already working in a bakery, says that the Bywater Bakery is what she had always dreamed of. “But it’s much more than I ever thought it would be. I just look around and I’m in shock all the time how fantastic it is. I’ve never seen anything like what we’re doing. Honestly I think we’re the hippest bakery in the world.”
Conrad compares getting ready for Mondays big event to preparing for a prize fight. “We’re in training right now,” says the inventor of the bakery’s signature Chantilly King Cake. The boudin King Cake ranks as the most popular item among the bakery’s savory selections.
“I’m just really excited,” Conrad exclaims on the upcoming 12th Night King’s Day block party. “It’s so much fun and it’s so much fun for the team. Anybody that was here last year, they talk about it all year long. It becomes a rite of passage for my team. It’s a ton of work, it’s hectic and it’s crazy but it’s a blast.”
New Orleans Welcomes the Jazz Education Network
It’s hopeful that many of the educators, students and musicians from the Crescent City, around the nation and world who will be taking part or attending the 11th Annual Jazz Education Network Conference (January 7 through January 10) at the Hyatt Regency, will arrive in New Orleans early enough to experience this city’s 12th Night festivities. They are an education in themselves. The four-day conference includes clinics, workshops, an exhibit hall and performances all with the aim of bringing people together for the love of and continued excellence in jazz music.
New Orleans also receives lagniappe in hosting the event as some of the renowned jazz artists like saxophonists Rick Margitza and Dave Liebman will be performing at Snug Harbor on Tuesday, January 7 and Saturday, January 11, respectively. They are not to be missed. For more information, go to www.jazzednet.org.
This article originally published in the January 6, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
