The greatest FREE festival in New Orleans just got better—2011 French Quarter Festival added another day! This year the FREE French Quarter Festival sponsored by Capital One Bank will start on Thursday, April 7—Sunday, April 10, 2011, with over 18 stages positioned all over the French Quarter area covering every genre of Louisiana music you can possibly imagine. Records from last year’s festival brought in 512,000 locals and visitors, moving FQF to the forefront of events as a leader in economic impact for the city and state. According to the University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center, the 2010 French Quarter Festival had a $316 million dollar economic impact. This places it third in economic impact for 2010, just behind Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl (when it is in New Orleans).
New For FQF 2011
‘Locals Lagniappe Day,’ Thursday, April 7, 2011 will open the festival. An eclectic mix of artists, chosen because they are local favorites, include: Los Hombres Calientes, Benny Grunch and the Bunch, Kipori Woods, and The Preservation Hall-Stars will play opening day. Jackson Square will be open from noon to 5 p.m. and the Riverfront (Woldenberg Riverfront Park), with four stages, will run from 3 – 7 p.m. New Orleans’ finest restaurants – otherwise known as ‘The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch’ will be serving in Jackson Square and on the Riverfront.
The House of Blues has joined the festival as a sponsor and partner, bringing a House of Blues Stage on Decatur Street. The TGIF ‘Thank Goodness it’s Festival!’ kickoff party on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 moves to the House of Blues for the first time, and takes place from 7-10 p.m. with Bluesman Little Freddie King in the VooDoo Garden and Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters in the Music Hall. A special Gospel Brunch menu will be served with TGIF Tickets $55 through April 1, and $65 beginning April 2. In addition, House of Blues will continue to host its food booth on the Riverfront and becomes an ‘official’ merchandise outlet of the French Quarter Festival.
The Monteleone Hotel has joined the festival as the official hotel sponsor, with the popular Classical Music Stage moving to the Monteleone this year with performances on Saturday and Sunday. The Classical Stage features performances by some of the most respected performers from the area including:
Harpist Rachel Van Voorhees, Guitarist John Rankin, members of the New Orleans Opera, the Louisiana Philharmonic and more. It has been said that ‘the French Quarter begins in the lobby of the Hotel Monteleone’.
Latin World Stage returns to the Old U.S. Mint featuring artists such as Freddie Omar con su Banda, Los Po-Boy-Citos, Ensemble Fatien featuring Seguenon Kone, Ovi-G and the Froggies, Zion Trinity, Higher Heights Reggae and Mas Mamones.
An expanded version of the Children’s Headquarters on the Audubon Aquarium Riverfront Plaza is made possible in part through an exciting partnership with Chevron and the Audubon Institute. Families will find a new Kids’ Performance Tent along with interac tive activities including hands-on cooking demonstrations with Whole Foods; yoga and karate for kids; face painting and activities courtesy of Tulane Hospital for Children; Junior Rangers activities sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park, and more. This year, the Children’s Headquarters will once again focus on educating families about ‘healthy kids’ programs in a fun and interactive way. Performances in the Kids Tent are sponsored by Tulane Hospital for Children and the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park.
For the 2011 poster, renowned local mixed-media artist, Tami Curtis-Ellis, draws inspiration from legendary New Orleans clarinetist, Pete Fountain and the French Quarter Festival’s All-Stars band including coronetist Connie Jones and clarinetist Tim Laughlin. Tami brings the food, music and culture alive by including elements that personify New Orleans and the French Quarter through her use of rich color, multi-dimensional paint application and spontaneous brush stroke technique.
The 2011 festival welcomes some great new restaurants including Dickie Brennan’s, Dunbars Creole Cooking, Mona’s, Red Fish Grill and Oceana to celebrate the “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch.” Food and beverage booths can be found in Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint. Authentic local cuisine from the area’s finest restaurants feature festival favorites such as Crawfish Bread, Cochon de Lait, Crawfish Bisque, Hot Sausage Po-boys, Cajun Meat Pies, Crawfish and Goat Cheese Crepes, Fish Tacos, White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream and more. The FQF offers an array of refreshing beverages including Abita Beer, Southern Comfort cocktails and daiquiris, Coca-Cola products, Hurricanes, and Plum Street Sno-Balls. Most menu items range in price from $3-$7 to keep the festival not only fun, but extremely affordable.
For more information about the festival and a complete schedule of events, visit www.fqfi.org .
