A fixture in the New Orleans music scene, both pre and post-Katrina, is Kermit Ruffins. Every Thursday night, a club in the Bywater section of town – Vaughan’s – becomes Kermit’s place. The fact of the matter is that every Thursday, Kermit cooks. And I’m speaking literally and figuratively. Sure, Kermit cooks on stage with his band, the Barbecue Swingers. But when he’s not on stage, Kermit’s cooking outside – off the back of his red pickup truck. He sets up his barbecue, and grills it up for anyone who’s hungry. How cool is that?

Kermit Ruffins is a trumpet player, and started off as an original member of the Rebirth Brass Band. He and his high school buddy Phillip Frazier co-founded the group in 1982. Ten years later, he formed the Barbecue Swingers. Not surprisingly, Kermit’s biggest influence is another pretty decent New Orleans trumpet player: Louis Armstrong.

A few weeks ago, a reader friend of mine, Cove, was nice enough to have Kermit sign his new CD for me at one of his Vaughan’s gigs. Many thanks, Cove. I’ll be back to the Big Easy for next year’s Jazz Fest, God willing, and you will certainly be seeing me scarfing down some quality Kermit Ruffins barbecue outside of Vaughan’s on a Thursday night!

Kermit’s new CD, Live at Vaughan’s, comes highly recommended. It’s bursting at the seams with that New Orleans flavor: the great music, the rich atmosphere, the boisterousness. Support Kermit and pick one up today…

Kermit Ruffins – Hide the Reefer (mp3)

BUY his new CD, Live at Vaughan’s: on Amazon | at the Louisiana Music Factory | on iTunes

Check out his Basin Street Records profile.

I had the good fortune to see the Neville Brothers a couple of weekends ago here in Arizona. That same weekend, Jazz Fest was kicking off in New Orleans. The Neville Brothers were once staples of the Jazz Fest scene, but this was the second consecutive year that they were no-shows. Some have attributed it to Aaron Neville’s asthma. He allegedly says that the climate aggravates it.

Today, Hidden Track passed along a link on the Time-Picayune site regarding the Funky Meters return to New Orleans (Art Neville, the eldest brother, is a member of both the Meters and the Neville Brothers). The article also mentions the continued absence of the Neville Brothers in New Orleans. The criticism catches fire in the comments section. Some of the residents of New Orleans apparently harbor some serious resentment toward the Nevilles, accusing Art of bashing post-Katrina New Orleans, and going as far as calling them traitors and exploiters of their home town.

I don’t know the guys personally, but I find it hard to believe that the Nevilles have anything but love for their home town of New Orleans. Aaron just buried his wife of 50 years there in January, for crying out loud. On this their thirtieth anniversary, I’m sure the Nevilles will be planning a triumphant return to the Big Easy.

But it was interesting to see any negativity directed toward the Nevilles, especially from their home town folks. I would think their lifetime of devotion and dedication to the city would set that issue straight.

So let’s go back to last summer’s Vienna Jazz Festival, and take in a great sounding set by the Brothers.

The Neville Brothers
July 7th, 2006
Vienna Jazz Festival, Austria

1. Can’t Stop the Funk
2. Fever
3. Besame Mucho
4. A Change is Gonna Come
5. Bird on a Wire
6. Please Don’t Leave Me
7. Talkin’ Bout New Orleans
8. Foxy Lady
9. Big Chief
10. Louisiana 1927

1. Tell It Like It Is
2. Charlie
3. Yellow Moon
4. Shake Your Tamborine
5. Amazing Grace
6. Neville-ism

James Gandolfini in the Bacchus parade

So me lady and I went to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Sunday night. Amazing performance! Treat yourself the next time these guys make it to your town. A highlight for me was a version of the gospel standard “I’ll Fly Away” which morphed into the tail end of – get this – “Purple Rain!” I tell you, the purple guy follows me everywhere. They picked it up at the part where they sing “ooooooh-ohhhh”(you know, where Prince has everyone wave their arms from side to side). The only other place I was more shocked to hear “Purple Rain” was when Phish pulled it out at the Hayden Square Ampitheater in Tempe back in ol’ ninety-five (complete with a Jon Fishman vacuum solo).

