Check out 'The Good One' Freddie Lonzo doing his thing to St. Louis Blues at B.B. King's in NYC. Watch as he takes a little jog during his trombone solo. Go Freddie!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Reviews: TMP and PHJB in Ma Maison
Some nice words from The New Orleans Times-Picayune!
Trey McIntyre jazz ballet a triumph; final show tonight, Nov. 22
Posted by Chris Waddington, Contributing writer, The Times-Picayune November 22, 2008 4:51PM
I could almost hear the clatter of bones as nine skeletons, dressed in Carnival motley, shimmied to the wailing clarinet, dangled loose-limbed arms to the thrum of the banjo, and jerked their heads, as if nagged by the long, steady roll of the snare. When a downbeat came,
they let loose with fluttering steps and whiplash turns from the world of ballet, moving with the singular purpose of schooling fish chased by a shark.
For me, and the thousand cheering dance fans who packed Tulane University's Dixon Hall on Friday, Nov. 21, it seemed that Mardi Gras had come early -- not the Bourbon Street party for hooting tourists and girls-gone-wild, but the dark revel that only makes sense when you've gone through a hurricane season, buried a few friends and danced in a second line parade with tears in your eyes.
Is it clear that I'm also talking about an artistic triumph? I hope so, for that's exactly what was delivered in "Ma Maison," the stunning, 30-minute dance collaboration between choreographer Trey McIntyre, local costume designer Jeanne Button, the improvising musicians of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and nine dancers whose artistry let them forge a powerful blend of street styles and ballet athleticism...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
ON THE ROAD WITH PHJB #7: Gabriel/Maedgen duet backstage
Enjoy this little musical snippet from backstage with Charlie & Clint...
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Goings On: THE TREY McINTYRE PROJECT + PHJB = Ma Maison
Trey McIntyre, one of the world's most sought-after choreographers, is bringing his critically-acclaimed ballet company The Trey McIntyre Project to New Orleans for two nights of performances at Tulane University's Dixon Hall on November 21 and 22."One of the hottest choreographers in the dance world" (The Boston Globe), McIntyre has been a force on the international dance scene creating fresh and innovative works for over 20 years. With the dance world hungry for new creative voices, McIntyre's career has sky-rocketed. Rooted in classical ballet, his in-demand dances are hip, contemporary, and set to a brilliant variety of music from Brubeck and The Beatles to Beethoven and Beck. Since the debut of his first work in 1990 for Houston Ballet, he has created over 70 ballets for more than 30 prestigious companies, including American Ballet Theatre, Stuttgart Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
As a part of the company's first performances in New Orleans, TMP joins forces with the New Orleans Ballet Association to create a brand new work, Ma Maison, featuring iconic New Orleans jazz music. After exploring the music scene and clubs of New Orleans, McIntyre selected The Preservation Hall Jazz Band to provide the soundtrack for his new work and collaborated with PHJB to hand-pick the six-song score that will be performed live by the band for the premiere at Dixon Hall. "When I danced with Houston Ballet, I used to jump in my car every single layoff and drive to New Orleans. I had more friends there than I did in Texas. I am so fond of the culture and people. There is truly no place like it," said McIntyre. "It was an easy choice for me to work with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. These are excellent musicians who understand the canon they work within with great care and understanding.""It's always exciting to collaborate with artists on projects that celebrate New Orleans. Working with Trey is extraordinary because he brings his own distinct creative vision to the table. I am always amazed at the way people view New Orleans from the outside looking in," said Ben Jaffe, Creative Director for The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Ma Maison also features costumes by award-winning New Orleans-based designer Jeanne Button and masks by renowned Broadway production designer Michael Curry. The final staging for Ma Maison will be done in New Orleans during TMP's week-long residency, and afterward will be included as part of TMP's world tour.
"Part of NOBA's mission is to perpetuate and strengthen the performing arts in New Orleans, and one way of doing this is by facilitating the creation of new works. With an impressive track record for working with a variety of musical styles, Trey McIntyre was an obvious choice for choreographer. Our only stipulation was that Trey use New Orleans jazz music. NOBA is thrilled to be a part of this unique collaboration and TMP's inaugural tour," said NOBA Executive Director, Jenny Hamilton.Tickets for the performance range from $30 to $80. Students and seniors (65 and older) receive a $7 discount off the regular ticket prices. Group discounts also are available. For tickets or information, call the New Orleans Ballet Association Box Office at (504) 522-0996. Tickets may be purchased online through www.nobadance.com, or via Ticketmaster at (504) 522-5555 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Festival Fun: 2008 NEW ORLEANS VOODOO EXPERIENCE
What a weekend, ladies and gentlemen! If you were in New Orleans on October 24-26 this year, surely you know how much fun we had at the Preservation Hall stage. In our third year of producing an amazing local showcase at this multi-stage, genre-spanning music festival, we were graced by amazing performances from some of the greatest bastions of New Orleans music and culture, young and old. With a little help from some like-minded friends from beyond the city limits, festival-goers were treated to a true family affair. Good music, good friends, and good times. Here's what a few of our fans had to say...
From The Louisiana Weekly:
The Voodoo Experience Continues to Cast its Lyrical Spell
By: Geraldine Wyckoff, Contributing Writer
Posted: Monday, November 3, 2008, 1:10pm
The Voodoo Music Experience continues to impress with the diversity of its musical offerings as well as the efforts made to improve its layout and venues.
Particularly eye-catching was the wonderfully whimsical Bingo! Parlor’s purple and gold circus tent. The interior of the big top was equally enchanting with luxurious red curtains draped around the stage and a trapeze hanging from above. A bubble machine invited crowds to the area that remained active with groups like the Noisician Coalition; a brightly donned assemblage armed with homemade instruments, the Big Easy Rollergirls and Elvis imitators on little scooters amusingly buzzing around. You almost expected an elephant to suddenly appear from around the bend.
Also new and improved was the Preservation Hall Tent, which since its inception in 2006, had been very small, though always charming, venue that would be jammed with those wanting to hear popular New Orleans artists like Irma Thomas and Deacon John. This year, these two got to strut their stuff on a big stage, under a large tent set in a village-type section of the fest that retained the rustic charm of the old tent and reflected the spirit of the French Quarter club.
With the Preservation Hall Tent located quite near the huge, often extremely loud Voodoo and PlayStation stages, and facing the latter, one would think sound bleed would be a problem. Yet there was no disturbance even during a solo set by guitarist/vocalist, soul man Rockie Charles that opened the tent on Friday.
From WWLTV.com:
Few Crowds Early On at Voodoo
Posted by Chad Bower
October 24, 2008, 1:24pm
I'd say it was a pretty slow, steady first two hours of Voodoo. It's almost a given that early morning Friday would see few crowds. People are still at work, and Friday is always going to be one of the slower days.
But if you're off, that means you can get to see some prime music. The crowds are pretty much non-existant at the time of this writing, so you can't get to the front of just about any stage.
I've seen two bands start to finish so far: Rockie Charles at the Preservation Hall Tent and the Sons of William at the Voodoo Stage.
Rockie, as usual, was fantastic. He's the perfect opening for the Preservation Hall Tent. It's just him on the stage, rocking, with no accompaniment at all. It's much more intimate than the other shows you'll see on the other stages. A core goal of the tent is to do give off just that feeling: they want you to feel up close and personal, just like at the Preservaiton Hall Tent. Check out the artwork in the tents, too, if you get a chance...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)