Sunday, April 27th, 2008

New Orleans and Randy Newman’s "Louisiana 1927"

It’s Jazzfest weekend, and Geoffrey Himes offers an unexpectedly poignant tribute to John Boutte, the Nevilles, the Wild Magnolias, but most of all, to Randy Newman’s “Lousiana 1927”:

“It’s a New Orleans tradition that you can take any music and mess with it,” said Bruce Boyd Raeburn, the curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University. The key lyric is “They’re tryin’ to wash us away,” he said, because it is applicable to most periods of New Orleans history. “It captures that feeling that you’re trying to cling on to your culture, to your life, in the face of this wave of indifference, of racism, of malevolence and of water itself.”

Here’s yet another Sunday prayer going out to the Gulf Coast survivors of Katrina and Hurricane Bush wherever you may be.

Thanks to Ned Sublette.

posted by Jeff Chang @ 8:31 am | 3 Comments

3 Responses to “New Orleans and Randy Newman’s "Louisiana 1927"”

Zentronix says:

April 30, 2008 at 9:59 am

Just got this info and wanted to pass it along…

Spearhead, the Nevilles & the Mardi Gras Indian tribes at the People’s Jazzfest!

COMMON GROUND and GUERRILLA MANAGEMENT PRESENT:

THE PEOPLES COMMUNITY FESTIVAL (Because many residents of New Orleans Can’t Afford A Jazzfest Ticket)

Friday, May 2nd, 7pm To 11pm

1800 Deslonde (at Roman) LOWER 9TH WARD
Featuring:
*MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
*REBIRTH BRASS BAND
*The NEVILLE FAMILY BACKED BY the CAESAR BROTHERS
*TRIBE 13
*The WILD TCHOUPITOULAS
*TBC (To Be Continued) BRASS BAND
*BIG CHIEF VICTOR HARRIS & FIYIYI
*REVOLUTION 2ND LINE

***FREE! BUT BRING YOUR JOY and CHECKBOOKS to DONATE TO THE RELIEF!***
PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
BushwickSocialClub says:

May 5, 2008 at 8:13 am

Did anybody go this year?
Leo says:

May 7, 2008 at 8:33 pm

whattup,

I was at jazzfest this past Sunday, Santana played a pretty good set, didn’t know he was so much of a love activism vibe “we believe in the power of love not the love for power” word.

Maze played a wonderful set too with the whole 1st 8 rows of folks doin the electric slide…

but I think the highlight for me was the M.I.A. concert and ?uestlove’s DJ set, it was fire.

peace from the Gulf. boogaleo

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