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Apr112010
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Quarter by Day, Treme at Night |
I intended to get out to the French Quarter well before noon today but I couldn’t get myself up quite early enough for that. I finally got ready and called a cab around noon. I got a call back within five minutes which was pretty remarkable. It showed up right after mom and dad got home from church.
The driver dropped me off on Esplanade near the US Mint. The PorcheVide Playboys, a zydeco band, were playing. I stuck around for a few minutes before leaving to walk to the French Market where Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale were about to get started. I’ve only seen her a couple times in the past but it’s a pretty good act. She’s an indie jazz singer with this “1940’s” sound. A nice crowd was present including a good number of dancers.
I stayed for about an hour until the band took a break. I walked down Decatur Street towards Jackson Square. The acrobats that frequently perform were wrapping up a show in front of an enormous crowd. I took the opportunity to get some shots of Jackson Square, the cathedral and the crowd.
Following my stop on Decatur I walked down the riverfront to the pavilion stage where John Boutte had a set starting at 2:15. Paul Sanchez was supposed to perform with but apparently he was ill today. I’ve seen Boutte perform a few times in the past at Jazz Fest and he always puts on a lively show and today was no different, even though the drummer was absent. Sooner or later I am going to have to get down to Frenchman Street early enough to catch him at d.b.a. Incidentially, Boutte is the vocalist on the opening title theme for the new HBO series Treme. About half way throguh the set, John’s sister Lillian came on stage to sing a few numbers.
I left before the end of the set to catch the last act of the Fest at the stage in the Le Petit Theater. The US Army Brass Quintet was the closing act there. They played some traditional chamber music, some Gershwin and some oddball crowd pleasers. The band leader, Sgt. Major Dennis Edelbrock, addressed the audience sporatically about the work they do and various historic events they played at. The other trumpet player, Sgt. Major Woodrow English played “Taps” at Reagan’s funeral.
After the Army Quintet finished their set, I walked over to the “Esplnade in the Shade” stage at the US Mint where Astral Project would be playing. Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue was still playing when I arrived. I got something to eat and found a place to sit and enjoy the shrimp pasta and cake I bought.
I had plenty of time to scope out the stage before Astral Project started their set. Microphone stands are still the bane of my existance. The music was awesome as usual but I don’t think I got any great pictures. I saw Andrew and his friend not long after the set started.
I was able to stay until about 6:30 when I had to leave and catch a cab to work. I was able to snag one on the corner of Esplanade and Decatur. I worked from about 7-10 at Fox this evening, largely without incident as I recall. After I got home this evening I watched the first episode of the new HBO show Treme. It looks quite promsising. It’s certainly the most faithful depiction of New Orleans I have ever seen in film or television. They didn’t get everything right but they came much closer than anything else I have ever seen. With David Simon at the helm, I did have high expectations. I also watched the latest installment of The Pacific and culled the day’s Fest photos before bed.