Monday, March 26, 2012

Let's Catch up....

First, sorry about the delay, in posting. I assure you i'm not dead, i have been busy and posting in many ways. Somethings I simply don't find relevant for this Blog, and i share it other forums,blogs or area where it would best fit. As many readers already know, the house has a fan page on Facebook which is perhaps more active, being the place gets tagged in Photo's.

I've also, put together some interesting pieces in Jelly Roll's early life in Los Angeles, but more on that in the next blog.

For now I leave with a video that stars, the Jelly Morton house....

Saturday, April 2, 2011

the Moonshiners new CD, Frenchmen Street parade!

It's so hot off the stove it's burnin my hands! The New Orleans Moonshiners "Frenchmen Street parade"!

This past Thursday night i cruised down the street to the Spotted Cat, to attend the special night for the Moon Shiners, celebrating their third CD, which includes six originals by Chris Edmunds.

The title track "Frenchmen Street Parade" is one of those originals following the footsteps of Bourbon St. Parade and South Rampart St. Parade, Today, it's Frenchmen street where the New Orleans Jazz fans come to meet, with Parades commonly passing by the clubs.

Chris brings another original number "Doin' that Lindy Hop Dance" which paints a picture of the Lindy Hoppers on the Riverboats during the 1940's dancing to those Dixieland bands. A great tempo with Ronell, Chuck and Bruce soloing in-between the singing, and then slam it home! It's sure to become a popular choice among the DJ's.

Chuck delivers some amazing vocals on three tracks, Sister Kate, Shine and Whoopin Blues. Like his Cornet playing, he deliveries powerful phrases that pull you off the stool and dancing!

Chuck is always delightful to hear sing, rumor has it the girls really love it, so next your in NOLA you come judge for yourself.

I could sit here, and talk about how great each track is, instead I'll just get the point.
The whole CD is packed with solid numbers, for any fan of Traditional New Orleans Jazz! The CD has perfect right down the middle tempo's for dancers, including some seriously good second line stuff!

I also really enjoy "Let me call you sweetheart" with Sarah Quintana, i can't help but dance through history on that one, and Christina Perez' delivery of "Look for the Silver Lining" lays down a delightful great slow number, which is followed by Chris singing "Put on an Old Gray Bonnet" which makes me picture the legendary dancers Al Minn and Leon James, trading steps back and forth! Pure Fun!

If you're into Jazz Dance, this CD is a must for your collection.

Head over their website! neworleansmoonshiners.com/

The New Orleans Moonshiners
Chris Edmunds, Gregory Smith, Bryan Besse, Bruce Brackman, Chuck Brackman, Mark Braud, Sarah Quintana, Christina Perez,Jon Gross, Aaron Paulin.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Jelly and another possible influence

I came across this article and just had to share it. Alex Ross is an amazing writer,so check out his blog!

Was Stravinsky ready for this Jelly?
article by Alex Ross
http://www.therestisnoise.com/2005/06/was_stravinsky_.html

A correspondent has skeptically greeted my claim ("The Record Effect" again) that Stravinsky could have listened to Jelly Roll Morton in 1916. He says that there were no Jelly Roll Morton recordings before 1923. (Or 1918, if you believe the artist's own recollections.) My statement was based on the fact that Morton's "'Jelly Roll' Blues" was published in Chicago in 1915. It seemed to me possible that there was a disc of that classic number in circulation, and that Ernest Ansermet brought it back for Stravinsky to hear after a 1916 American tour with the Ballets Russes. Admittedly, there's no evidence of such a recording. It's more likely that Ansermet found some sheet music. In any case, Gabriel Fournier insisted in a 1952 essay on Erik Satie ("Erik Satie et son époque," Revue musicale, June 1952) that Satie was in the habit of playing Jelly Roll Morton during the period in which he wrote Parade (premiered in 1917), and that he obtained the music from the pile of recordings that Ansermet gave to Stravinsky. Certainly there's potential for confusion on the French end of things. For "apparently," read "possibly."

A striking fact emerges from Lawrence Gushee's important new book Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band (Oxford UP). In the year 1916 the Creole Band was spreading the New Orleans sound across America, and in December of that year it opened a run of shows at the Empress theater in Omaha, Nebraska. Opening that same night at the Omaha Auditorium — Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes! The company was on the second leg of its American tour, and the star attraction was Nijinsky's new production of Till Eulenspiegel.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

New Tuba Skinny CD !


Garbage Man, is Tuba Skinny's latest release! Like their two previous CD's the band brings us the trademark sound they've become known around the world for.

