A Great Week

What a Week!

Wednesday we went to Act of Sale on the Zachary house. We are no longer property-owners in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Our Hurricane Hole is no more. We'll have to rely on the weather gods and the Corps to get us through this next hurricane season. I hope they're up to it.

Then Friday Jazzfest finally arrived. I've been looking forward to this even more than Mardi Gras. The success or failure of Jazzfest this year is more valid indication of our city's future. Mardi Gras is mainly a local party, where tourists can come watch. There was no question in my mind whether New Orleanians would celebrate Mardi Gras.

But are the musicians here to make Jazzfest a success? Will tourists come? This is a local party, sure. But it's more than that. It's New Orleans' annual cultural statement. Quint Davis and the NOJHF board had talked up a good story about how this would be the best biggest Fest ever. But could they pull it off. In short, Yes!

Who's playing? Everybody. Who's there to enjoy? Everybody, again. We went Friday, and the food, the music, the crafts, the people...they were all there.

We started with some Jonathan Batiste
What a phenom! 19 years old. Sophomore at Julliard. NOCCA graduate. Incredible stage presence. A happy, happy musician. Ultimate pleasure. Here's a link to a recording of his composition, Sumayra. It's a low- bitrate version with poor fidelity but is a hint of what this young man can do. Highly recommended.

Then, of course, what is Jazzfest without parades?
The Big Nine Second Line danced through the grounds, showing that though the neighborhood may be decimated, the spirit of the Lower Nine is well.

Friday was a big day for the Bohren Family. Andre Bohren is drummer for Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, a band made up entirely of Loyola University music students who took no prisoners during their eclectic rock-jazz-whatever mid-afternoon set. Then his dad, Spencer, closed out the Lagniappe stage with his classic blues and unbelievable guitar skills.

Spencer intro'ed his new song, The Long Black Line. I wish I could attach a clip, but it's not released. The title refers to the long black line of residue left on every flooded building and object in New Orleans, and our compulsion to look for it as we drive around the city. The Long Black Line. Indeed.

We couldn't leave without stopping by the Acura stage to see Dr. John.
The crowd was huge. Dr. John was himself, and the music was good.

A great day. New Orleans music is definately back.

A Lot has Happened

It's been 6 weeks since I've posted anything here. I've started to several times, but each time I've been unable to force myself to actually sit down at the computer and write. I've wondered at it and finally feel that I have a grasp on why:

• During this interval I read Chris Rose's chronicle of his flame-out, spiral-in, burn-up, personal trip to Hell , 1 Dead in Attic . By the end I couldn't read another word about "The Thing", let alone write one.

• On April 5, Lt. General Carl Strock, director of the Corps of Engineers, finally admitted the Corps' culpability in at least one of the levee breaches, the one that destroyed Lakeview and Mid-City.
  
  “We have now concluded we had problems with the design of the structure,” Strock told members of the subcommittee that finances Corps operations. “We had hoped that wasn’t the case, but we recognize it is the reality.”

• We went to EHCT Easter weekend, as we have every year for the past 21 years but one -- 2005. (Hmm, could there be a connection?) There, in the midst of our friends who are more than friends, we talked and explained and blathered and probably bored them all to tears. But, being the wonderful people they are, they freely let us carry on. Sitting under the Mesquite trees, in the best weather we've had in all those 20 years, 600 miles from the nearest pile of Katrina-trash, I felt mysef recovering.

I just wasn't ready to go back to this blog & scratch my Katrina-scabs yet again.