Two great new albums were released this week. Keb Mo’s “Live – that Hot Pink Blues album” and Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth”. The Keb Mo album reminds me of the wonderful concert he did at the Kessler last year on my birthday. Patty and Brent went with us and we all really enjoyed the music. “Henry” is a real standout on a consistently great live album with great finger-picked National steel guitar solos.
Sturgill Simpson’s album is an amazing stew of R&B/soul horns, country guitar, Joe Walsh style guitar, piano ballads and old school country. I’ve only listened to the album twice so far – but looking forward to listening more.
I hear great things about the new Radiohead album and am off to see if I can stream it easily.
Monday was our last full day in New Orleans. I suppose all good things must come to an end. We had an early lunch at St Roch Market.
“St. Roch Market is a southern food hall featuring a diverse lineup of food and beverage purveyors. Open daily, we offer a unique dining experience along with great shopping and an excellent craft cocktail bar. For entrepreneurs, the Market represents the ultimate platform to grow a food brand and build consumer exposure.”
We had some excellent Bao and a quinoa salad. The Bao on the left is the Duo – Stir fry mushrooms, cucumbers, pickled roots, cilantro, fried onions, spicy ponzu. On the right is the Chairman – Roasted pork belly, cucumbers, pickled roots, cilantro, spicy ponzu.
After St Roch we headed over to the Louisiana Music Factory on Frenchmen Street. This is a local music store that specializes in local Louisiana music. The Creole String Beans were just starting a concert in the store and played through their new album.
From the music factory we embarked on the traditional French Quarter ramble. First stop was at Miss Molly’s for a frozen Irish coffee. Then stops at Diana’s favorite New Orleans themed stores – Razzle Dazzle, Roux on Royal etc. We picked up some chocolates at Sucre and then headed back to Frenchmen St via Tableau.
For our last meal on Tuesday we had lunch at a relatively new Israeli restaurant on Magazine Street called “Shaya”. The annual James Beard restaurant awards were presented on Monday night and this restaurant won “Best New Restaurant in the U.S”, a very prestigious award.
Shaya is an innovative restaurant with a warm and welcoming approach to the dining culture inspired by Chef Alon Shaya’s Israeli upbringing. Chef Alon sees modern Israeli food as a grand mosaic, drawing influence from North Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Greece. The food of Alon’s heritage represents a country rich in diversity of cuisine and culture, inspired by years of tradition while also looking to its contemporary future. The menu at Shaya reflects the ongoing evolution of Israeli food, while celebrating the abundance of Louisiana, and Alon’s close relationships with local farmers, fostered by his ongoing work with the Crescent City Farmer’s Market. In keeping with the the ethos of all of the Besh restaurants, Shaya uses seasonal, responsibly- and locally-sourced ingredients.
Similar to Alon’s other establishments in New Orleans, the wood-fire oven is central to both the menu and the dining experience, starting with the incredible homemade, wood-fired pita. To create the menu, Alon looked to his past (many recipes are those that he cooked with his grandmother), and his recent travels; in 2014, he spent time in Israel immersing himself in the vibrant culture and cuisine of his homeland. Many of the dishes on the diverse menu are meant to be shared.
We sat on the back patio and enjoyed one of the few pleasant and dry days during our visit. I had the falafel sandwich and Diana had a delicious lamb kebab (my favorite after the lamb ragu hummus.
On Wednesday we received the next Blue Apron delivery and continue to really enjoy the meals and the cooking experience. On Wednesday we had crispy cod tacos with chipotle cabbage slaw. I added all of the pepper sauce to the coleslaw and it was a bit too spicy for comfort.
Saturday was Pork Tteokbokki with asparagus and spicy black bean sauce. It also included Korean rice cakes which had a chewy but crisp consistency like the Korean Bao sliders from a few weeks ago. This was my favorite of the three meals this week. On Sunday we made Spring Chicken Fettuccine with sauteed asparagus, kale, and rosemary. Alicia commented that the kale tasted much better than she expected and for a while she didn’t even notice the asparagus that she was eating.
We had a surprise guest for the weekend. On Thursday night Diana heard from Paul Castle Dine (PCD) in Australia. He let her know he was coming to Dallas from Sydney for the weekend on his way to Raleigh, NC and was hoping to stay with us. PCD worked for Diana when she was in Australia and they became great friends.
We learned when Paul arrived that while he was in the air for 16 hours from Sydney to Dallas, his Raleigh plans had changed and he was to go directly to London. He is taking a new job with Cisco in London supporting a huge new deal with Barclay’s bank and is moving there from Sydney sometime soon.
On Saturday morning I took PCD for a haircut and then a beer at Delaney’s (our local Irish theme pub). We sampled the Franconia beer made locally in McKinney.
