Six

MODERN JAZZ

It is not all about the traditional in New Orleans. Many players eschewed Dixieland from the start of their careers, opting to play Chicago-style or New York–style jazz at home. Classically trained musicians, many of whom studied away from New Orleans, came back wanting to create a different kind of jazz from what Bolden, Oliver, and Bonano played. Ellis Marsalis Jr. is a great example of this trend, particularly because he influenced his sons to follow his modernist path. Because he is such a skilled teacher and mentor, Marsalis helped nurture the careers of younger modern jazz musicians, particularly through the jazz programs at the University of New Orleans. Even modernists know their roots, though, as when Wynton Marsalis plays strains of “Saints” in a video to honor the appearance of the New Orleans Saints at the Super Bowl or when Donald Harrison Jr. dons his “suit of pretty” and assumes control of the Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indian tribe as the “Big Chief.”

PATRIARCH. Ellis Marsalis Jr. (1934–) began playing the saxophone as a child, switching to piano in high school. He has played with Cannonball Adderley, Al Hirt, and Eddie Harris, but he never specialized in Dixieland. A true teacher, Ellis is affiliated with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana. Marsalis and his wife, Delores, have six sons, four of whom are jazz musicians. (Courtesy of USMC.)

FUSION. Tony Dagradi founded Astral Project in 1978. The quartet consists of Dagradi on sax, Johnny Vidacovich on drums, James Singleton on bass, and Steve Masakowski on guitar. The group is seen here in 2010 playing at the French Quarter Fest. (Courtesy of Derek Bridges.)

MODERN MAESTRO. Wynton Learson Marsalis (1961–) has had the most commercial success of the family. An alumnus of the Fairview Baptist Band, Marsalis took a more modern direction with his music. He cofounded the jazz program at Lincoln Center in New York and has won nine Grammy Awards. He also gave a moving musical and poetic tribute to the New Orleans Saints during the pregame ceremonies for Super Bowl XLIV. (Courtesy of Darlene Susco.)

TONIGHT. Branford Marsalis (1960–) is also a Fairview alumnus. Marsalis toured Europe with Lionel Hampton and Clark Terry while a college student in 1980. He worked with Sting on his solo “The Dream of Blue Turtles” in 1985. Branford was leader of the Tonight Show Band from 1992 to 1995. Recently, in 2012, he recorded “Four MFs Playin’ Tunes” on high-grade vinyl. Also released on CD and in digital form, it was named Apple iTunes 2012 Instrumental Album of the Year. (Courtesy of LOC.)

ASTRAL DRUMS. Johnny Vidacovich has been the drummer for Astral Project since the early 1970s and has played with a wide range of musicians, including Bobby McFerrin, Professor Longhair, James Booker, and Mose Allison. He is also part of The Trio, playing a regular gig at the Maple Leaf Bar with George Porter Jr. Vidacovich has also served on the faculty of Loyola University’s School of Music. (Courtesy of Lisa Hill.)

FATHER-DAUGHTER. Guitarist Steve Masakowski holds the Coca-Cola endowed chair of jazz studies at the University of New Orleans. Masakowski has played guitar with many local legends, including Alvin “Red” Tyler, Ellis Marsalis, Danny Barker, Earl Turbinton, and James Black. He also performs with his daughter Sasha, who went to high school at NOCCA. Sasha then studied under Ellis Marsalis at UNO. She released her first CD in 2009 and tours regularly. Steve and Sasha are seen here at the Old Algiers Riverfest in 2012. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

CROONER. Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. both persuaded Jeremy Davenport to move to New Orleans in the mid-1990s, where he could study under Ellis Marsalis. After completing his studies at the University of New Orleans, he joined the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band, touring with the group for six years. He returned to New Orleans, playing various clubs, and now he has his own club, the Davenport Lounge, in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Canal Street. (Both, courtesy of Basin Street Records.)

HARD BOP. A childhood friend of Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard (1962–) studied under Ellis Marsalis Jr. at NOCCA and eventually replaced Wynton as trumpet player in the Jazz Messengers. As artistic director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California, he successfully lobbied the institute to move to Loyola University of New Orleans, post Katrina. Blanchard plays trumpet in the “hard bop” tradition. (Courtesy of NOPL.)

