JAZZ FEST 2008 Recap! [B.Getz on JamBase]

Jazz Fest At Night | 04.3008 – 05.04.08 | New Orleans, LA

There is nothing in the world like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a veritable smorgasbord of music, culture, food, costume, people and energy, native to the Crescent City but descended upon by folks from the four corners of the globe. This year was particularly special as it was the first time since Hurricane Katrina that the festival returned to seven full days at the Fairgrounds. The numerous events that take place at night (and well into the wee hours of the morning) throughout the duration of the festival are of equal interest to many festivalgoers. This year was no different with after dark voodoo madness restoring an authentic NOLA vibe to a glorious scene. For those who may have missed our coverage from the Fairground check it out here, and for those looking to hear more about the late night freakout times, read on…After a lengthy drive from Florida’s First Coast in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 29, this writer arrived in Crescent City and made a beeline directly to the French Quarter’s Blue Nile for a unique grouping of NOLA and NYC musicians calling themselves The Quartet. As is the norm at Jazz Fest, these disparate-yet-connected musicians displayed a kinetic kinship. Adam Deitch and Big Sam (of Funky Nation fame) led the charge through an endless songbook of funk headnodders. Ian Neville (Dumpstaphunk) joined in on the fun, along with Neville Brothers bassist/NOLA stalwart Nick Daniels, making their respective presences felt throughout this extended weekend of musical gluttony. The Quartet’s slamming, nonchalant performance was filled with classic funk jams, Deitch’s lead bass pedal driving things. Big Sam was his usual humorous self, rocking trombone solos and swaying his considerable mojo around the room.

The grimy Quartet funk jam was followed by another of the weekend’s breakout stories, The New Mastersounds. This throwback group of Englishman had their rare groove down tight, and invited Karl Denson to sit in for the majority of the set. They were also joined by a pair of bicoastal guitarists, NYC’s Eric Krasno (Soulive) on “Its Your Thing” and the Bay Area’s Will Bernard on “Fireater.” Denson seemed right at home in this relaxed, uninhibited situation.

Darted back to the Quarter for Soulive at One Eyed Jacks. A throwback to glory days of this once-great band, the Soulive Revue was in full swing a la half a decade ago. Sam Kininger, Ryan Zoidis and Rashawn Ross back in the mix, this performance saw the reemergence of keyboardist Neal Evans as de facto bandleader. Highlights included a breakout sit-in from trumpeter Christian Scott, and many older originals, as Soulive kept it mostly instrumental, smooth and damn sexy. Ivan Neville guested on vocals for a climatic “The Message.”

At the new Howlin’ Wolf, the MegaloManiacs Ball was in full swing. Early in the evening, Marco Benevento and Skerik had unleashed respective trios, with Benevento further polishing material from his stellar solo debut, Invisible Baby. Resident percussion maniac Mike Dillon performed with his zany Go-Go Jungle. Next up was Stanton Moore’s Trio, including Robert Walter on organ and Rhodes, and Will Bernard on hollow-body guitar. Moore’s punishing drumming and Walter’s acrobatic handiwork worked the group through myriad original material, with a little Zeppelin thrown in for good measure. The Stanton Moore Trio is not just a haphazardly heaved together super group, but rather a cohesive unit that has only strengthened with time.On the other hand, I would use “haphazard and maybe “unruly” to describe Garage a Trois in 2008. Now utilizing the multiple talents of Benevento (in lieu of original member Charlie Hunter), GAT has progressed into a sinister, demonic collective whose intentions are a far cry from their signature performance eight years ago at the Saenger Theatre (where they blew a much-hyped Oysterhead debut right off the stage). On this evening, the cacophonous sonics and sheer terror within the music made for an eerie, almost fearsome foursome. Relying heavily on chunky newer material, as well as electrified versions of tracks from Outre Mer and a free-jazz ethos that recalled the likes of Pharoah Sanders and Ornette Coleman, GAT drove home a punishing point.

