Satchmo Summerfest
400 Esplanade Avenue at the old U.S.Mint, now part of the Louisiana State Museum.
August 3-5, 2012
New Orleans, LA
If one photo could capture the essence of Satchmo Summerfest, this might be it...music as a bridge between young and old, black and white, every strata of society. One of the most influential musicians in America responsible for building this bridge was New Orleans born Louis Armstrong.
A dozen bands on performed on Sunday between noon and 8 PM, six at the Cornet Chop Suey Stage pavilion and six at the Red Beans and Ricely Yours Stage pavilion, same deal on Saturday with a dozen different bands!
If you wanted to know more about the life and times of Louis Armstrong and his impact on jazz, there were fourteen one-hour seminars on the third floor of the old U.S. Mint.
During the first two years I caught Satchmo Summerfest, I marveled at the range of music - the joy, expertise, professionalism, and pride with which it was played. This year, instead of attending seminars upstairs in the U.S. Mint, I scribbled notes as bandleaders introduced songs, cited the names of composers, dates written, whether they’d been written or covered by Louis Armstrong and anecdotes of their own.
When I returned home, I spent a week googling data. The next time I hear a few bars of a particular song, I’ll know that it’s “Wolverine Blues,” that it was written by Jelly Roll Morton in 1940 and recorded later by Louis Armstrong. I know why cornetist Buddy Bolden was the subject of Morton's "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say;" and more about Fats Waller; the complex history of the song “Iko Iko;” and how Louis Armstrong's solos in songs like "West End Blues" 1928 (listen to how Armstrong phrases his brief trumpet opening solo), 1955 changed American music forever.
In Louisiana, if a man plays an instrument, chances are that someone else in the family is a singer or musician. With The Paulin Brothers, at least four of Ernest "Doc" Paulin's six sons are in the band and the third generation of Paulins to perform.
During their set they cover several songs recorded by Satchmo - Wolverine Blues (composed in 1940 by Fats Waller), Struttin' With Some BBQ (written by Armstrong's wife at the time, talented pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong), When It's Sleepy Time Down South, (still covered by Wynton Marsalis) and What a Wonderful World , recorded by Armstrong in 1968.
Clive Wilson's Satchmo Serenade at the Red Beans and Ricely Yours Stage
An educator to the core, Clive Wilson tells anecdotes about Armstrong or the song’s history. The bandleaders all weekend long make the point of connecting their music choices with Louis Armstrong - whether the songs appeared during the Armstrong era, or were played by Armstrong, or influenced by Armstrong. Speaking of influence, Wilson took up the trumpet after listening to a New Orleans Brass Band on tour in his hometown of London. He traveled to New Orleans in 1964 to learn from the masters and never left!
All weekend, musicians put their own spin on the Louis Armstrong style, whether it's playful, energetic, lyrical, and with some of the younger bands, stretched way out. One of The Satchmo Serenaders songs was "Old Rockin' Chair" often recorded by Armstrong and His All Stars with Jack Teagarden. Their timing and rapport were classic.
Kid Merv and All That Jazz, Cornet Chop Suey Stage - “If you're not here to have a good time, I feel sorry for you!” Kid Merv says as he's introduced to the crowd. During the 16 hours I was at the US mint over two days, I didn't see one soul he had to feel sorry for. “I was so excited I woke up at 6 AM to iron my clothes!” he jokes. An hour later his clothes were soaked through but his high energy was not dampened one little bit.
Kid Merv, recently featured in New Orleans' OffBeat Magazine, gets going with “Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” written in 1931 by Duke Ellington and often played by Satchmo who took liberties with the lyrics. Kid Merv is having fun up there, mugging and dancing and bantering with the crowd.
“Watching Katrina took it out of me, playing this made me feel better” he says as he plays “Sleepytime Down South” in slow dirge tempo. His rendition of “What A Wonderful World” has a playful rumba lilt to it. “Sunny Side Of The Street” (recorded by scores of singers from Billie Holiday to Judy Garland and of course Armstrong) , an uptempo ”Route 66” and “Rag Mop” precede a lovely “Give Me A Kiss To Build A Dream On.”