Then a late lunch at Rye in downtown McKinney. I tried the barrel aged Negroni cocktail which was much smoother and tastier than I was expecting.
On Sunday we had Tari and Bill over for a mother’s day brunch. Tari was PCD’s boss in Australia immediately before Diana – so he had his two “chiefs” together. Tari and Bill are in the midst of a downsizing move from their home in Allen to a private lake community in Gainsville.
What we anticipated to be a quite week after returning from New Orleans, picked up steam over the weekend. It was great to host PCD – he’s such an easy guest and hilarious company.
Hearing My Morning Jacket’s tribute to Prince at jazzfest in New Orleans this week reminded me of this Hall of Fame performance.
For George Harrison’s posthumous induction in 2004, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison and Prince performed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Marc Mann from Lynne’s band plays Clapton’s solo from the original album version, and Prince, having stood in the background until around 3:30 in the song, explodes in the 2nd half of the song.
Monday brought very pleasant weather – 84 degrees and mostly sunny. The garden is in full bloom now but severe thunderstorms, softball size hail (if not grapefruit size – good grief) and potential tornadoes were forecast for Tuesday. We escaped to New Orleans before the storm arrived and it just brought raine. Penelope came home today – she looks not too much the worse for wear but is missing her two “bumperettes” that will be installed in a couple of weeks.
Monday night we cooked the last of our first Blue Apron meals – Za’atar chicken and pearl couscous with asparagus and pink lemon compote. The compote had the pink lemon, agave nectar and chives. The couscous included asparagus and lemon zest. Pearl couscous is semolina and wheat flours rolled into little balls, “pearls”, then toasted for nutty flavor and chewy texture. This was a really nice meal with lots of different flavors coming together. The Za’tar chicken rub had lots of flavor. It paired very well with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
We landed in New Orleans around noon on Tuesday to lovely weather. Stopped into “Cooter Browns” on the drive to Denny and Anne’s house so that Diana could enjoy her first dozen fresh oysters. The place is under new ownership and doesn’t have meat pies on the menu any more – a big disappointment for Keith. Denny came to the rescue with a typical great recommendation – down the street to “Boucherie”.
Diana tried the “Sophia Loren” cocktail and liked it.
We chose “small plate” lunches – Diana had the mussels and collard greens, I had the crispy skin duck confit and Denny had the oyster lettuce wraps – all were delicious. We sat outside and enjoyed the great weather.
After a quick nap we headed out for an evening of music. A stop at “Treo” on the way was another great Denny recommendation. Great cocktails, snacks and “Duct Tape Art”.
Our first night of music did not disappoint. Anders Osborne, John Fohl, and Johnny Sansone performed their annual jazzfest show at Chickie Wah Wah (the music club where Anne had her 50th birthday party).
A highlight was “Summertime in New Orleans”, an Anders Osborne song with the lyrics adjusted to tribute Allen Touissant who passed this year – Anders voice, Fohl’s nuanced guitar solo, and Sansone’s harmonica were outstanding.
My other favorite was “Do or Die” – a John Fohl song that I first heard him perform at “Dos Jefes” cigar bar and have listened to many times since. I’m hoping that he might be playing there again on Monday night.
The music wasn’t finished after Chickie Wah Wah. Denny suggested a stop at “DMAC’s” which was an excellent langiappe. Tuesday’s there are part of a touring singer songwriter night. We heard two great country singer songwriters – good songs and great voices. A chance to practice our new Texas two step dancing on the sidewalk.
“D Mac” himself stopped in for a late dinner and introduced himself. He runs a construction company out of the building next door and runs the bar/music club as a side hobby because he enjoys music so much.
Wednesday was lunch at Commander’s Palace day. A full 3 hour experience with a lovely table overlooking the courtyard. I had a coffee glazed quail – beautifully cooked as always. Diana had drum which came with her least favorite vegetable – peas!
Apparently the group was able to consume 8 of the 25c lunchtime martinis. Left to right – Gary, Alex, Laura, Diana, Anne, Denny, and me.
The rain poured down very heavily during most of our 3 hour lunch. The road in front of Commander’s had some pretty good flooding.
Here’s Gary wading through the flood to go and pick up his son.
After lunch we stopped by the Columns hotel and sat on the porch. I got an early birthday gift from the Ogans – a Frenchy jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are shaped like musical instruments and other interesting shapes. Signed by Frenchy no less.
After a quick change we stopped at The Irish House for shepherd’s pie and oysters – because we hadn’t eaten enough already.
Thursday was supposed to be the first jazzfest day – with Tedeschi Trucks band and guests Jimmy Vaughan and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. However, the rain continued heavily most of the morning including a few hours without power. The closest we got was this picture posted online right before they played. Here’s what the conditions looked like during the day.
