Papa Grows Funk
Step into New Orleans’ Maple Leaf Bar on a Monday night and through the smoky atmosphere emerges Papa Grows Funk. There are no playlists, no rehearsals; the only constant is the free and easy spirit of the Crescent City. Papa Grows Funk embodies the soul of New Orleans—fun, funky, unpredictable and energetic. From sultry summer nights, to Mardi Gras revelry, to the heart pounding Jazz Fest weekends, New Orleans follows PGF whether it is at their regular gig at the Maple Leaf Bar or Club Quattro in Tokyo.
Papa Grows Funk‘s all-star lineup features New Orleans’ finest musicians and funkiest characters, all of whom have deep roots in New Orleans music. Anchored around the slinky Hammond B3 grooves of band leader John Gros (George Porter, Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners) is internationally renowned June Yamagishi (Wild Magnolias) on guitar, Marc Pero (Smilin’ Myron) on bass, Jason Mingledorff (Galactic) on saxophone and Jeffery “Jellybean” Alexander (Jon Cleary), who replaced Russell Batiste, Jr. in 2005, on drums. Influenced by Dr. John, the Meters and the Neville Brothers, Papa Grows Funk are the guardians of New Orleans funk. PGF continually stretches the bounds of New Orleans music, turning ears and shaking hips wherever they perform. John Gros was named New Orleans’ pianist of the year in the latest OffBeat Magazine poll.
Bombino
By the time Niger’s Goumar “Bombino” Almoctar was all of 12 years old, he was already deeply enmeshed in the hardships of the Tuareg, the nomadic tribes who descended from the Berbers of North Africa and call the Sahara desert home. As his marginalized people rebelled against the governments of Mali and Niger, he was forced into exile in Algeria. It was there that he first picked up the guitar. Upon returning to Niger he found his chosen instrument banned by authorities who considered it a tool that fueled revolt. But Bombino’s spirit was empowered by both traditional music and Western rock and roll, and there was no turning back. His deciding to stick with his axe made him a popular symbol of Tuareg tenacity at home as well as a sought-after musician. He’s even recorded with Keith Richards and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones and guided Angelina Jolie on her visit to Niger a few years ago.
Agadez, Bombino’s international debut album that takes its name from the northern Niger town in which he was born (and where he acquired his nickname as the youngest member of a renowned local Tuareg band). Just as that desert burg has long been a convergence point for Saharan camel caravans, so too is Bombino’s music a meeting of influences from within his Tuareg mindset and beyond it. Comparisons to Tinariwen and Ali Farka Toure are a given; even the back cover of the CD makes them. While there are similarities, Bombino’s got his own thing going. His vocals are lighter and more reedy than his peers (with no call-and-response singing to be heard) and his instrumental backing, which includes additional guitar, bass and percussion, is often less prominent. So the real star is Bombino’s guitar playing, electric and acoustic, which ranges from subtle when in blues mode to tartly penetrating on the disc’s more rocking moments.
BêlO
BêlO is an on-the-rise Haitian singer, songwriter, and musician who won the “Best Discovery of 2006″ prize from Radio France International. His debut CD “Lakou Trankil ” and style of music have earned him exposure in France, Europe, Africa, United States, Canada, and the French Caribbean. One of the most well-regarded young artists in his beloved homeland of Haiti, Jean Belony Murat aka “BélO” is a 30-year-old socially-minded ragga/folk singer (he calls it ragganga) who has seemed to find a place on the stage of world music.
BélO has traveled miles– across 11 African countries and Europe, projecting Haitian vitality. His message of peace and unity resonates across all cultures and his music reflects resiliency and the spirit of his nation. With his electrified acoustic guitar, he sings ballads and other song forms in French or kreyol mixing in beats from reggae, soul, Haitian roots and other traditional Haitian sounds. In performance, he interacts with the audience, speaking to them about the content of his songs. In the larger club setting, he encouraged them to keep rhythm and clap or to sing with a bit of call and response. At large venues, BêlO commands the space, experience gleaned from years of seizing every opportunity to perform when still an adolescent and young man in Haiti. We are honored to have BêlO for performances on both Friday and Saturday.