Back to the DDBB, four out of the seven members have been there since day one way back in 1977. I was digging the Sousaphone, which sounded a helluva lot like a bass guitar at times (and which took the place of the bass guitar) . Really cool sound. And the four guys up front – Revert Andrews on trombone, Efrem Towns on trumpet (one charismatic motherhumper), Kevin Harris on tenor sax, and my wife’s favorite, Roger Lewis on low down baritone sax (the world needs more baritone sax). It’s quite an experience to see and feel a New Orleans brass band in person. All of those great brass instruments working as one, but so unique and distinct at the same time. What an assault on the senses!

Another first for me was the crowd we shared the performance with. I would guess 80% of the audience was over the age of 65. I guess they were all donors to the Performing Arts Center, and people who buy tickets for the entire concert season. But rest assured, by the time they wrapped up the show with “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now”, everyone’s butt was off their seat, with or without a cane or walker… Respect to my elders!! Good times were had.

So happy Fat Tuesday to all. Right now, they’re getting down and dirty on Bourbon Street. There’s a live webcam going where you can view all of the debauchery of Bourbon St. from the comfort of your computer chair. I checked in around 6pm, and there was already a young lady exchanging boob-age for beads. So you’re bound to get some quality entertainment throughout the evening.

So crank up some Mardi Gras music, grab a drink, and join the armchair revelers…

Snooks Eaglin: Mardi Gras Mambo (mp3) – from Country Boy Down in New Orleans

Charmaine Neville: Second Line (mp3) – from New Orleans Playground

Professor Longhair: Go to the Mardi Gras (mp3) – from Go To the Mardi Gras

• Web Cams, live video, and Mardi Gras coverage galore at NOLA.com.
• The Bourbon Street Web Cam for you voyeurs out there.

One of the very best things about life as a working adult is the three day weekend, and we are upon one again. Props to Abe and George for this President’s Day Weekend!

Ho Na Nae! So Mardi Gras has gone and snuck up on us again, and my wife and I will be celebrating Arizona style by checking out the Dirty Dozen Brass Band over in Scottsdale this weekend. I cannot wait!!

This is always a great time of year to check out Home of the Groove. Dan has cooked up a great post of NOLA Mardi Gras funk courtesy of the Wild Magnolias. Go check out the song “Ho Na Nae”. Of course if you’re ever in need of some New Orleans flavor, Dan serves it up all year long.

The Phil Spectacle: By no means do I take pleasure in the pain and suffering associated with the poor woman who was murdered at Phil Spector’s mansion in 2003. But I read today that the Spector murder trial will be televised, and you can bet it will be great. I can’t begin to fathom the amount of wack job awesomeness that will be broadcast over the airwaves for the weeks (or months) of the trial. I mean, is it possible for the murder trial of this man not to contain at least some entertaining moments?

Precisely.

Check out this clip from End of the Century, where the Ramones discuss Phil, including the time he held them hostage at his home.

Can the people of New Orleans get a break please? Nine days into the year, and nine people slain violently. Mayor Nagin had a press conference today, and while he stopped short of issuing a curfew in the city, he is going to set up checkpoints between the hours of 2am and 6am (when most of the violence occurs).

A reader (C.) sent me a link today to this commentary by Chris Rose from the Times-Picayune (thanks to C. also for title of my post).

…how close to my house do I allow the shots to come before I claim no mas? How many more friends and acquaintances will die stupidly in their cars and yards and doorways before I realize that I have become more afraid of and for my city than ever before and am bordering on a siege mentality?

I’ve written about this before — the pervasive predatory element of New Orleans — and truth to tell, I don’t have anything new to contribute to the conversation. But then again, I can’t sit here at my desk and write about anything else — the Saints, the weather, the Road Home, trash collection, whatever — without thinking that it’s all kind of moot when the cloud of murder descends over the city… READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

I don’t have anything poignant to say. Gun violence is a problem everywhere here in the U.S. Every level of government has tried to remedy it somehow: education, harsher sentencing laws, etc. etc. But how to instill some sense of respect for human life in these murderers? How will it ever improve?

Ugh.

Aaron Neville: Amazing Grace (YouTube) – from Jazz Fest 1990

In more uplifting local N.O. music news, Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis sat in at Cafe Brasil with Bob French and Friends last night on Frenchmen St. How cool it would be to live in a town where you could stumble across a scene like this on a random Monday night. Frenchmen Street. I’m kicking myself for not checking out while I was there.