Alex MCMUrray
Alex McMurray has been a constituent of the local music circuit since the late ‘80swhen he moved from New Jersey to study philosophy at Tulane University. Since then, he has shown his talent and eclectic musicianship, having played in a variety of bands of various styles and becoming a successful local artist. His most recent solo effort, How to be a Cannonball, showcases his proficient songwriting skills. The lyrics are filled with eloquent storytelling with a mix of odd plots and characters such as in the song, “My Man, Take Me Back to the War.” To get an idea, the song is about an Iraq War Vet who returns to New Orleans post-Katrina, only to want to return to war after becoming distraught with how the city has changed. Moreover, the lyrics and delivery of “Cap ‘N Sandy” entertain with its uncanny sense of twisted, humor and unusual imagery not often captured in most modern music. McMurray displays his ability to successfully mend the styles of folk, jazz, vaudeville, and blues cohesively. The music including his low, booming voice and unusual themes form an amalgam which resonates with the likes of Tom Waits and Leon Redbone. Expect Alex McMurray to deliver a flawless performance of eclectic, provocative music.—Stephen Benson
The TIN MEN
For the uninitiated, the Tin Men are a washboard, sousaphone, and electric guitar trio. With such sparse and unexpected instrumentation, they deliver a combination of quirky original writing and off-the-wall mainstream covers delivered out of necessity in a zany fashion. They were started by Tulane Grad, Alex McMurray who is one of New Orleans’ finest young songwriters. He is joined by Sousaphone virtuoso Matt Perrine, who is well steeped in the New Orleans Dixieland Jazz tradition. They are both accompanied by Washboard Chaz, the greatest Washboard legend in America. You’ll quickly be taken away into their fun-loving world where every beat is accentuated by a washboard. Their own original songs written by guitarist/vocalist Alex McMurray start off with the deliciously outrageous “Still Drunk” but then jump right of the deep end and dig themselves even deeper with “Cocaine Habit Blues” and “Hallelujah I’m a Bum Again.” Even more surprising is their cover of the immigrant song, which when played with the Tin Men’s unorthodox instrumentation becomes an entirely new song, but still enjoyable by nonetheless. —John Valdespino
Free Agents Brass Band
The Free Agents Brass Band was first formed in 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, by displaced New Orleans musicians eager to recreate the sounds of home.
Free Agents was born when founder, bass drummer and alumnus of St. Augustine High School, Ellis “EJo” Joseph, sought to create a new band with other New Orleans musicians living in exile in Atlanta, Georgia. The Free Agents draw primarily upon the style of the new generation of brass bands, in fusing funky grooves, hip-hop lyrical styles, contemporary political commentary and traditional instrumentation into that beautiful sound that has become ubiquitous with New Orleans. This is best demonstrated by the signature song and battle cry, “We Made it Through That Water,” in which the musicians’ express their righteous outrage at the politics that left their neighborhoods to drown. Initially joining together trombonists Ersel “Garfield” Bogan and Alfred Growe, tuba player Arian “Big Boy” Macklin, Sr. – and later with trumpeters Shannon Haynes, Chad Brown and Julian Gosin and snare drummer Renard “Teedy Man” Henry – Joseph’s band has plenty of local credibility. Free Agents’ members have played alongside the Rebirth, New Birth, Hot 8, Stooges, Soul Rebels, High Steppers, Pin Stripe and Showtime Brass Bands, have paraded with Zulu and were featured in award-winning 2008 documentary, Trouble the Water. In more recent years, the Free Agents have taken the magic of New Orleans brass to performances as far away as Switzerland and Brazil. Make sure you catch the Free Agents Brass Band for their next homecoming at French Quarter Fest and find out why they have become New Orleans’ most recent musical ambassadors to the world. —Garrett Pittman
Astral Project
Featuring an all-star cast of local musicians since 1978, Astral Project has been recognized as one of the principal modern jazz groups of New Orleans. Renowned for their superior improvisation, each member’s contribution coalesces flawlessly during extensive impromptu sections, which in turn reflects the vast amount of time they have been playing together. Gigs at Snug Harbor and Jazz Fest have won over audiences, establishing a faithful local following. Lauded by critics and fans alike, the band has been garnished with international recognition in the jazz world. Quintessentially a jazz group, the band nevertheless draws from a variety of genres including funk, blues, rock, and world to create a diverse sound. Within this mix, there are often captivating melodies which are of course spawned impromptu in some instances. The virtuosic harmonization provided by saxophonist/bandleader, Tony Degradi, and guitarist, Steve Masakowski, is aided with an infallible backbone. James Singleton’s fluid and rhythmic bass lines in conjunction with Johnny Vidacovich’s masterful drumming can seemingly sustain the foundation indefinitely. The members collaborate ostensibly with the sole reason of making excellent jazz music. To witness a live performance by the group is an extraordinary
experience in which these jazz virtuosos talent truly shines.—Stephen
Benson
Amanda Shaw
