Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 - (Page 70)

SOUND ADVICE music reviews by Ben Sandmel I Get the Blues When It Rains New Orleans ponders its musical future At a time when New Orleans’ most basic needs remain unmet, it may seem frivolous to ponder the future of live local music and the plight of working musicians. Urgent matters such as shelter, sustenance, safe drinking water and accessible health care are the deserved priorities du jour. Nevertheless, the importance of music in New Orleans should not be dismissed as a mere frill, or an indicator of disposable income in a distant dream-scape of economic recovery. Music has the inspirational power to lift the spirits of people in crisis. Its anthemic force resonates with special strength in New Orleans, one of the world’s most inventive and prolific musical cities. But New Orleans is also a realm of abundant brutality, both social and environmental, where music functions as the soundtrack to a saga of harsh extremes — both because and in spite of them. New Orleans music is also the soundtrack of human resilience, an eloquent libretto of passionate creativity in response to the toughest of tough times. That indomitable aspect can never be swept away. In neighborhoods where the electricity is still out, look for battery-powered boom boxes to set the rhythms of renovation. In addition, on a purely pragmatic levels — all sentimentality aside — live music is a key component in local tourism. Given the current quick-fix mind-set, however, New Orleans music is in danger of devaluation. If New Orleans is to successfully rebuild its tourism industry — one of the city’s few burgeoning business, before Hurricane Katrina — then its many exiled musicians must be enticed home by adequate opportunities. The indomitable traditions they represent must strut on in an atmosphere of appropriate appreciation instead of marginal dismissal as low culture. Sadly, there is little historic precedent for such support. Scott Aiges, the Director of Music Business Development for Mayor Nagin, is making valiant and intelligent efforts. For the most part, though, local government and law enforcement set a tone of harassment, ignoring the reality that everyone will benefit if music is truly nurtured in the brave new New Orleans. The need for such support extends to all genres. To New Orleans’ rich legacy of traditional jazz, over a century old and still evolving. To its Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs and Mardi Gras “Indian” tribes, who interact with the brass bands at soulful second-line parades. To its innovative modern jazz scene that has produced some of today’s most prominent, worldclass players. To its vintage R&B, so lovingly maintained by Fats Domino, Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Bo, and Irma Thomas. To its second generation of R&B greats, including Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, and third-generation interpreters Davell Crawford and Ivan Neville. To the vibrant gospel music that follows the trail blazed by Mahalia Jackson. To the endlessly inventive pool of rock bands of every stripe. To the salsa clubs of the city’s thriving Latin American community, and the country honky-tonks of the West Bank and the North Shore. To Jazzfest, that presents all these traditions. Some cultural gems — such as the Isleno tradition of 17th-century Spanish ballads known as decimas — may have washed away, Music has the power to inspire, motivate, and lift the spirits of people in crisis. Its anthemic force resonates with special strength in New Orleans. 70 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Fall 2005

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 Contents Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Louisiana State Museum After Katrina and Rita Tabasco: Edmund McIlhenny and the Birth of a Louisiana Pepper Sauce Historic New Orleans Collection Louisiana Association of Museums New Orleans’ Coffee Connection No Man’s Land Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Bookstand (Book Review by Thomas Uskali) Sound Advice (Music Review by Ben Sandmel) Forum (Commentary by Roy Blount, Jr. )

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

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