De Temps Antan
To say that De Temps Antan is a super-group of Québécois folk music is an under-statement. Each member of De Temps Antan was a leader in the massive, multi-platinum Québec folk band La Bottine Souriante and have toured the world over on some the biggest stages. Now they’ve taken the energy they brought to arena performances and channeled this into a shockingly powerful trio. These musicians are virtuosic performers, and their interpretations of the music of Québec are as much informed by their world travels as by their fieldwork and family ties. Their music is explosive and they put out as much sound as a full band when they perform.
Their sound is anchored by the “tac-tic-a tac” of les pieds (a form of seated clogging found only in French Canada), the blazing fiddle of André Brunet (who won the 2008 Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championship, the first time a Québécois musician has won this honor, and is the best fiddler of his generation) , the brash accordion playing of Pierre-Luc Dupuis and the pristine voice of Éric Beaudry. De Temps Antan brings the absolute best of French-Canadian folk music to new generations. Hearing the music of De Temps Antan, you’ll see why the world is falling in love with the pure joy of Québécois folk music.
Baloji
Baloji means sorcerer, a fitting name for a man who has transformed himself from one of the most successful MCs from the French scene into a producer, musician, rapper and all-round musical wizard. His acclaimed first solo-album Hotel Impala featured the likes of Amp Fiddler and told the personal story of Baloji’s return to Africa to find his mother, who he hadn’t seen since childhood, and finding a more intense experience of joy, guilt, confusion and insight than he bargained for.
His 2010 album “Kinshasa Succursale” is a re-recording of “Hotel Impala” in the style of Soulwax Nite versions with local, Congolese musicians. The sessions were so inspiring, they gave birth to five completely new tracks. The first single Karibu Ya Bintou (Welcome to Life in Limbo) features Konono N°1, the legendary band you keep hearing about in Vampire Weekend and David Byrne interviews. The track is accompanied by a visceral short film, shot on the streets of Kinshasa, site of the infamous Rumble in the Jungle of Muhammad Ali.
Robin Pluer
Milwaukee’s Robin Pluer will enthrall with her dead on Edith Piaf-inspired club act on Saturday. Pluer, a perennial WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) Award winner, has been awarded Milwaukee’s Best Female Vocalist by the Shepherd Express for an unprecedented third year. This chanteuse with panache has become a mainstay at Bastille Days in Milwaukee. Her fresh, engaging talent has afforded her opportunities coast to coast including Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and NPR’s “World Café.” Pluer will treat us with two performances in the big tent on Saturday afternoon.
Tidal Wave / Raz de Marée
Tidal Wave, or Raz de Marée, with its cross-border personnel from Quebec and New England, invites cultures to meet and share the love of traditional music and dance. Since 2003, Tidal Wave has evolved as a dance band, carrying through time the most relevant aspect of Quebec traditional, instrumental music: playing for live dancing. In that sense they are not reflecting the past but writing the book of a strong, living current. Their liveliness and outgoing personalities have led them to teach workshops and school programs, as well as perform concerts on the folk music planet and wherever Franco-Americans need to connect with their roots. Raz de Marée will be kept busy all weekend with three long stints in Le Danse tent and a breakfast gig at the Acoustic Café on Sunday morning.
Maraca
This musical prodigy is truly making waves both in Cuba and around the world. The Chicago Tribune has called him a “visionary”, and his is one of the best-known names in Afro-Cuban music. The list of awards he’s won is long- among them are prizes won at the Festival CUBADISCO and the Cuban Recording Institute. Orlando Valle, “Maraca”, is a flautist, composer and director of the group Otra vision, with a dozen talented musicians rounding out the group. The Los Angeles Times has called Otra vision ” the most influential Afro-Cuban group of the new century”. “Maraca” mixes genres, including salsa, latin-jazz and of course Afro-Cuban beats, moving easily from traditional jazz to danceable Caribbean sounds. Orlando Valle has also lead “Maraca & Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters” since 1996. Those who see him live remark on the incredible energy he creates with an audience. He also writes for other groups and singers, like Cubanismo (Cuba), Afro-Cuban All-Stars (Cuba), Cesaria Evora (Cape Verde) and many others.
Orlando Valle also began the “Maraca & Afro-Cuban Jazz Masters”, project, which since 2001 has performed around the world. They have also played with Giovanni Hidalgo (Puerto-Rico), Jimmy Bosch (U.S.), Tata Guines (Cuba), and Changuito (Cuba) among others. Maraca spends half the year with wife Celine in the suburbs of Paris and holds dual French/Cuban citizenship. He thus meets La Fête’s stringent Francophone requirement and the audience will surely not complain.
