Yes folks, it is International Migrants Day, or, should you live in the US, it is National Ham Salad Day. A chacun son gout, as "they" say.
So I played hookey and didn't tend either of my open threads last week. We wuz off on a ramble indulging in a brief holiday that was too good to pass up, a chance to go indulge in some world famous joie de vivre. An inexpensive trip to N'awlins from the afternoon of the 8th thru the morning of the 12th. After all, it is supposed to be the season of cheer and all that, and what better place to get cheerful. It's the kind of place where the home team could lose to the 'Niners and throw one hell of a celebration all the same. My wife and I had ample time to wander around by ourselves on foot and were in a hotel near Congo Square, which we visited, along with the rest of Louis Armstrong Park, which contained statues of Buddy Bolden (who left no recordings), Satchmo, and Sidney Bechet.
Congo Square
Satchmo
Sidney Bechet
Across the street, at Rampart and Dumaine is the building that once housed J&M records, where folks like Dave Bartholomew, The Dukes of Dixieland, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Professor Longhair, Ray Charles and many others recorded some of their ouvre.
Fats Domino
Lloyd Price
Little Richard
We next wandered down to the Jazz Museum where they had an entire room devoted to Professor Longhair. Included therein were a lot of pictures of him with various members or some of his backing bands. One had this, unlabeled picture:
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that this is a young Mac Rebbenac before he got shot in the left hand, went to prison, switched to piano, joined the wrecking crew, and finally reached fame and fortune as Doctor John. I know that he was with Longhair for a while. Joe? Any help here?
At any rate, they have the contract that Professor Longhair signed agreeing to perform at a newly created club named after one of his songs. The club still stands and is a big attraction.
Backing on that performance from another NOLA group:
So. no surprises so far, but another room in the Jazz Museum was devoted to somebody who I never associated with New Orleans at all, another horn player named Louis who wrote "Sing, Sing, Sing", had Sam Butera on Sax and the epitome of cool, Keely Smith, as co-vocalist -
So, if you get there, get a sazerac, the original formula with cognac, preferably at Commander's Palace, and some Pernod Absinthe at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street, where they really do it right.
Title Image is Congo Square
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It's an open thread, so have at it. The floor is yours
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Cross posted from caucus99percent.com