The sounds of music permeates everywhere

18th April 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

French Quarter Festival — Perfect Weather Brings Out the Crowds

Before ears and eyes focus on the upcoming New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival there’s a little bit of time to look back on the 2017 French Quarter Festival. Spectacular weather, low humidity and mild temperatures blessed all four days of the event. As drummer Shannon Powell often says, “Woooow!”

As expected, crowds swarmed the grassy lawn stage by the Mississippi River for the debut appearance at the event by New Orleans own superstar Aaron Neville. With folks like his son Ivan Neville and Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews looking on with big smiles from the side of the stage, Neville delivered what the huge crowd came to enjoy — the magnificent voice of Aaron Neville singing tunes like the funky opener “Hercules,” his hit “Everybody Plays the Fool” and the soulful Drifters’ chart-topper “Don’t Go, Please Stay” that Aaron, a lover of doo-wop and soul also recorded. Kinfolk Norman Caesar, the keyboardist and vocalist of the Caesar Brothers Funk Box, helped out on background vocals. New Orleans native, drummer, Earl Smith Jr., who’s a regular in Aaron’s working band as is his brother, saxophonist Charles Neville, kept the rhythm sharply funky and showed he knows how to have some fun New Orleans style. “I was born by the river,” sang Aaron as he closed his riverfront show with a moving rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

To move from the throngs of people at the big stage by the Mississippi to the more intimate setting of the Jackson Square Stage for the Ellis Marsalis Quintet made for a pleasant transition. The noted pianist, whose latest release is reviewed below, always projects serenity even when his fingers are flying and the horns get hot on an uptempo number. It was a surprise to learn that the two young men who were sitting at a table at the side of the stage selling Ellis’ album, were none other than his grandsons, Wynton Marsalis’ sons, Wynton II and Simeon Marsalis.

On Friday evening, Jackson Square was the site of another fine set of jazz. Billed as Shannon Powell & His Traditional All-Star Band, the moniker wasn’t quite accurate as the Powell brought in a more modern all-star crew of musicians with saxophonist Aaron Fletcher, bassist Roland Guerin playing an electric and pianist Kyle Roussel. The always smiling drummer kicked off the session with “Suicide Is Painless” that is better known as the theme song from the television show “M*A*S*H.” In tribute to the late great pianist/composer Allen Toussaint, the group performed his signature tune, “Southern Nights,” with Roussel’s piano capturing the elegance that was Toussaint’s essence.

Two of the festival’s new venues — in the parking lot at 600 Decatur Street and the School House Stage at McDonogh 15 — fit the event so well it seemed as if they’d always been there. The Decatur Street site filled the gap when hustling between the riverfront stages and Jackson Square. The School House Stage, where the multi-talented and stylistically diverse guitarist/banjoist and vocalist Carl LeBlanc performed, made for a good stop for those moving from the major venues at either end of the Quarter.

Sunday was a good day for checking out the Brass Band Jam Stage and the Esplanade in the Shade Stage on either side of the Old U.S. Mint. Guitarist John Mooney put on a stunning show, digging in on classic blues like Muddy Water’s “Baby Please Don’t Go” primarily utilizing his superior slide guitar skills. He was well paired with Tom Worrell on some hefty organ and keyboards. This band entertained with its pure intensity.

At most of the venues, folks with chairs thoughtfully set them up far enough back to leave room for dancers at the front of stage. The big lawn stage, where headliners like Aaron Neville and Irma Thomas draw huge crowds, should put a “no chair zone” policy into effect for the greater enjoyment of all.

Ellis Marsalis Quintet
The Ellis Marsalis Quintet Plays the Music of Ellis Marsalis
(ELM)

This simple, straight-forward title of Ellis Marsalis’ latest release tells the story of its contents. Marsalis is renowned as a pianist and educator though his abilities as a composer aren’t often fully realized outside of the inner circle of the New Orleans jazz community. Packaged together, these compositions display the breadth of his work.

The disc starts with one of his better known songs, a fresh and exciting take on “12’s It.” Saxophonist and longtime Quintet member, Derek Douget gets the jazz session going with some hard bebop blarin’ followed by a fine and compatible solo by trumpeter Ashlin Parker. Drummer Stephen Gordon, who is teamed in the rhythm section with bassist Jason Stewart, drives the ensemble and adds some unique rhythmic accents to Marsalis’ solo.

While Marsalis’ ballads remain forever elegant, as heard on “Orchid Blue, his sense of humor enters with an interlude that is somehow reminiscent in spirit of the theme for the 1970’s comedy show “Laugh-In.” It leads directly into the fun of “Dippy.” Here Marsalis also shows his New Orleans roots with a little riff that is straight out of the city’s R&B heydays.

There’s a sense of timelessness about Marsalis’ compositions as captured on “Tell Me.” It’s an energized selection that spotlights the pianist perfection no matter what the tempo as well as the member’s affinity to one another in the ensemble work. Look out for the drum solo.

The quintet takes it out on “Zee Blues,” a hot number that is at once progressive with tinges of the past much like Ellis Marsalis himself.

This article originally published in the April 17, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.