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Paul Sanchez
 Apr 16, 08 - 11:47 AM |
French Quarter Fest/John Swenson's blog
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 French Quarter Festival French Quarter Fest has become a kind of monster, far outstripping its modest beginnings, and several prominent local musicians expressed outrage at the festival's insistence that performers generate their own sponsors in order to get paid. But once this year's event started it was hard to dwell on any negatives. Hundreds of thousands of music fans basked on the banks of the Mississippi in glorious weather and crowded around the more intimate stages on Bourbon and Royal streets to hear hundreds of local musicians play their hearts out in the 25th annual renewal of this festival. This massive free concert performed by Louisiana musicians was a joyous event that lived up to the festival's reputation as Jazzfest without the outside players. There were plenty of visitors, though, especially from Europe and Canada, attracted by the bargain prices for travel and entertainment provided by the weak dollar. The Friday show at the Pavilion stage was special from start to finish. Marc Stone opened up with an ambitious set featuring Joe Krown on keyboards (Krown later played his own set on the same stage, featuring his playing in solo and band settings) and bassist Sam Price of Otra, which would perform at the Mint on Saturday. Stone, who played another great set the night before at the Ogden museum of Southern art (an acoustic duo with Vasti Johnson) featured material from his upcoming album and closed with a terrific jam on the folk classic "Little Liza Jane." Susan Cowsill took things to another level with a magic set that opened with her singing the wistful ballad "Catch the Wind" and balanced Continental Drifters material, songs from her solo album Just Believe It and even a song she performed as a child with her family band, "The Rain, The Park and Other Things." Toward the end of her set Cowsill performed a song written by her brother Barry, who died in the aftermath of Katrina, "River of Love. "We only have one song left," she said, "but first, a word from out sponsor. Oh wait, we don't have a sponsor." Cowsill's sense of humor was refreshing enough, but the realization that her band was also literally playing for free added a sense of innocence to her already charismatic presence. She brought up Paul Sanchez and John Boutte, who helped her draw the show to a dramatic close with her post-Katrina anthem "Crescent City Snow." Cowsill has an offhanded way of dealing with her audience that gives the listeners a sense that a close friend is sharing a secret with them. She chats amiably from the stage, sending out greetings to people in the crowd without looking like a politician working a rope line and she usually sets up each song up with some kind of conversational anecdote. She disarmed the crowd before the show even began by make a self deprecating remark about how the wind was blowing her hair into her face, then made a reference to the black rock haute couture outfit she wore on the March cover of OffBeat. "People look at me in the supermarket," she giggled. "I see them staring at me, saying to themselves 'I've seen her some where before'." Though she was dressed casually for her own performance, Cowsill has a very smart sense of style. She showed up to sing with Theresa Andersson on the big stage Saturday in a billowing white dress, then joined Paul Sanchez and John Boutte for another windy bout at the Pavilion stage Sunday ready for the elements in khaki knee socks, jacket and close fitting hat to keep that hair in place. That particular set was a high point of the festival and a real tribute to Sanchez as an organizer and collaborator who is magnanimous with the stage time he offers his bandmates. Sanchez assembled an outstanding group for this performance, offering Boutte, Cowsill and trumpeter/vocalist Shamarr Allen equal time while subtly building the set around compositions he wrote on his own or with Boutte. Sanchez handed his guitar to Cowsill for a version of "Crescent City Snow" that was even more powerful than the one from her own set. She conveyed a complex mixture of emotions in quick, broad strokes, contrasting the sense of alienation summoned up in the image of being "like a kite without a string" with the elation of remembered moments in New Orleans. "I'll meet you down at Jackson Square, 12 o'clock, I'll be there," she sang, and the Steamboat Natchez blew its deep, booming whistle in greeting to the prodigal daughter who got herself back "to a place where I know who I am." The band backed Cowsill gracefully, with Allen turning in a beautiful trumpet solo, as she touched on Mardi Gras Indian chants and the "Saints" call and response. It was a moment of sheer transcendence. Among many other moments in this memorable set, which was all gesture and color and subtle rhythms, two guitars both playing well crafted parts in service of the song's contour rather than leads, Russ Broussard playing drums and percussion gracefully and gorgeous, gorgeous harmonies throughout. Boutte was in his top form, slyly noting "I always liked Sam Cooke" before channeling the maestro in his wonderful version of "Live in the Moment." Boutte also delivered a brilliant rendition of his first collaboration with Sanchez, "At the Foot of Canal Street" and really stirred the crowd with his flag waver "Break Down the Door (The Treme Song)." Allen sang his own anthem, "Meet Me On Frenchmen Street," which Sanchez embellished with a chorus of "won't you come home New Orleans" to the tune of "Bill Bailey," and the two of them performed their duet "If I Only Had a Brain" from the "Funky Kids" album. One of my favorite moments of the set, though, was "Sedation," a great song written by Sanchez with a vocal exchange between himself and Cowsill that recalled the classic 1960s vocal arrangements of groups like the Mamas and the Papas and -- naturally -- the Cowsills. There were many other great moments over the weekend. The Radiators returned to New Orleans after a grueling run through Colorado for a Friday night set that rippled with numinous beauty, highlighted by the inspirational ode to the Mississippi, James Joyce, love and life itself "Riverrun." The high water rolled majestically past and sparkled with the reflected nightime light as the Radiatiors joyfully celebrated its spirit. Brass bands pumped it up at their stage all weekend, with particularly great moments coming from the Pin Stripe Brass Band and the Soul Rebels. Big Sam's Funky Nation, Trombone Shorty and Kermit Ruffins all played memorable sets, trumpeter Leroy Jones turned in a spectacular performance on the 200 block of Bourbon Street and the cajun/zydeco stage at the Mint rocked hard all weekend. --John Swenson |
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Joy
Apr 16th, 2008 - 1:45 PM |
Re: French Quarter Fest/John Swenson's blog
Of all the things you are know know and commended for, bringing great folks together sure is a nice one. |
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