“Thank you, Uncle Lionel. He showed me everything I know,” Kid Merv says, referring to “Uncle” Lionel Batiste, legendary and loved bass drummer of the Tremé Brass Band who died on July 8.
“Uncle Lionel taught me this song. We were out drinking beer one night and I kept trying to get it right. Uncle Lionel would say 'Shade it just a little bit… no, not that way… no, not that way… Yeah that way.'"
It’s not likely that Uncle Lionel taught Kid Merv everything he knows. But the influence Lionel Batiste had on fellow musicians, especially younger ones, and the sense of joy he brought to his street, his neighborhood and his city is undeniable. Kid Merv definitely got the message.
Rebirth Jazz Band - The backdrop to both stages of Satchmo Summerfest show a big black and white photo of "Uncle" Lionel Batiste, the legendary bass drummer who died on July 8, 2012. The riotous Rebirth Brass Band was one of at several bands that played a cover of Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World."
Leroy Jones and New Orleans Finest opens with Paul Barbarin's "Bourbon Street Parade." Kids in New Orleans probably learn the words to this not long after learning "The National Anthem." Is there any trumpeter in this city who can't shoot the lights out of any place at any given time?
Don Vappie and The Creole Jazz Serenaders - Cornet Chop Suey Stage
Like most of the other bandleaders, Vappie offers mini history lessons before the songs - he's a professor at Tulane University, what do you expect? Vappie talks about the introduction of the banjo in America as a modified version of an instrument used in Africa and played by slaves. “Hey, if you want to learn more, take my class!”
Chances are you’re familiar with a Dixieland type banjo style. Throw out any ideas you have of that sound. In the hands of Don Vappie it swings, jazzes, lilts, croons and yes, can play the hell out of Dixieland too. His full range doesn't come across on the CDs I've checked out online so seeing him live is the best ticket He’s loose, in the moment patter is a hoot. And of course a big audience at Satchmo Summerfest gets him wound up like a Swiss watch. I would come back to see him in a heartbeat. That wouldn't be hard to do since he's a fixture at several New Orleans clubs.
I havent heard every band this weekend but several have played rendtions of "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," and that's how Vappie begins his set. Buddy Bolden was known in the early 1900s in New Orleans for his extemporaneous style and overindulgence in wine, women and whiskey. Jelly Roll Morton played in brothels, known then as 'sporting houses,' and wrote this song about Bolden. Around this time he changed his name from Ferdinand Mouton to Jelly Roll Morton. Jelly Roll was black slang for both male and female genitalia. And here I thought the nickname was because the man had a commanding sweet tooth!
“Eh la Bas!” (“Shake That Thing”) sung mostly in French, takes the the place down, people dancing and shaking their things all over the place and shouting back 'Eh La Bas!' as a refrain every time Vappie sings it. This is one of those New Orleans moments that makes this city so damn wonderful. The margins between performers and audience are permeable, everybody gets it, is having fun, letting go, shedding the outside world for precious moments when we are all connected by the Crescent City’s magic music.
Jeremy Davenport must be doing something right. The Ritz Carlton music room in New Orleans is the Davenport Lounge. Jeremy invites to the stage winner of this year’s "Seeking Satch" competition (for sixth – twelfth graders) James Michael Bradford.
Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony ,a change of pace, more Aretha than Louis, but a refreshing complememt to today's music. Their opening song, "Ain't No Sunshine When He’s Gone" is a the equivalent of a fine restaurant offering you a refreshing little taste of sherbet between courses, this one hits part of the palate that is connected to your pelvis.
"For Your Love," then an uptempo “Ballin’ the Jack” with intense bass and then a trombone solos by one of the few female musicians on stage all weekend, a snappy arrangement with close harmony. Solid Harmony has been featured at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.Remember what I said about music being a family affair? Topsy's daughter is one of her trio.
Kermit Ruffins and His Barbeque Swingers -
There’s something of the imp in Kermit Ruffins. He’s funny, irreverent, spontaneous, non self-aggrandizing, a showman without being a showboat, generous with his time on stage, genuine, and fun loving. When he’s up there performing, he’s not at work, he’s having fun.