Anders Osborne
Sweden-born Anders Osborne’s story (his life, his career) is not unlike those of the other great songwriters and artists that he’s been compared to by critics and roots purists Dylan, Guthrie, and Van Morrison, by the time he found New Orleans (or maybe it is the other way around) by taking the long way trekking through Africa and Egypt, working odd jobs to get to his next destination, he had the miles and music down to begin his career in his new home.
Anders has spent most of career since honing his songwriting at the same time creating a solid fan-base by touring the East and West coast as a performer, while dividing time between New Orleans and Nashville as a staff writer for the Universal Music and Razor and Tie publishing companies. He’s worked his magic for other performers, writing “Watchin’ the Wind Blow By,” a number one hit for country superstar Tim McGraw and “I Was Wrong” and “A Better Man,” both Grammy-winning songs from Keb’ Mo’s album Slow Down. Anders has written songs for Brad Paisely, Jonny Lang, Tab Benoit and Jimmy Thackery, to name a few.
His performances have been described as equally spiritual as musical, creating the elusive connection between artist and audience. His emotive guitar complements the message and the music, enticing listeners into his heart and soul. His life is transformed via his song performances into a vehicle to take you to his destination, let you linger awhile, and bring you home a bit better than you left it to step into his world. He is able to refine and relate to the ordinary, making you feel a bit extraordinary in the process. No wonder he is in demand by performers of all stripes as a songwriter. Anders was just named New Orleans top guitarist by OffBeat Magazine and will play twice at La Fête — Saturday night and then with the NOLA Jam on Sunday evening.
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Traditional Cajun music of South Louisiana is alive and well in the Lost Bayou Ramblers. With hundreds of shows, five albums, and a Grammy Nomination behind them, the band finds their sound evolving into something more than what has been represented to date. The result is an amplified live show and a fresh and rocking new album to be released sometime in 2011. With the past on their sleeves, the Lost Bayou Ramblers begin a new decade with their finest material to date and a progressive sense of urgency and attitude for the bands future.
The Lost Bayou Ramblers are based out of Lafayette, La. and are comprised of Louis Michot (lead vocals/fiddle), Andre Michot (accordion), Cavan Carruth (guitar/vocals), Alan LaFleur (bass), and Pauly Deathwish (drums). Louis uses the term “philosophy of simplicity” to describe their music, what they play and what they learned before. “We grew up as the rhythm section (for Les Frères Michot) which set our music rhythmically. We’re not doing it for money. We take it as it comes, nice and easy. We do what we want to do, what we like.” And, it is with the utmost respect for Cajun culture that the Lost Bayou Ramblers do what they do so well. I never dreamed, that of all the places I could live, Arnaudville, Louisiana happens to be where I first heard this band, first stared in awe as dancers pulled me into another time, first began to understand the people I live amongst and how precious this music is, and first appreciated the talent of transporting a listener with a simple tune.
Rosie Ledet
Rosie Ledet has become the act to watch on the zydeco circuit. Brimming with coy sensuality, Rosie’s music is fresh and daring, while still retaining its links to its bayou Creole heritage. Rosie has a rare combination of talent, not only in the zydeco world, but in any musical genre. She can write top-notch award winning songs. hand with the best of them on her instrument, and can sing circles around her peers. Rosie is among the few zydeco artists who can still sing and write some of their own material in Creole French.
Rosie hails from the rural town of Church Point, Louisiana, and learned to play the accordion by watching her husband and then practicing on his accordion while he worked during the day With her self-penned tunes, Ledet provides a unique female presence in the male-dominated zydeco world. She sings in both Creole French and in English. Her songs are often sly and lusty and combined with her natural good looks and distinctive, bluesy singing voice, she wows audiences wherever she goes.