We decided to switch to Friday for jazzfest and had lunch at Chiba sushi where Diana enjoyed the raw fish with truffle oil very much. Dinner was at Kenton’s in Uptown on Magazine Street (very close to Denny and Anne’s home). Food was very good – chicken liver pate, trout with mushrooms, and chicken under a brick.
Alicia had some big news on Thursday morning – she received an honorable mention in her “concerto solo” contest. This is an amazing accomplishments as she was the only non-Honors band soloist competing with mostly seniors. Only 11 out of the 70 participants got honorable.
Friday was the only jazzfest day of the weekend. Here I am with the schedule I plotted for the day – we ended up following this almost exactly.
First job was to set up camp at the Gentilly stage and enjoy a bit of the Mississippi Rail Company. Then over to Congo Square for some of the Tony Hall tribute to James Brown – excellent and featured the saxophone player from the New Orleans Suspects who played in the James Brown band for 12 years.
Then back to Gentilly for the end of Bonerama and rendezvous with friends. Next was the Creole String Beans (the band from Anne’s 50th birthday) with special guest Bill Kirchen, “the master of the telecaster”, and of “Hot Rod Lincoln fame”. I enjoyed this set very much although the Fais Do Do stage was the muddiest and stinkiest.
Lunch was a seafood ravigote and an Italian chicken sausage po-boy. Then a meat pie later in the afternoon.
After the Creole String Beans it was back to Gentilly for The Revivalists – very popular and energetic show. We walked down to the other end of the fairgrounds for a refreshing iced cafe au lait after that show and paused to listen to Los Lobos performing “El Pistole et El Corazon” – a mariachi album of theirs. My Morning Jacket closed things out at Gentilly with a strong show that finished with Prince tributes.
A very good and full jazzfest day with surprisingly small crowds and not too much soggy ground from the previous day’s downpours.
Saturday brought more rain throughout the day. We met Diane, Denny’s Mum, at “Martin’s Wine Store” for lunch. Great black peppercorn pate, brie with champignons, and oyster Rockefeller soup
Saturday night was the much anticipated 40th anniversary reenactment of “The Last Waltz” – The Band’s farewell concert at Winterland in San Francisco in 1976. We had dinner at Josephine Estelle in the new Ace hotel and then walked over to the Saenger theater via the Cellar Door cocktail bar. Dinner included red snapper, agnolotti (small raviolis with sweetbread, chanterelles and black pepper), and potato gnocchi with chicken gizzards.
Here’s the makeup of the band:
The superband will be led by musical director Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead) and GRAMMY® Award-winning producer/multi-instrumentalist Don Was, keyboard master John Medeski, country superstar Jamey Johnson, The Meters’ pioneering bass player George Porter, Jr., The Radiators’ Dave Malone, legendary funk drummer, Terence Higgins (Dirty Dozen Brass Band, John Scofield’s Piety Street Band), The Bonerama Horns’ Mark Mullins (Galactic, Harry Connick, Jr.), and more still to be announced as well as superstar surprise guests.
Warren Haynes: Guitar John Medeski: Keyboards
Michael McDonald: Piano Jamey Johnson: Guitar George Porter, Jr.: Bass Dave Malone: Guitar Don Was: Bass Terence Higgins: Drums Mark Mullins: Horns Featuring The Original Horn Arrangements of Allen Toussaint
The show was a musical highlight of a weekend filled with musical high notes. The entire band sounded great – particularly the horn section. I was nervous about the addition of Michael McDonald but he did a solid job on the songs he sang, including “Helpless” as performed by Neil Young in the original.
Sunday was – you guessed it – another very wet and rainy day. I decided to pass on Neil Young at jazzfest and instead we had an excellent brunch at the Red Dog diner on Magazine Street.
We relaxed at the Ogan’s home the rest of the day with various games. A group competition over the crossword puzzle was quite entertaining. Then a game of “Pandemic” with the boys where Keith was the “Contingency Planning” character – we were able to foil the game’s attempt to introduce an epidemic.
I always look forward to my monthly delivery from “Vinyl me, please”. This is a record of the month club – a completely different genre each month and collectors editions. The package includes artwork inspired by the record and a cocktail recipe to enjoy while listening.
The record this month is “The Score” by the Fugees. I’m not really a fan of hip hop music at all but do appreciate the creativity of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. The covers of “No Woman, No Cry” and “Killing Me Softly” are very good and I like the two tone colored vinyl.
I received two other records to expand the small jazz section of my collection. “Chet is Back” by Chet Baker was originally released in 1962 and the sound quality is fantastic. His trumpet tone is really full and yet delicate, particularly on the ballads, “Over the Rainbow” and “These Foolish Things”. I’ve been playing this one every day for the last week and like it more each time.