Kermit romps through “What Did I Do To Be So Black and Blue?” (1929 Fats Waller and Andy Razaf)
And "Big Butter and Egg Man" (1926, The song name was a 1920s slang term for a big spender, a traveling businessman in the habit of spending large amounts of money in nightclubs)
Kermit and the other trumpeters here play on the shoulders of Louis Daniel Armstrong. The repertoire is as rich as the history and the lives of the men who continued to ride the wave Armstrong generated in the 1920s. The songs performed today are recognizable by music fans from all 50 states and a pile of countries on both sides of America.
Lord only knows how many top-flight trumpeters there are in New Orleans. If you can make it as a trumpet player in the Crescent City, you’ve passed the Armstrong test. People outside New Orleans would be hard pressed to know Kermit Ruffins name - here you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't know who he is.
Like other trumpet players, he begins the classic songs with a standard and recognizable structure so that within a bar or two we all know what song he’s playing. What we don’t know, and most likely Kermit doesn’t know, is how the song’s going to sound in the middle.
You watch him light into phrase after phrase, eyes closed or fixed on some object in space visible only to him, notes hurtling out in staccato or long searing bleats that perk up dog’s ears several blocks away. Where’s he going with this, I think to myself. How can he top that? How does he DO that?
"Aint Misbehavin'", Kermit blows this one fast with his BBQ Swingers - piano, drums, bass and Kermit, that’s all he needs! Then, an uptempo "Jeepers Creepers," a 1938 jazz standard.
Kermit puts his own spin on "Sunny Side Of The Street" often played by Louis with his gravelly voice and endless ad libs and interpretive shadings. Kermit ad libs, replacing "If I never made one cent, I'll still be rich as Rockefeller, there will be goldust at my feet, on the sunny, sunny side of the street” with “If I never made one cent, I’d be rich as Uncle Lionel, with roses at my feet, on the sunny side of the street” a tribute to the late "Uncle" Lionel Batiste. The crowd cheers lustily.
The guy is a hoot, plays a few bars of "It's A Hard Knock Life" before a swinging "Bye Bye Blackbird," another song Satchmo played and sang frequently. “All Aboarrrddd” Kermit hollers and finishes with "What A Wonderful World,"and right about now, that's what it feels like to me.
Not sure of the identity of the first trumpeter, Yoshio Toyama, Kid Merv, James Michael Bradford, Jason Harrelson, Wendell Brunios, join Kermit for the high-flying trumpet finale, if you could die of trumpet delirium, you might have gone to your heavenly reward right here.
“Only in New Orleans…where we got the REAL music lovers” Kermit shouts, pointing to us. “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” he says about a hundred times and we all feel like he’s looking right at and talking right to each of us.
Earlier in the day....
High noon. If yesterday felt like a sauna, today is like a steam bath. Who cares? Certainly not Rosa "Tambourine Lady" Washington or "Spy Boy" Ricky Gettridge.
Festival organizers held a Second Line Umbrella Decorating Station inside the Mint on Saturday and Sunday. Kids could decorate an and keep the umbrella then march from the second floor of the Mint to the Red Beans and Ricely Yours Stage behind the Treme Brass Band on Saturday and the Rebirth Brass Band on Sunday. They could keep the umbrella - and have a totally New Orleans memory to boot!
Sitting in front or standing in back, thousands of people attended the free event organized by French Quarter Festivals, Inc.
Marye, her sisters Ingrid and Cyndy and Momma Rita. Their grandfather worked right here in the U.S. Mint, their father worked for the railroad. "Momma used to get us six kids up on Mardi Gras morning at 6 AM to sit out on the street and wait for Pete Fountain and his band to pass by," Marye says. She grew up few blocks away and still lives around there.
pt with Kid Merv and his friend Zelda (whose great grandmother’s sister dated Lionel Batiste!)
Whether you danced or watched from the street, you had a good time at this event organized by French Quarter Festivals, Incorporated.
Photos by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
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