Although many locals are very well aware of Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys, others were introduced to most of the world through the movie Hurricane on the Bayou as a narrator alongside Allen Toussaint. Shaw grew up as a performer all her life, being the youngest violin soloist in the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra at the young age of eight. Shaw’s performances since then have only grown, expanding from classical music to Cajun and Zydeco styles. Not only is Shaw a beautiful red headed treasure of the south, but an incredible fiddle player. Now with the endorsement of Irvin Mayfield through his label, Poorman Mayfield, Shaw released her fourth album in 2010, Good Southern Girl, combining elements of pop music, Cajun, and a persistent fiddle to create music everyone can enjoy. Make sure to catch her fiery and passionate performance at the French Quarter Festival. —John Valdespino
Panorama Jazz Band
The seven-piece Panorama Jazz Band has been bending the boundaries of “traditional” jazz since the group first launched in 1995. Panorama draws from a reservoir of tradition that reaches from the Caspian to the Caribbean, from the Balkans to the Bahamas, and folds all of these stylistic influences into a brew with a firm foundation in the syncopated sounds of New Orleans hot jazz. Under the direction of band leader and clarinetist, Ben Schenck, the band has become a central star in the constellation of musicians that forms the core of the Frenchman Street music scene. Backed up by Aurora Nealand on alto sax, Charlie Halloran on trombone, Walt McClements on accordion, Patrick Mackey on banjo, Jon Gross on sousaphone and Doug Garrison on drums, Schenk’s ensemble has become a familiar sound at the Spotted Cat during their weekly Saturday performances and invariably bring the energy of the street corner to every gig. What is most remarkable about the Panorama Jazz Band’s eclecticism, however, is how smoothly it is executed. Every dimension of the Panorama sound is molten and fused so thoroughly that it comes out as a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. If you want to hear something at once very new and very old, simultaneously local and global, go out and watch Panorama Jazz Band as they take the stage at French Quarter Fest. —Garrett Pittman
Debauche
Debauche, consisting of some of Mother Russia’s finest descendents, distinctly harkens back to the music of the past by effortlessly invoking the sounds of gypsy-folk music. The self-proclaimed Russian mafia band is known for its lively, rambunctious performances, sometimes supplemented with burlesque dancers, further stressing the style the group naturally cultivates. With instrumentation consisting of violin, guitar, double bass, and accordion, the group impressively reinvigorates a style of music not often heard in the contemporary music world.
Debauche is led by Russian native, Yegor Romanstov, whose low, raspy Russian vocals further authenticates the group’s sound.
Romanstov began playing solo, what he describes as Russian hooligan music, on Royal Street at the now defunct, Kahve Royal Eastern Europe Café. Here, Romanstov was often visited by Eve Venema and Christian Kuffner of the Zydepunks, who soon forged a friendship. Later, Romanstov was joined by Venema on accordion and Scott Potts, also of the Zydepunks, on the upright bass. Since then, the band has recruited Vincent Schmidt as the primary accordionist and Jesse Stoltzfus, who effectively manages his position as both a percussionist and violinist. Though inspired by the music of a culture not often associated with New Orleans, the band of Mother Russia’s long lost punkish children does so exceptionally.—Stephen Benson
Shamarr Allen and The underdawgs
Since his 2008 solo debut, Meet me on Frenchman Street, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs have been a breath of fresh air for the New Orleans music scene. In Allen’s performances, the trumpeter calls forth the power and beauty of his musical vehicle to form a seamless blend of funk, modern and traditional jazz, blues, hip-hop, rock and sultry Latin rhythms. In doing so, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs have sculpted a signature sound that is at once prototypically New Orleans and completely unique and original. Take, for example, the cover of Dizzy Gillespie’s classic, “A Night in Tunisia,” on his 2009 album, Box Who In?, which features a hip-hop homage to the man who made the original and then you can start to get an idea of what Allen is all about. This being said, Allen has paid some dues in the local scene. In addition to recording the Saints’ anthem, Bring ‘Em to the Dome, he has also been a member of the Hot 8, Rebirth, Mahogany and Wolfpack brass bands. The French Quarter Fest performance will also follow on the heels of Allen’s collaboration with guitarist Paul Sanchez entitled Bridging the Gap and an exciting tour as part of Willie Nelson’s western swing band. It is difficult to say what exactly we should expect from Allen on French Quarter Fest weekend, but we definitely know it will be a whole lot of fun. —Garrett Pittman
The Pfister Sisters
It’s not that often you get a look into the past, but The Pfister Sisters brings a glance back on one of New Orleans’ own female trios, the Boswell Sisters. The Boswell Sisters themselves were a Jazz Trio in New Orleans who innovated close-harmony Jazz singing. The Pfister Sisters cover the Boswell and Andrews Sisters catalogue with performances ranging from very intimate to a full production including a horn and rhythm section.