SHORTY. Troy Andrews (1986–) plays trombone and trumpet. His older brother James is a bandleader. At the age of six, Troy began playing trombone, which is where he got his nickname, “Trombone Shorty.” Andrews attended NOCCA and was a member of the Stooges Brass Band. He joined Lenny Kravitz’s horn section in 2005 on Kravitz’s world tour that year. Andrews and his band, Orleans Avenue, recorded their first CD, Orleans and Claiborne, in 2005, followed by the critically acclaimed Backatown, which hit Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart at No. 1 and stayed there for nine weeks. Andrews had a recurring role as himself in the HBO series Treme and has received numerous awards for his community work and service through the Trombone Shorty Foundation. (Courtesy of Derek Bridges.)

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF PERFORMANCE. Trombone Shorty (center background) looks on as President Obama sings “Sweet Home Chicago” with B.B. King during a White House performance on February 21, 2012. (Courtesy of the White House.)

FESTIN’. Troy Andrews has replaced the Neville Brothers as the final act on the second Sunday of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This passing of the torch from one generation of New Orleans greats to another demonstrates the robustness of modern New Orleans jazz. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

NOJO. Irvin Mayfield Jr. grew up in the Upper Ninth Ward and went to high school at NOCCA. Mayfield declined a scholarship to study at the Julliard School of Music, opting instead to study under Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans. Mayfield is a cofounder of Los Hombres Calientes, a Basin Street Records group, as well as the artistic director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO). He also performs at his club, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street. (At left, courtesy Basin Street Records; below, Derek Bridges.)

AFRO-CUBAN. Led by Irvin Mayfield on trumpet and Bill Summers on percussion, Los Hombres Calientes adds a Latin flavor to classic New Orleans jazz, giving audiences a spicy and bouncy mix of power. Summers brings his experience playing with jazz greats Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock to blend with Mayfield’s horn. (Courtesy of Basin Street Records.)

PRESERVATIONIST. Shannon Powell first played professionally in Danny Barker’s band, the Jazzhounds, in 1976. He later played for six years with the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band, as well as a list of jazz legends, including Ellis Marsalis, Willie Metcalf Jr., Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Diana Krall, Earl King, Dr. John, Marcus Roberts, John Scofield, Jason Marsalis, Leroy Jones, Nicholas Payton, and Donald Harrison Jr. Currently, he is a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

FAMILY. Ingrid Lucia joined her family’s band, the Flying Nutrinos, at an early age, playing drums and singing. Her parents left the band in the 1990s, and she took over its leadership. Lucia now fronts for the band as it records and plays festivals, such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

COMMUNITY. As the younger brother of Wynton and Branford, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and the founder of the Uptown Music Theater in New Orleans, whose mission is “community unity.” (Both, courtesy of Carlos May.)

ORPHEUS RISING. Harry Connick Jr. (1967–) is the son of former Orleans Parish district attorney Harry Connick Sr. At the age of nine, he performed with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. As a teen, Connick was mentored by Ellis Marsalis Sr. and James Booker at NOCCA. After high school and a brief period of studying at Loyola University, Connick moved to New York, where he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and was signed by Columbia Records. After recording his debut album and a follow-up, he received the opportunity to record the sound track for Rob Reiner’s 1989 movie When Harry Met Sally. Connick made his acting debut in 1990, in the film Memphis Belle, and has enjoyed critical acclaim as both an actor and a musician. Locally, Connick is lauded for founding the Krewe of Orpheus Carnival organization, whose signature float is the Leviathan. Orpheus, which parades on Lundi Gras, has rapidly grown in popularity and is regarded as a “super-krewe.” Connick has also been very active in the recovery of the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (Courtesy of Wendy Piersall.)

NOUVEAU SWING. A graduate of NOCCA, saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. is the creator of the “nouveau swing” style and the Big Chief of the Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indian tribe, which keeps alive the secret traditions of Congo Square. The Donald Harrison Electric Band has charted on Billboard, and Harrison has appeared as himself in numerous episodes of the HBO series Treme. Many believe the Treme characters of Albert and Delmond Lambreaux are based on Harrison and his father, Donald Sr. (Courtesy of Derek Bridges.)