The second is “Basin Street Blues” by Louis Armstrong. It does a great job of setting the mood for our trip to New Orleans for jazzfest 2016. This was recorded live with an audience in 1956 and so doesn’t sound as crisp as the Chet Baker. The sound quality is still remarkably good. What a great band with Trummy Young on trombone and Ed Hall on clarinet. The clarinet on “Tiger Rag” is excellent. “Basin Street Blues” and “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?” are highlights.
Came across this tune, “Our Love”, on my Spotify Discover Weekly list last night. I love the Ian Moore style guitar at 1:27 (hoping to see him with his band at Dan’s Silverleaf on Friday night and hoping the sound is much better than at the Guitar Sanctuary).
These are 2 brothers from Canada that have become relatively well known over the last few years. They grew up in a musical household – their Dad was a singer/songwriter and played a lot of Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, and John Hiatt. You can certainly here those influences – particularly in the guitar styles.
The Relatives, “Things are Changing”, was another pleasant discovery last night. Turns out this is a band formed in Dallas over 40 years ago that has just recently reformed and is enjoying some success. Gospel music with Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone running through it. You can really feel that kicking in around 1:34. Here’s a NY Times article about the band.
Really looking forward to seeing the Tedeschi Trucks Band with Jimmy Vaughan and Billy Gibbons at Jazzfest a week from Thursday. This is a great tiny desk show with so many folks around the desk. The tiny desk is a series of unplugged NPR concerts – there are some great ones out there including Jackson Browne.
Lots of commuting time last week and came across these “Devil” themed tunes on Sirius XM.
Anderson East has a pleasant mix of soul, rock and country in his sound. The tracks recorded at Muscle Shoals have that great sound that recordings of the 60s and 70s from that great studio posses.
Here’s more from Anderson East on Seattle radio:
This Procul Harum song sounded heavier than the usual stuff I remember from them. Great guitar from Robin Trower.
Came across this gem on the Sirius XM Jam_ON station on my evening commute. The version I heard was from Nashville on October 13th. There are a number of versions from Warren’s recent tour with the Ashes and Dust band (members of Railroad Earth) on Youtube.
Here’s another newer Jam band (Moon Taxi) with the same Radiohead cover.
And finally, while searching for the Warren Haynes cover, I came across this cover of Lead Belly’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Warren and Chris Stapleton – kindred voices.
Heard this song performed on “The Voice” TV show and looked for the original. It’s by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson. Is there any more soulful singer than Ray Charles? Maybe Levon Helm or an Otis Redding ballad?
Ahmad’s Blues
A great piece by Ahmad Jamal and included on Miles Davis’ 1959 release “Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet”.
I really enjoyed the brushed cymbals by Philly Joe Jones and the cello by Paul Chambers. Red Garland is the star on piano. I don’t believe Miles plays on the track at all.
Chapter XI
Another discovery from the Sirius XM Real Jazz channel during my long commute. This is from the 1978 Ron Carter album Peg Leg. He plays piccolo bass on 3 of the 6 tracks on this album. I saw Ron Carter at the Blue Note in New York a couple of years ago with Bill Frisell and he was clearly the go to player in the band although Frisell was the headliner. He will turn 80 next year and has played on over 1100 recordings – apparently 2nd most in history. He’s well known as part of the Miles Davis quartet (with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter) in the early 60s.
The Snow Goose
I heard the Camel song “Chord Changes” on Sirius XM Deep Tracks and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed their 1975 album “The Snow Goose”. Haven’t heard it in over 20 years. It was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and the arrangements are very strong. Apparently based on a novella by Paul Gallico. The album was performed with the LSO at the Royal Albert Hall to great acclaim and is regarded as one of the best “symphonic rock” pieces. (Did I mention that I played at the Royal Albert Hall in 1979, 80 and 81?) There are also several great live versions of this on Youtube. One on “The Old Grey Whistle Test”, a BBC late night music show from the 70s and 80s, which remains my favorite TV music show.
Monday brought very pleasant weather – 84 degrees and mostly sunny. The garden is in full bloom now but severe thunderstorms, softball size hail (if not grapefruit size – good grief) and potential tornadoes were forecast for Tuesday. We escaped to New Orleans before the storm arrived and it just brought raine. Penelope came home today – she looks not too much the worse for wear but is missing her two “bumperettes” that will be installed in a couple of weeks.
The record this month is “The Score” by the Fugees. I’m not really a fan of hip hop music at all but do appreciate the creativity of Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill. The covers of “No Woman, No Cry” and “Killing Me Softly” are very good and I like the two tone colored vinyl.
piece by Ahmad Jamal and included on Miles Davis’ 1959 release “Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet”.