Friday, June 25, 2010

NEA Jazz Masters: The Marsalis Family

Congratulations to the Marsalis Family for just being named NEA Jazz Masters by the National Council on the Arts which oversees the National Endowment for the Arts.

Connections to the family go back to 1979 when I was in the Ben Franklin High School band and became friends with Wynton, and then a year later when I was in the band for a couple years with Delfeayo (who used to let me listen to some of Wynton's first recordings at their house before they came out and when Jason was about 3 years old). Wynton has recorded on a couple of our tracks with Irvin Mayfield. Delfeayo has produced a few records for us. Jason was signed to BSR and released 2 CDs as a leader plus a couple of CDs as a co-leader of Los Hombres Calientes. Branford has been a friend and has sat in on many gigs with Irvin, Los Hombres and Kermit Ruffins. And their patriarch, Ellis, has recorded several tracks with Irvin Mayfield, plus performed on Kermit Ruffins first CD (on Justice Records), and most recently recorded the CD Love Songs, Ballads and Standards for us with Irvin Mayfield.

Another interesting connection was in about 1989 when I was at lunch with Wynton Marsalis and an aspiring young trumpeter who was in high school visiting Wynton in New York for a few days. That trumpeter was Jeremy Davenport, who decided to move to New Orleans and study with Ellis Marsalis at UNO in the Jazz Studies program. Jeremy went on to several years in Harry Connick Jr. band, then his own band, and in 2009 was our most recent signing, releasing We'll Dance 'Til Dawn.


UPDATE: Watch the NEA Awards Ceremony and concert from JALC Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 at 7:30 ET (6:30 CT). More information HERE.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Tweets During HBO's Treme Season 1 Finale

  1. Thank you David Simon, Eric Overmyer, Blake Leyh & rest of krewe at #Treme & @HBO. Can't wait for season 2.
  2. What did we do when Katrina hit? Read blog archives at http://basinstreetrecords.blogspot.com #treme
  3. Support #nola next generation. Donate after #treme to www.LouisArmstrongJazzCamp.com
  4. 5-0 #treme Thank you for getting back in the cars.
  5. Columns Hotel on St. Charles where Davis may get lucky. #treme
  6. Big Chief Donald Harrison. He also performs on sax on Irvin Mayfield's self titled debut #treme
  7. John Mooney singing. at Le Bon Temps bar on Magazine Street #treme
  8. John Mooney singing. at Le Bon Temps bar on magazine #treme
  9. Renard Poche on guitar. Art Neville sings #treme
  10. John Boutte sings a few tunes on our label incl. Los Hombres Calientes' Carnival #treme
  11. John Boutte (Treme Song) walking w/ Davis #treme
  12. Davis back at wwoz radio. Listen anywhere anytime at www.wwoz.org #treme
  13. www.LouisArmstrongJazzCamp.com starts 7/6. Please donate today. #treme
  14. Lloyd Price singing Stagger Lee #treme
  15. @FunkyBigSam on trombone also attended www.LouisArmstrongJazzCamp.com #treme
  16. Great coffee at Rue de la Course #treme
  17. Reading OffBEAT magazine on #Treme. Pick up a subscription at www.offbeat.com
  18. Wendell Pierce narrated Irvin Mayfield CD Strange Fruit on our label. #treme
  19. @TromboneShorty on @HBO #Treme attended www.LouisArmstrongJazzCamp.com
  20. #treme now
  21. Did the #Saints give Peyton a ring?
  22. After @TrueBloodHBO the season finale of @HBO's #Treme. Buy music from Treme playlists on www.hbo.com