DownBeat September 2006 [antikvár]

A clubhouse jam for the benefit of music education, teed up by FRED WESLEY wittij MARVIN STAMM, KETER BEHS, JAY LEONHART, CAf^L ATKINS, BOB SNEIDER, MIKE HOLOBER, AKIRATANA, and RICH THOMPSON.BORDERS.iTunestot wk irki windows!Tfi/IEANSALOT 70 KIDS A portion of the sale proceeds from this recording will support the music education programs of THE COMMISSION PROJECT. TCP's annual fundraiser, SWING 'NJAZZ, is over for this year, but its not too early to reserve your tee time for next year, our ]Oth. For information please call 585-377-1566 or email [email protected] COMMISSION PROJECT Fostering creativity throueh music education by ^ bringing students together with prolesslonal Jf'^ composers and perlormers www.tcp-music.orgiri-^i'l-'iiiii'Swww.sonsofsound.comFirst TaleWelcome Our Guest EditorBy Jason KoranskyWe giive Uj) a lot of editorial control in this issue of DownBeat, Not that we were complaining. Letting go of tlie reins was tlie result of having a guest editor on board: Branford Marsalis. The saxophonist and bandleader's insight into his native New Orleans for this special issue which celebrates the city's musicians and musical traditions a year after Hurricane Katrina ])rovicled a good reason to cede some controLThe seed for diis issue was planted shortly after Hunicane Katrina and the ensuing floods decimated New Orleans. Marsalis had just become the honorary chair of Habitat for Humanity's Operation Home Delivery, a project that is constructing the New Orleans Musicians' Village (about which we have a story on Page 14). While assembling our November '05 issue a look at the New Orleans music community in the immediate aftermath of Katrinathe idea of Marsalis as guest editor occurred. We had previously thought about doing something like this, but we'd never actually had a guest editor. So this was an opportunity that we could not pass up, and we made this idea become a reality."I'm sick of people calling us the 'first family of New Orleans jazz,'" Marsalis said during one of our first conversations about this issue. Not to minimize the influence of the Marsalis family, but. as Marsalis emphasized, they are just one in a long line of families that have shaped the city's music. Books have been written about this subject, and it seemed only fitting that this issue provide some insight into the history of the New Orleans jazz family. Jennifer Odell explores this on Page 30.For another feature, Marsalis called upon his good friend and co-chair of Operation Home Delivery, Harry Connick Jr., to talk about the rich piano tradition that has emerged from his native city, in particular that of his mentor James Booker. Rather than have Connick just talk about the piano uadition, we asked him to play some piano to elucidate New Orieims keyboard styles. The resulting feature by MichacI Bourne is on Page 36, iind the audio from this interview can be found on Downbeat.com.In discussing some of the elements that make New Orleans music so unique, talk turned to the drums. From Baby Dodds. Paul Barbarin and Vernel Fournier to Ed Blackwell. Smokey Johnson and Zigaboo Modeliste, the lineage of New Orleans trap masters is long and prodigious. David Kunian explores tliis tradition in a feature on Page 42.Getting Dr. John to sit for the "Blindfold Test" was a top priority for Miu^alis. Tliis turned out to be a great idea, and the result is not a typical "Blindfold Test." Miusalis selected music for the test iliat spanned New Orleans music genres.Ted Panken played these cuts for Dr. John, and his responses provide an insider's guide to the city's musical culture in a feature on Page 48.Marsalis wanted Lolis Eric Elie, a columnist for the New Orleans daily newspaper The Times-Picayune and expert on the history of the city's neighborhoods, to write a story for this issue. Elis has real insight into the complex socioeconomic conditions that helped to culti-Branford Marsalisvate New Orleans' rich music tradifions pre-Katrina, and his story on Page 52 explains how the city's architecture helped to nurture the second line, and how in i^ebuiiding neighborttoods such as Treme, it's vital to retain these architectural elements lo maintain their musical health.Other stories about Louisiana artists such as Tab Benoit, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Clarence "Frogman" Henry and Irma Thomas round out our coverage.For the cover, Marsalis' idea was to feature a veteran New Orieans musician, someone who still lives and plays in the city and i^pnssents its traditions. Many candidates were considered, and we decided to put drummer Bob French on the cover. French is the leader of the Original Tuxedo Jazz Biuid, which traces its start back to 1910, when it was under the leadership of Oscar "Papa" Celestin. French took the band over in 1977 when his father and the band's leader at the time, banjoist Albert "Papa" French, died. Now in its 97th year, the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band is the longest-running jazz group in the city.In one of our conversations about this issue. Marsalis said, "If we rcach one person, then this issue is a success." We hope tliat we reach many more people, and that this issue gives you deeper insight into New Orleans music and how our work is only just beginning in rebuiW-ing the city.DB8 DOWNBEAT Septernbpr 2005