Glen David Andrews
He is one of the most amazing vocalists alive today — his billowing baritone is like a horn instrument itself — and he is an incredible entertainer. He sanctifies, electrifies, hellafies. If you weren’t dancing at this show you were dead. –John Nova Lomax – Houston Press
Glen David Andrews hopped down from an outdoor stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, leaving his trombone behind. He sang in a powerful raspy voice, inflected with just a hint of Louis Armstrong. Andrews, 30, has a lanky 6-foot-4-inch body and a mercurial personality. The brass-band music and traditional jazz he was raised on are still his greatest loves. “The musicians that played in my neighborhood, they brought me out of the womb,” he says, not by way of metaphor. According to his mother, Vana Acker, when she was pregnant, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, a traditional-music icon and mentor to many musicians, came by and blew his horn outside the house. He said the sound of the tuba would induce labor. Glen David was born the next day.
As a young boy, whenever a second-line parade passed by, Andrews tagged along with his older brother, Derrick Tabb, who is now the snare drummer with the Rebirth Brass Band. Back then, Andrews played bass drum. At 12, he picked up the trombone. Rather than studying formally, he absorbed musical skills from neighbors such as “Frogman” Joseph, Harry Nance, Harold DeJean and other local heroes – “the cream of the crop,” Andrews says. Soon he was playing for money alongside Tuba Fats in Jackson Square, in the middle of the French Quarter. He was recruited into a brass band led by his younger cousin, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, and played in both the New Birth, Lil Rascals, and Tremé brass bands, among others, lending equal measures of musicianship and showmanship to each. Now he fronts his own high-powered ensemble that veers from traditional jazz to gospel, rock, blues and funk, all in the same show.
“New Orleans has a long history of amazing performers whose legend never completely translates to the outside world… when a local artist breaks through at Jazzfest, it is a spectacular thing to witness. This fest it happened to Glen David Andrews…it was as if some otherworldly force took over him during a performance in the Gospel Tent that was completely transformative…he was a combination of James Brown and Prince…people were clamoring to touch him, to take a spark from this burning light of a spiritual force in their midst.” — excerpt from review by John Swenson, June 2009 OffBeat Magazine
A Very Special New Orleans LA (NOLA) Jam performance
Anders Osborne (see above)
Cyril Neville is one of the last New Orleans Music and Culture icons. Through his Grammy award winning work with the Neville Brothers, the years he spent as vocalist and percussionist with the Meters, to his work today with The Voice of the Wetlands Allstars, Galactic and his own solo band TRIBE 13 Cyril Neville continues to raise the bar for entertainers for years to come.
Walter “Wolfman” Washington has been an icon on the New Orleans music scene for decades. His searing guitar work and soulful vocals have defined the Crescent City’s unique musical hybrid of R&B, funk and the blues since he formed his first band in the 1970s.
The Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans have had a huge impact on New Orleans music-especially funk and r’n'b. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, the most important living link to this tradition, delivers soulful vocals and evocative lyrics over hypnotic grooves created by Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, The Golden Eagles and more!
James Andrews, lead singer and trumpeter of The New Birth Brass Band, is one of the most talented and charismatic figures on today’s jazz scene. James (locally known as “Satchmo Of The Ghetto”) is a member of a prominent New Orleans music family which also includes Prince LaLa , Jesse Hill and younger brother Troy “Trombone Shorty“ Andrews. His forthcoming solo album, Satchmo of the Ghetto, which also features Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, is a mix of traditional New Orleans trumpet workouts, acid jazz-styled, instrumental funk and gruff, soulful Louis Armstrong influenced vocals.
Les Malfecteurs (The Outlaws) and their powerful brand of Cajun honky tonk are more than a simple product of their home parish. The group builds upon the legacy of Nathan Abshire while infusing the country music currents so prevalent in the Lafourche region. Following accordionist Ryan Brunet’s lead, Les Malfecteurs offer the promise of things to come. Their emotive bandleader’s vocals, a driving rhythm section, and pining steel guitar are the very reason this band will be a powerful creative force not only in south Louisiana, but across the country.
With the ongoing revival of Cajun music, there’s nothing earth shattering about a competent accordionist who happens to be in his mid-20s. Unless you factor in Ryan Brunet, that is. He doesn’t hail from the prairies of Southwest Louisiana, the territorial hot bed of traditionalism, but Vin Bruce’s bayou country, where decent traditional players number in the handfuls. Through constant practicing and listening to Abshire’s recordings around the clock as an adolescent, Brunet learned his accordion well. He’s one of the cleanest, most precise players to come along recently, nailing notes and runs without any overplaying or annoying valve clicking. Ryan and his band will be performing in Le Danse Tent throughout the weekend