Tipitina’s Uptown hosted a late night event featuring local brass wunderkind Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave. This was a NOLA affair if there ever was one, with Shorty leading his fresh faced yet thorough troupe through a salivating mixture of classic New Orleans melodies and second-line steps. The sold-out crowd was whipped into an all-out frenzy, as Shorty channeled his best Jodeci moves and sultry R&B body talk, undressing amidst pelvic thrusts to the deafening screams of scores of lovely ladies in the house. Like a true jazzman playing a contemporary crowd, Shorty mixed in various Top 40 hits to keep the vibe fresh and relevant. The group delivered renditions of Pharrell Williams’ “Frontin’,” Lenny Kravitz’s “Where Are We Runnin’?” and the funk breakdown from Kravitz’s “Tunnel Vision.” Navigating in and out of James Brown staples, Crescent City classics and all points in between, Shorty was a breakout star of Jazz Fest 2008. Having the “Japanese Jimi” June Yamagishi (Papa Grows Funk) onstage throughout the show didn’t hurt either, as Yamagishi took more than a few mind-bending solos that kept the vibe rockin’. A walloping “When The Saints Go Marching In,” delivered in “rotation-jam” fashion (Shorty on the drum kit, the guitarist on sax, etc.), delivered the sunrise as we two-stepped our way into the morning.Thursday

“Jazz Fest is a spiritual experience. I will never miss it. Watching the Neville Brothers sing ‘Amazing Grace’ was one of many incredible moments,” Coomes said. “I am really happy with the way the scene keeps opening up. Now is the time for all of us to expand on the last 50 years of music, and discover new places where many styles converge. For me, Lettuce is dedicated to keeping ‘the feeling,’ the most monumental element of our art.”Mike Gordon was all over the place at Jazz Fest. During the Russell Batiste And Friends gig at the Howlin’ Wolf, Gordon joined a gang of musicians onstage for a lengthy segment. The show also served as a reunion of sorts for Gordon’s former Phish bandmate Page McConnell joining Batiste and Oteil Burbridge on Vida Blue’s “Most Events Aren’t Planned.”

I shuffled over to the annual Bayou Rendezvous at Howlin’ Wolf, an annual event that takes a new shape each and every year. In essence, it’s an unrehearsed “super-jam” of sorts, where killer players from all over come together for some Cajun ragin’ at the Wolf. This year, Russell Batiste led a troupe of heavy hitters including guitarists Eric Krasno (dude was everywhere), NOLA’s own Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and others.

A difficult act to follow, relative newcomers Global Noize took the stage with some star power of their own. Taking a break-beat/down-tempo turn, Global Noize set a euphoric tone with a demonstrative performance. Their distinctive sound was enhanced by the turntable tactics of DJ Logic, the classically trained piano virtuosity of Uri Caine, the sax combo of Karl Denson and Topaz (with Denson also on flute) and Mike Dillon’s exotic, erotic vibraphonics. The diversity of Jazz Fest was on full display at the Bayou Rendezvous as Global Noize slithered their way through a snake charming set.

I followed Denson over to the House of Blues for the first of three Greyboy Allstars shows over the weekend. The Thursday HOB late night for KDTU was indeed “the place to be” for the majority of the past decade. Always the scene of the ultimate throwdown, on this night the situation was far different. Only two-thirds full, with the formerly rollicking balcony now closed, GBA ran thru a set of standard fare. There was little in the way of fireworks, dynamic jams or shot-in-the-dark guest spots, and it was hard to tell this was a Jazz Fest show. Many walked away somewhat disappointed well before 5 a.m.

Friday and Saturday

Running across the street, I ran into guitarist Brian Jordan, who had played with Particle at Jazz Fest. He explained to me how the new batch of Particle material had diverse guitar parts, and he enjoyed adding his flair to their self-proclaimed “porn-funk.” On this night, however, Jordan was on his way to The Parish to sit in with The New Mastersounds. Deitch, Krasno and others would also join in the Englishmen’s hoedown well into the morning hours.