They’ve not only performed in New Orleans with New Orleans music royalty such as Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and Henry Butler, but they’ve gone abroad to international Jazz Festivals to showcase a little piece of New Orleans Jazz History.—John Valdespino
MyNameIsJohnMichael
What started as a resolution to change his life through constant songwriting and recording, has now ended up becoming one of the new and driving forces within New Orleans nightlife. The music is eclectic, energetic, and refuses to be categorized as it switches from ballad to jam to in your face to vulnerable even within the same song. The band itself made up of musicians who live for performance will charm you, as they enjoy their performance as much as you will.
MyNameIsJohnMichael plays through a set of original songs created by the all too capable writer, John Michael Rouchell. John Michael was a Loyola student in the Music Industry Program when he followed in many songwriters foot-steps to do a song a week project. As the weeks progressed, the project evolved to contain more and more people until finally there was an ensemble based around the recording project. From there, the community around him grew and he gigged and gigged, eventually even finding himself at the Jazz and Heritage Festival. Currently, MyNameIs- JohnMichael is getting ready to release their second album and adding a Horn Section to the band.—John Valdespino
Some Like it Hot
The French Quarter Fest veteran ensemble, Some Like it Hot, is a straight-ahead, traditional, Dixieland jazz band founded out of a pure, unadulterated love for New Orleans hot jazz. With its players always sporting infectious smiles, this six-piece has become a staple of the Buffa’s Lounge Sunday jazz brunch and has fanned out to become recognized at private parties and club shows throughout the city. This combo, which features band leader Kanye Caldwell on trumpet, Janice Medlock on trombone, Eric Shuman on Clarinet, Ron Kennedy on banjo, Lil Josephine on bass and Nita Hemeter on drums, has a repertoire that includes well-known traditional tunes, such as “Basin St. Blues” and “Down by the Riverside,” as well as more-elusive hidden gems. This being said, Some Like it Hot is not a museum piece. They play their music with a joy and vibrancy that makes them stand out among the legions of starry-eyed nostalgics that come to New Orleans to recreate the sound of classic recordings. Be sure to check out Some Like it Hot to hear some of the music that has made New Orleans swing for well over a hundred years.—Garrett Pittman
Hellen Gillet’s Wazozo
Cellist, Hellen Gillet’s, ensemble, Wazozo, features a refreshing take on the songs of traditional French artists such as Edith Piaf and George Brassen’s by adding an interesting theatrical and New Orleans rhythmic quality. The group was originally formed as a duo with violinist, Daron Douglas in 2006 with the intention of playing French songs at a local coffee shop. During this time, the duo performed as “Christmas in the Trenches”, attracting the construction obsessed community to take a break and relax to their pleasant renditions of classic French café music. From there, the group evolved with Helen adding guitar and harp which resulted in creating a sound that’s rich and textured with string instruments. Since arriving in New Orleans in 2003, she has become one regarded as one of the best cellist’s in the local music scene. She has distinguished herself not only due to her relaxing fluent cello lines and her genuine French singing but also her more experimental, progressive tendencies in which she creates expansive cello record loops during live performances. Her unique and impressive style has led her to play in a variety of other local projects. Some of her collaborations outside Wazozo include working with Leroy Jones, Mark Southerland, Marianne Faithful, James Singleton’s String Quartet, Happy Talk Band, and Zydepunks. In 2009, Wazozo released their debut album entitled Newtown Circus, which is comprised of mostly French chansons and musettes. On the album, Gillet is accompanied by guitarist Gregory Good, Luke Brecthelsbauer on harp and xylophone, Walt Clements on Accordion and Bill Strickland on French horn. The resulting music by the group is a layered, enchanting atmosphere which reinvigorates the sounds of the past in a fresh, original context. —Stephen Benson
