The Norwegian Seamen’s Church celebrated the 40th year in its present building with a concert and barbecue on Sept. 21. The music was provided by this band, L-R: Tom Sancton, Seva Venet, Jerry Adams, Lionel Ferbos and Lars Edegran.

This report has been cobbled together somewhat hastily, for which I apologize, as I prepare to leave for a trip to join my wife in South Africa. Our preparations for the journey were interrupted temporarily by the arrival of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which necessitated, in the case of the former, a five-day evacuation from the city. Fortunately, New Orleans was, for the most part, spared the destruction that was visited upon our neighbors to the west in early September. Therefore the following is a skeletal account of the month's limited activities in our city.

The Palm Court Jazz Café reopened on Sept. 24 after its annual summer hiatus. A large crowd welcomed Lars Edegran and the Palm Court Jazz Band back on (re)opening night.

Vibraphonist James Westfall is back "home" in New Orleans. Originally from Houston, Westfall, 27, got his jazz education at the University of New Orleans (followed by two years at the Monk Institute, then based in southern California). The arrival of Hurricane Katrina drove him to relocate to New York City, but the lure of the Crescent City eventually brought him back here. He says that the dance component of New Orleans music was missing in what he calls the "art music" of the East Coast. Since returning, he has applied for a home in the Musicians' Village.

Westfall and his trio ("The Wee Trio") appeared at the Jazz Park Visitors' Center in September for an impressive concert. Joining him on the gig were New Yorkers Dan Loomis on bass and drummer Jared Shonig. All are composers as well as talented musicians, and the program included several originals by each of them. It will be interesting to see how Westfall makes out as a vibraphonist in this city.

The annual Nickel-A-Dance series of free Sunday afternoon concerts at Ray's Boom Boom Room on Frenchmen Street was about to begin as this went to press. I reported the October schedule in last month's column. Two more sessions remain for November: Mark Brooks' All-Stars appeared Nov. 2, and Don Vappie's Creole Jazz Serenaders will conclude the series Nov. 9. These concerts always are the highlight of the fall music calendar in the city.

Et al.

The dates for future Satchmo SummerFests have been established for the next five years. They are July 30-August 2 (2009), August 5-8 (2010), August 4-7 (2011), August 2-5 (2012) and August 1-4 (2013).

A victim of Hurricane Gustav's winds was the venerable building at 427-431 South Rampart Street once owned by the Karnofsky family who are remembered for having befriended and once employed a young Louis Armstrong. Now owned by the Meraux Foundation, the fragile structure suffered damage to its brickwork in an upper story. (It had also been damaged during Katrina and was subsequently repaired.) While the present owners promise to make appropriate repairs, it has once again fueled the concerns of preservationists for the proper restoration of the complex of historic buildings (including the old Eagle Saloon and the former Iroquois Theater) in the 400 block of South Rampart Street.

The suburb of Kenner celebrated its annual Festa Italiana on the weekend of Sept. 13-14. The festival featured great Italian food from a variety of contributing restaurants, crafts and, of course, music. Among those performing was Louie Prima Jr. singing many of his father's popular Italian ballads.

A (somewhat tacky) mid-August promotion heralded the return of '50s-style burlesque to Bourbon Street. After a delay of about a month (due at least in part to the hurricanes) "Secrets in Lace presents Bustout Burlesque in the The Mystick" celebrated its opening night Sept. 19 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, 300 Bourbon Street. Promoted as an authentic re-creation of "a classic 1950s burlesque show, featuring a comic emcee, a female jazz vocalist, burlesque dancers and a live five-piece jazz band," the show was scheduled for Friday night performances (at 8 and 10 p.m.) weekly through Oct. 24. Ticket prices ranged from $25 to $35 per show.

The historic Karnofsky building on South Rampart Street suffered damage from the winds of Hurricane Gustav. A wooden barricade in front of the building protects pedestrians from falling debris.

November 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.