The second night of the Mule was just as electrifying, as the parade of guests and stellar playing continued. George Porter Jr. and Ivan Neville joined the band for several songs including “Fortunate Son.” Owen Biddle and Capt. Kirk Douglas of the legendary Roots crew, fresh off their blistering Fairgrounds performance (with Ludacris!), got their Zeppelin on with “When the Levee Breaks” (a poignant song choice in these parts). Sonny Landreth, Eric McFaddenand Grace Potter got involved as well. The second set on Saturday night was one of those legendary NOLA Mule sets, beginning with “Africa” featuring Cyrille and Ivan Neville, Eric Krasno and Stanton Moore. Henry Butler, as well as Kofi Burbridge, amongst others, also made their way into the Mule stew. Appropriately, it was the core four Mule brethren onstage for the final number, the quintessential “Soulshine.” Not enough can ever be said for the beauty, integrity and sheer eloquence that Warren Haynes, Danny Louis, Andy Hess and Matt Abts bring to a NOLA stage.

The Derek Trucks Band teamed with The Funky Meters at Howlin’ Wolf Saturday night as well. Early in the festivities, Trucks’ wife Susan Tedeschi helped out on “Anyday,” “Get Out Of My Life,” “Down Don’t Bother Me” and “Done Got Over.” Later, Tedeschi returned alongside Eric Krasno and Trucks’ brother for the set closers “Standback” and “The Weight.” During the headliner’s set, Krasno, Trucks and Mike Gordon joined The Funky Meters.We decided to step out of the box a little bit for the ?uestlove and M.I.A. gig at 619 Frenchmen. The wait for ?uestlove was fun but it was hard not to wonder what live music was going on outside at Blue Nile, Howlin’ Wolf or Tip’s on the last Saturday of Fest ’08. ?uestlove kept it busy with a ferocious, danceable DJ set that seemed to go on for hours, mixing the right amounts of golden-era hip-hop, Afrobeat and Michael Jackson. At 2:45 a.m., M.I.A. finally showed up, looking like a decked-out little hornet in a shiny yellow getup complete with Left Eye-style pimp cap. It felt like the funky Good Witch of the East had arrived via bubble and was spreadin’ booty shakin’ love with the whole town. After the long, hot, sweaty wait, M.I.A. played for 45 minutes. If it weren’t for the refreshing feel of her distinctive sound – which is unlike any other jazz, funk, hip-hop or reggae act I’d seen yet during the week – I’d probably have felt more gypped. But, it was only disappointing because she was so damn good, bouncing around and owning each track like the Sri Lankan champion she so obviously is. She did around ten songs; about half from her 2005 release, Arular, including “Bucky Done Gun,” “Ba-na-na Skit” and college radio hit “Galang;” and a few from her latest release, Kala, like “Bamboo Banga,” “Bird Flu,” “Boyz” and her last song after a quick break, “Paper Planes,” which wrapped up around 3:30 a.m. She also did a cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” which has been done by others but nowhere near like by Miss M.I.A.

During the ?uestlove/M.I.A. mania, down the block U-Melt and DJ Logic collaborated for the first time at the Blue Nile. Logic dropped a tasty DJ set, and then shortly after that U-Melt got onstage and made their way into the now classic Logic original “French Quarter.” As the night wore on, the foursome-plus-one segued in and out of a number of U-Melt originals, burning down the house with “The Eternal Groove.”

Elsewhere, Deitch and Big Sam’s Quartet grew into nearly a dectet at times, with the punishing riddims and sheer bombast at full throttle. This NYC/NOLA musical mob, which enlisted most of Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk and whoever else was nearby, was ready and willing and one of the most thrilling parts of the weekend. No matter where you turned, their was Deitch, Ivan Neville and the rest of their respective crews.

Sunday

The material was all over the map, including a smoky, bluesy cover of The Rolling Stones’ classic “Miss You.” Haynes lent his strum to a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” As the end drew near, it was fitting that the same NOLA/NYC mob was onstage slamming for one last time. Ivan asked, “Is Deitch too drunk to play?” After a few seconds, 40 oz in hand, the Jedi appeared, swaying tipsy but in full effect. No matter how imbibed, a lead foot is a lead foot, and Deitch put it down. A Herbie Hancock workout ensued, circa Thrust, tight as can be. We skanked our way toward the dawn and back into the normal woodwork of life, at least until next year.

words: B.Getz

JamBase | New Orleans
Go See Live Music!