A two-night extravaganza at Tipitina’s, something different for the dance-minded, and a stripped down jazz show featuring one of the all time greats. Here are my picks for the weekend ahead.
Anders Osborne has been on tear since getting sober. The Swedish-born, New Orleans-nurtured singer/guitarist has released two albums in the last two years on Chicago’s Alligator Records. They have both gotten rave reviews. He has also been tearing it up live. Yesterday I heard him play an acoustic version of Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” on WWOZ that was very moving.
This weekend he takes over Tipitina’s with a show so big it’s going to take two nights. Dubbed Anders Osborne’s 1st Annual Holiday Spectacular, he features special guests both nights. Friday night expect to see John Gros of Papa Grows Funk, Lee Oskar of War, Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, and more. Saturday night, Oskar and Dickinson return and the lineup is augmented with songstress Shannon McNally and the Bonerama Horns. Billy Iuso and the Restless Natives are also on the bill.
Saturday night, the New Orleans Ballet Association presents Ballet Hispanico at the Mahalia Jackson Theater beginning at 7:30 PM. The dancers will be accompanied by the 20-member, Grammy Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in a sizzling evening of Latin music and dance. Celebrated as “hands down the leading Hispanic-American dance company,” they bring a program of three high-octane works filled with the infectious rhythms of Cuban, jazz and big-band music, and the stylish Latin social dances of the mambo, rumba, salsa, and cha cha.
The great pianist Arturo O’Farrill is the musical director for the ballet and he appears in a rare club setting with his trio at Snug Harbor on Sunday night. He has compared leading the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra to driving an 18-wheeler while leading the trio is like being behind the wheel of a Ferrari. It should be a great weekend.
See you there!