FEST FOUNDER. Already well known as the producer of the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, George Wein was tapped by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to produce a large-scale festival for the city. Wein’s company, Festival Productions, Inc., formed a local affiliate, Festival Productions, Inc., New Orleans, to produce the event under contract from the foundation. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

FEST DADDY. Quint Davis was working as an intern at the Hogan Jazz Archive of Tulane University when he was recommended to George Wein to help produce the 1970 Jazz Fest. Davis stayed with Festival Productions, Inc., New Orleans, assuming day-to-day operations. Davis negotiated the deal to move the festival from its original location in Congo Square to the New Orleans Fair Grounds for the 1972 event. (Courtesy of Derek Bridges.)

JAZZ MASTER. As the youngest of Ellis Marsalis Jr.’s performing sons, Jason Marsalis played his first professional gig with his father at the age of 12 before studying classical percussion at Loyola University of New Orleans. In addition to performing modern jazz with his father and brothers, Jason has played with numerous New Orleans legends and current headliners, including traditional jazz as a sideman for Dr. Michael White. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

TROMBONE ROCK. Trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein played together in Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band for over a decade. They formed Bonerama in 1998, playing jazz and rock tunes with a trombone front. Known as “The Bones,” they are, from left to right, Craig Klein, Mark Mullins, Steve Suter, and Rick Trolsen. Original “Bone” Brian O’Neill passed away in 2005, while Suter and Trolsen left the band in 2009. Bonearama has since added Greg Hicks and now plays with three trombones up front. They are seen here at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2006. (Courtesy of Carlos May.)

MARIGNY TRIANGLE. Faubourg Marigny is the second-oldest neighborhood in the city. Frenchmen Street, just on the downriver side of the French Quarter, is home to a number of music clubs offering both modern and traditional jazz, as well as other types of bands. Three Muses, on the 500 block of Frenchmen, is a wonderful place for happy hour or a light dinner, followed by some great music. (Both, author’s collection.)

INTERNET. Swedish-born Theresa Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 as part of Anders Osborne’s band and never left. She has played with many New Orleans maestros, including The Meters and Allen Toussaint. Andersson is a new-media pioneer; her song, “Na Na Na,” has over 1.5 million views on YouTube, leading the way into the world of digital delivery. (Courtesy of Basin Street Records.)

TREME STAR. Located in the 500 block of Frenchmen Street, right next to Three Muses, is the Blue Nile. The club became a regular location for the HBO series Treme, with real-life legend Kermit Ruffins playing there, as well as fictional journeyman trombonist Antoine Baptiste, played by actor Wendell Pierce. (Author’s collection.)

HIP-ROCK. A product of school bands in New Orleans, Shamarr Allen attended the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Jazz Camp as a teen, where his talents were recognized by several educators. At 13, he was invited to play with the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra, and at 16, he appeared at Carnegie Hall with the Mahogany Brass Band. Now leading his own band, the Underdawgs, Allen plays local gigs and festivals, as well as international tours. His style is an incredible fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and rock, which Allen calls “hip-rock.” (Courtesy of JonGunnar Gylfason.)

COMPOSER. Allen Toussaint (1938–) is best known as a songwriter and producer. Toussaint’s music crosses over several styles of jazz, R&B, and rock. Many artists have had great commercial success covering Toussaint’s songs, most notably Glenn Campbell, who did “Southern Nights” in 1977, riding it to the No. 1 spot on three charts: Pop, Adult Contemporary, and Country. Toussaint has produced artists as diverse as Robert Palmer, Elvis Costello, The Band, Paul McCartney, and many local musicians. (Courtesy of Carl Lender.)

GOING ON. Buried with his father, Anthony, and his mother, Angelina, Louis Prima’s tomb in Metairie Cemetery bears an epitaph fitting of all jazz music that originates in New Orleans: “When the end comes, I know, they’ll say, ‘just a gigolo,’ as life goes on, without me.” Life and music do indeed go on in New Orleans. Yesterday’s child prodigies are today’s mentors. As long as the heritage of how we got to this point is remembered, life will go on well. (Author’s collection.)