I can't remember what Shaye said last night, something about it being recorded in an old Church, or School or something, in New York this fall. The band had a long tour this Summer, and this was done before heading back to New Orleans.

It's a wonderfully sounding recording, you can feel the big room atmosphere and it's balanced so nicely, it reminds of some of the Jazz Revival recordings, of the 40's and 50's with the legendary players here.

Erika Lewis sings some new traditional blues numbers, that are sure to please ALL fans and new listeners a like. I simply can't enough of "Frosty Morning Blues" and "Muddy Water"!

Kiowa also releases another original song titled "Weary Eye'd Blues" , a real beauty, and for those Robin fans, with the washboard breaks and dancers who like it a bit faster, we have a great version of "Some of these days" and "Minor Drag".

Finally, someone covered Garbage Man, and the perfect band to do it, the collective singing, Barnabus' trombone, with Shaye on Cornet…it all comes together here.

It's Tuba Skinny, what really is there to say, I know everyone that knows who they are is already scrambling to get this, for those that have never heard of this band, check em out, do a youtube search…They are a group of friends that live like a family, and this is what they live for…

For more information on Tuba Skinny: www.tubaskinny.tk
or email: Tubaskinny@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Jelly Roll's Birthday October 20th!

I thought i would do a quick message to everyone about Mr. Jelly Roll's birthday party tomorrow! It will be at his Childhood home 1443 Frenchmen st. (corner of N. Robertson) starting about 6pm.
We have a handful of Piano masters which will be taking turns on the 88, and more often then not, parties here end up here with some type of jam session....so bring your horns!!!

in other news, i'm sad to announce the destruction of Sidney Bechet's childhood home on Marais st.
in the past year or so, the house was looking pretty beat up, and during July of 2010, the roof in the front room
had collapsed. I certainly didn't see any reason to tear the house down, the foundation was fine!
certain historical groups have been trying to purchase the home, but finding the legal owners has been the difficult
part, being the last rightful owner pass away, leaving it in a tangle web of paper work.



last week, one member of the local historical group had a meeting with a local councilmen on the house, and
were to have a follow up meeting this Thursday. Unfortunately, last week someone decided to completely raze
the house and property...it's just one leveled dirt lot now.

This is where Sidney was living when he joined his first band which was his old brothers "Silver Bell Band"
which practiced in the backyard. (and as the stories go, where the police would show up because of Noise complaints)
it was from this house the family moved to the house on St Bernard...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

some great Jelly Roll quotes!

“Get up from that piano. You hurtin' its feelings.”

“In 1908 Handy didn't know anything about the blues and he doesn't know anything about jazz and stomps to this day. I myself figured out the peculiar form of mathematics and harmonies that was strange to all the world but me.”

“My contributions were many: First clown director, with witty sayings and flashily dressed, now called master of ceremonies.”

“Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm.”

“everything from blues to opera!”

“I have been robbed of three million dollars all told. Everyone today is playing my stuff and I don't even get credit. Kansas City style, Chicago style, New Orleans style hell, they're all Jelly Roll style.”

---JELLY ROLL MORTON---

He could back up everything he said by what he could do. --Omer Simeon

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

the Professors lyrics...

The lyrics of Jelly Roll Morton and the beginning of jazz...

Taken from the 1939 Alan Lomax recordings for the library of congress,
starting with Jelly Roll's famous explanation of the "femininity stamp".
Thanks to Jason Jurzak @ 511 Royal st. for the transcription.

:11 - "spoken" : this happen to be one of my first tunes, in the blues line, down in New Orleans.

In the very early days, when people first start to playin' piano in that section.
Of course when a man played piano, the stamp was on him, for life, the femininity stamp, and i didn't want that on,

so of course when i did start to playin', the song were kinda smutty a bit, not so smutty, but something like this.


0:51 - I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.
Oooooh the winin' boy, don't deny my name.
I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.
I can pick it up a shake it like Stavin Chain.
I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.


1:42 I had that gal, I had her in the grass.
I had that bitch, had her in the grass, yes baby.
I had that bitch, had her in the grass,
one day she got scared and a snake ran up her big ass.
Yes I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.

2:32 I had that bitch, had her on the stump.
I had that bitch, had her on the stump.
I had that bitch and had her on the stump,
I fucked her 'til her pussy stunk.
I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.

3:20 Nickles worth of beefsteak and a dimes worth of lard.
Nickles worth of beefsteak and a dimes worth of lard, yes baby.
Nickles worth of beefsteak a dimes worth of lard,
I'm gonna salavate your pussy 'til my peter get hard.
I'm the winin' boy, don't deny my name.