Twitter Facebook RSS

Blog of New Orleans

Archives | RSS

  |  

Friday, April 30, 2010

Music & Nightlife / General / Jazz Fest / Events & Festivals / A&E

Red’s Sunday JazzFest Pick: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue

Posted by on Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 7:25 PM

  • Share

Above is footage of Trombone Shorty, our beloved Treme-tian, playing the title track from his new CD ‘Backatown’ at the Louisiana Music Factory during their free Jazz Fest in-store concerts happening this week. Universal Records recently signed our boy and his Orleans Avenue Band to his first record deal under a genre he and his bandmates created call ‘SupaFunkRock’, of which I concur. Its really unlike anything else out there, just like his hometown New Orleans.

I couldn’t get thru the throngs to get over and talk to Troy Michael (that’s what his people him and we’re all his people) but I got some side time with his percussionist Dwayne Williams who is also plays bass drum for The Stooges Brass Band. Dwayne, who’s 23 years old, grew up across the street from Troy Michael on Robertson and Dumaine, the epicenter of Where It Goes Down in Treme and has been playing music with him since they were both three years old. Dwayne shared a great story about his childhood days playing in the original ‘Trombone Shorty Brass Band’ which included Troy’s cousin Glen David Andrews, Sammy Cyrus from The Hot 8, and Travis Nelson.

“We used to play for tips in the French Quarter. The cops came and arrested us one day for disturbing the peace... They piled us all in the back of the police car with our instruments and took right over there to that station on Royal St. When our parents came to pick us up, we asked, ‘Where’s our money?’ They said, ‘You didn’t have any money’ and handed us some change, dimes and quarters. But we had around $3,000 and they kept that.”

The little musicians, however, weren’t taking getting played by the NOPD. They protested for three weeks straight, marching from the French Quarter to City Hall. Dwayne laughed, “Sam wore a homemade sign that said ‘We Went To Jail For Playing Music”. Weeks of protesting, court appearances and public pressure led to the passage by the City Council of an ordinance that allows musicians to play music in the French Quarter without threat of being arrested. As of press time, I wasn’t able to confirm the actual ordinance language, but if it’s true - which seems completely plausible to me - we have Trombone Shorty and his people to thank for pioneering more than just SupaFunkRock - they trailblazed the road for musician’s rights in New Orleans. So next time you see Troy Michael, Dwayne anem, make sure you give them their props.

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will be performing at Jazz Fest Sunday from 2-3pm at the Gentilly Stage. This is where you go for that FIRE. And make sure and listen up for my new favorite jam (a lot of ladies’ favorite actually) called ‘Show Me Something Beautiful’.

Tags: , , , ,

Pin It
Email
Share

Speaking of...

  • Saturday at Jazz Fest

    Fleetwood Mac headlined a crowded day at Jazz Fest.
    • by Will Coviello
    • May 4, 2013

  • Jazz Fest 2013 Day 5 Photos

    Day 5 at the Jazz Fest brought a cold front with very little rain, lots of mud, and a range of music from young Pop stars Maroon 5 to 80 year old Country legend WIllie Nelson.
    • by Scott Saltzman
    • May 4, 2013

  • Jazz Fest 2013 Day 4 Photos

    There was neither a lack of exceptional music nor rain nor mud as the second week of Jazz Fest began Thursday, May 2 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
    • by Scott Saltzman
    • May 3, 2013
  • More »

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this thread:
By Email
With RSS

Add a comment

Calendar

Events
Music
Movies
Dining
Bars
Submit an event Jump to date

Latest in Blog of New Orleans

Top Topics in Blog of New Orleans

News & Politics (83)

Music & Nightlife (65)

Food & Drink (62)

A&E (62)

Events & Festivals (48)

More

Recent Comments

About Gambit

Cover of this issue of Gambit

Coming to New Orleans?

Art

© 2013 Gambit
Powered by Foundation