Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, October 14th, 2022)
“Babylon” written by Dr. John, the Night Tripper, title track from Dr. John’s 2nd album Babylon released in 1969
Babylon
Is represented in the Bible by a stone
Babylon
Is thrown in a river and lost in a storm
Babylon
And never, never, ever again
Will anybody ever wanna call you they home
Artist: Underground Horns
Title: Almost Blue
Label: selfproduced
Genre: brass band playing Afro-Funk/Bhangra/New Orleans grooves and beyond.
CD review by Dante Mann
There is something different about Brooklyn based brass band the Underground Horns and their new album, Almost Blue. It has a pleasing freshness, and part of that is down to the way they have blended New Orleans Jazz, Ethio Jazz, Afro Funk, and obscure hints of Balkan music. Their smooth blend of these genres brought together in a subtle, textured way, makes for a good listen all of the way through. The album features Welf Dorr (alto sax, bass clarinet), Patriq Moody (coronet), Kevin Moehringer (trombone), Andrew McGovern (trumpet), Channel Crichlow (tuba), Kevin Raczka (drums), and Okai Fleurimont (djembe, vocals, whistle).
Photo courtesy of Hillary Donnell
Text by Hillary Donnell aka DJ Rubi
Round 2: New Orleans to West Feliciana
Text by DJ Ruby (DooBeeDoo’s New Orleans contributor)
Photo by Alex Woodward
In New Orleans the debate surrounding changes to the city’s noise ordinance continues to divide the city. The polemics surrounding the most recent set of changes to the city’s laws regarding sound began in December of 2013 when the New Orleans city council proposed restricting the decibel levels permissible in public space to their 1997 levels. The debate has made clear that the roots of this struggle run deep and has raised interesting questions about culture and preservation in the City That Care Forgot.
For bystanders the morning of January 17th might have appeared to be something of a celebration, but for those who participated, the demonstration at City Hall was an expression of complicated and layered feelings around the newest proposed sound ordinance. The collective voice of local musicians and their supporters echoed in the face of what has felt like a continuous effort to quiet them down, nevertheless progress on negotiations was stalled. On that morning City Hall was meant to accommodate a public hearing regarding the proposed changes to the noise ordinance that had undergone increasing scrutiny since its proposal in December. Musicians, residents and lawmakers were poised to present their cases in the chambers after months of discussion. But on the evening of the 16th the hearing was abruptly cancelled. The further postponement of a debate that has been affecting the cultural community for some time now felt like another rebuff and many felt that postponement was a tactic to lessen the traction gained by the musical community in the months leading up to the hearing.
Venue: Snug Harbor (New Orleans)
Date: November 29, 2013
Review and photo by DJ Ruby (DooBeeDoo’s New Orleans contributor)
Sublime may be the only appropriate way to describe B3 organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith’s November 29th performance for the small but packed room at Snug Harbor on bustling Frenchmen Street. With each key change the audience followed him eagerly through levels of exaltation in the music that seemed to ooze from his fingers.
