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Jumpin Jambalaya at MCLA

New Orleans Musicians Cook Up a Mess of Gumbo in North Adams

By: - Oct 03, 2008

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           In the seminal Library of Congress interviews with musicologist, Alan Lomax, with a straight face the New Orleans born, Creole musician, Ferdinand "Jellyroll" Morton flatly stated that "I invented jazz." Well, not exactly, but years ago I wore the grooves out of a set of Riverside LPs in which Morton, accompanying himself on piano, sang and rapped his way through a discourse on New Orleans and its rich musical traditions. Jazz, a four letter word for fornication, originally spelled jass, grew out of the sportin houses like Lulu White's in the red light Storyville district. It was so named for the politician, a Mr. Story, who first carved out the tenderloin which has drawn the randy and high rollin ever since.

           With a deft hand on the keyboard Jellyroll demonstrated all of the dances, quadrilles, and reels of the formal Creole balls, as well as, the barrelhouse flourishes of the parlors of the lavish sportin houses. Those classic Lomax/ Morton interviews have been reissued on CDs by Rounder Records.

               Jazz evolved from the great heritage and culture of a city that annually celebrates the raucous Mardi Gras. There are numerous organizations each with their own bands and colorfully attired New Orleans Indians. There are also the many bands that solemnly marched  with the deceased to be buried in vaults above ground. On the way home from the grave, oh, didn't they ramble with the Second Line kickin up a fuss and twirling their elaborately decorated umbrellas.

                The Crescent City, which so loves to celebrate, was brought down but not out by Hurricane Katrina. It devastated the poor Ninth Ward home to many of the city's musicians including the residence of the legendary Fats Domino. Slowly the Ninth Ward is getting back on its feet including the new Musicians Village constructed by Habitat for Humanity.

                  If jazz is America's greatest and most unique cultural contribution then New Orleans is its very heart and soul. In the early twentieth century it was the gumbo of gifted ingredients that included, in addition to Jellyroll, the legendary Buddy Bolden, who went mad at a young age and never recorded. But who influenced the great cornet players, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong and Bunk Johnson. Jazz traveled up river and eventually to Chicago where King Oliver, at the peak of his fame in the 1920s, invited the young  Satchmo to join him. They soon parted and Armstrong went on to form the Hot Five and Hot Seven cutting legendary sides for the all black Okeh records which later was acquired by Columbia now Sony records. The Creole soprano sax player, Sidney Bechet, took his music to Paris where he influenced European musicians.

             While the Hot Jazz of New Orleans was rendered old fashioned by the Cool Jazz of the Bop- Bird, Diz and Miles- it dug deeper into its roots and groove creating an unique funk combo of blues and trad jazz. The original jazz style has been sustained by the many incarnations of the Preservation Hall Band.  The birth of soul and rock 'n' roll led to the generation of Fats Domino, Professor Longhair,  then later, Doctor John, and Alain Touissant. The Marsalis family has left its mark on the contemporary jazz world as has Terence Blanchard in his many orchestrations for the films of Spike Lee.

             During April we spent a week in the Crescent City visiting the devastated Ninth Ward, suckin up crawdads and slurpin down gumbo, as well as titubating along Bourbon Street with its ubiquitous juke joints. There are musicians everywhere particularly in the historic French Quarter. There were duded up blues cats looking fresh for a night crawl. Or drunks passed out on street corners in broad daylight; victims of one too many Zombies or Hurricanes. It's a hard partying town and nobody seems to pay much attention to the goings on.

                   Last night, New Orleans came to North Adams at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The MC for the evening, MCLA's, Jonathan Secor, promised a typical evening of New Orleans music. The band of Papa Grows Funk, with special guests, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and pianist Joe Krown, were lured away from their regular gigs where "Papa" holds forth at the Maple Leaf Bar.

                     The MCLA auditorium was filled with students and a few of the hipper faculty to groove on the funk. Some of the more exuberant kids jumped into the aisles and danced to the music with flailing free style.

                            Taking a cue from those Jellyroll Morton sessions the evening started in an instructive mode, suiting an academic setting, while Joe Krown demonstrated various boogie woogie and barrel house styles with riffs honoring Fats and Professor Longhair among others. After the half hour set, Secor returned to vamp as the band was set up behind him. He urged the audience to join and contribute to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic a charity offering relief to recovering musicians. He also extended an invitation to join a post concert party at a new club "The Alley" which opened recently at 23 Eagle Street.

                  The special guest of this touring company was Walter "Wolfman" Washington. He was born in 1943 and has been touring since he was a teenager. He spent a couple of years backing the singer Lee Dorsey before forming his own band. Decked out in a terrific red suit, with black shirt, and matching red tie, which complemented his gleaming red Gibson guitar, the Wolfman tore into the blues. Turning to Astrid, I stated that next time we are in New Orleans, hopefully real soon, I'm gonnah get me one of them suits. Every dude needs some threads for special occasions. That's just righteous y'all know what I mean.

              Cutting up behind him was the steamin Papa Grows Funk. It included John "Papa" Gros on Hammond Organ, a fabulous, Japanese born, guitarist in a tie die shirt and pony tail, June Yamagishi,  sax player, John "Big Wind" Mingledorff, bass player, Marc Pero, and  a kickin and stompin drummer, Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander. For part of the set Joe Krown sat in on Fender creating the unique sound of two keyboards cutting with the two guitars. They put up a wall of sound that blasted through the night.

                   Man we got a groove on. Thanks to MCLA. As the leaves turn in a symphony of colors we need that Big Easy blues to get us through some hard times. On Friday, October 24 plan to join us at MCLA for a Gospel Fest featuring The Persuasions.