There are nineteen stages to choose from this weekend in the French Quarter. That’s a lot of music. You can opt for the big stages and the big scenes, or simply pick one of the smaller stages and bask in the intimacy of great New Orleans musicians. Here’s where I’ll be (theoretically.) The rest of the schedule is here.
Start Saturday with Tim Laughlin because he is a protégé of the legendary Pete Fountain. His style is a bit more modern, but he doesn’t sacrifice the long clarinet tradition in New Orleans. He is also the composer of “Isle of Orleans,” which is one of the few new songs in the trad canon that have become standards. He hits at 11 AM in Jackson Square.
It will bound to be super packed for Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers set on the Abita stage at 2:15 PM. Bu he is this year’s poster boy, and he has a new album of traditional jazz standards that drops at the end of May. Expect to hear some additions to his set list.
At 3:15 PM, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes hit on the Esplanade in the Shade stage. They have a new saxophonist who was wailing at their recent set at the Freret Street Festival. The rest of the band was on fire as well.
Davell Crawford has a new album coming soon. He is now a label mate with Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers and all the other great acts on Basin Street Records. I can’t recall the last time he did a set outside, so this one should be extra special. He hits on the Abita stage at 5:45 PM.
Glen David Andrews (pictured below) has had a rough year or so that has been thoroughly documented in the media. The trombonist is now clean and sober and, he closes out the Louis-Louis Pavilion on Saturday. I have not seen his act since he got out of rehab, so I will most likely close my day on the river listening to him tear it up.
Jackson Square looks to be a good spot to start off Sunday with Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders. He is a banjo player and guitarist whose music mines the deep territory of the Creole diaspora.
Of course, I might just set up my camp (yeah, right!) at the Ford World Music stage because one of my favorite acts, the Cuban jazz band Otra! is playing at 2:15 PM. They are preceded by two other great acts that bring a global perspective to the FQF—Patrice Fisher and Arpa and Ivorie Spectacle.
Tuba Skinny is a relatively new addition to the trad posse in New Orleans, and I love their take on old-time blues and jazz. A recent show at D.B.A. demonstrated that this is a group that continues to grow and add music to their repertoire. They hit at 4:15 PM on the intimate French Market stage.
As an unrepentant Fishhead, I will close out Sunday checking out Raw Oyster Cult on the Abita stage at 5:30 PM. In case you didn’t hear, the Radiators broke up almost two years ago.
Several new bands made up of some of the former members have formed in the wake of that shocking turn of events. This one features three-fifths of the Rads—guitarists Dave Malone and Camile Baudoin and drummer Frank Bua.
See you there!
