Tonight, the saxophonist Rob Wagner returns to New Orleans with his long-established trio for a performance on Frenchmen Street. The band, which features the drummer James Alsanders and the bassist Jesse Morrow, will play two sets at 8 and 10 PM.
The gig is also a homecoming for NOCCA graduate Alsanders who was the trio’s regular drummer in 2002, performing with Wagner and bassist James Singleton at their weekly gigs at D.B.A. as well as at the Seaport on Bourbon Street and Loft 523 in the C.B.D. Their year’s work culminated in the recording of Wagner’s second Valid Records album, Walking, Crying, Laughing, Running, which was released to critical acclaim in 2003. Alsanders has also recorded with, Brian Seeger, Shannon McNally, Banu Gibson, Roland Guerin, Self-Scientific, Gaea Schell, and Mark Bingham.
For 15 years, prior to relocating to Brooklyn after Hurricane Katrina, Rob Wagner was one of the prime creative forces in the emerging “Frenchmen Street” music scene. He was an integral member of many of the popular groups of the day including the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, Iris May Tango, Mas Mamones, Los Vecinos, Mutiny, and Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe.
The young bassist Jesse Morrow has exploded on the scene in the last few years to become the first call bassist for many of New Orleans’ forward thinking ensembles. A graduate of the UNO Jazz Studies Program, Morrow leads his own trio every Wednesday night at Bacchanal Wine Bar and regularly performs with Jeff Albert, Troy Sawyer, Mario Abney, Chris Alford, Simon Lott, Justin Peake, Helen Gillet, Tim Sullivan, and Ed Barrett among others. He is also a regular participant in Open Ears, the weekly series of improvisational music curated by trombonist Jeff Albert.
