Photos of Miss Connie and Miss Shiela, Kimberle and the whole gang celebrating.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Photos from Wilson Elementary in NOLA
Photos of Miss Connie and Miss Shiela, Kimberle and the whole gang celebrating.
A Really Special Day in NOLA
The Ketchum Finance Directors held their annual meeting in New Orleans from Monday night through Thursday. Kim and I got to participate -- wonderful evenings on Frenchmen Street (Spotted Cat, Apple Barrel, DBA, 13), lovely dinners at Tujauques and Cafe Amelie, but the real hightlight was the day all 35 of us spent volunteering at the Wilson Charter School in Broadmoor.
Under the direction of Miss Sheila (the principal) and Miss Connie (board president), our group painted windows, repaired doors and screens, helped with arts and crafts, moved boxes, read to the children, put up bulletin boards -- and above all else, tried to give the teachers and the students, all of whom had been displaced, and many of whom had been out of school for a long, long time a sense that we cared. It was an amazingly inspirational day.
When we debriefed later the entire group agreed to adopt the school and continue to do what we can to help ensure its success. Ketchum CFO, Rob Lorfink, who heads the group pledged that this will be a sustainable activity.
I can't even put in words how grateful I am for Ketchum's continued support of our beloved city. I think this is about the fourth or fifth big meeting we have had down there.
This one was truly extra special. Don't think any of us will forget the experience for a long, long time.
Under the direction of Miss Sheila (the principal) and Miss Connie (board president), our group painted windows, repaired doors and screens, helped with arts and crafts, moved boxes, read to the children, put up bulletin boards -- and above all else, tried to give the teachers and the students, all of whom had been displaced, and many of whom had been out of school for a long, long time a sense that we cared. It was an amazingly inspirational day.
When we debriefed later the entire group agreed to adopt the school and continue to do what we can to help ensure its success. Ketchum CFO, Rob Lorfink, who heads the group pledged that this will be a sustainable activity.
I can't even put in words how grateful I am for Ketchum's continued support of our beloved city. I think this is about the fourth or fifth big meeting we have had down there.
This one was truly extra special. Don't think any of us will forget the experience for a long, long time.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Maximo's is re-opening
Spotted a sign on lower Decatur yesterday that says Maximo's will be re-opening soon!
That may not mean much to many of you, but for Kevin, Corinna, Renee and me, it means a great deal.
Maximo's was our favorite New Orleans restaurant for many years -- incredible atmosphere...musicians everywhere. Once spotted the amazing drummer Elvin Jones, who drummed with, among others, John Coltrane, seated at a table with one or two Marsalis brothers. Kermit was always there, along with various Iguanas -- everybody was there.
But the best parts of it were: Jane, our favorite waitress (and eventual guardian of 822 Governor Nicholls); the wine list (huge and wonderful); and the incredible Italian food (especially the daily ravioli specials!). Not to mention the decor featuring tons of black and white jazz greats photographed by the famous Herman Leonard.
I must be boring everybody out of their minds, but it was a truly magical place and we spent so many nights just laughing and laughing there.
And it's coming back. Let's hope with all the magic intact!
That may not mean much to many of you, but for Kevin, Corinna, Renee and me, it means a great deal.
Maximo's was our favorite New Orleans restaurant for many years -- incredible atmosphere...musicians everywhere. Once spotted the amazing drummer Elvin Jones, who drummed with, among others, John Coltrane, seated at a table with one or two Marsalis brothers. Kermit was always there, along with various Iguanas -- everybody was there.
But the best parts of it were: Jane, our favorite waitress (and eventual guardian of 822 Governor Nicholls); the wine list (huge and wonderful); and the incredible Italian food (especially the daily ravioli specials!). Not to mention the decor featuring tons of black and white jazz greats photographed by the famous Herman Leonard.
I must be boring everybody out of their minds, but it was a truly magical place and we spent so many nights just laughing and laughing there.
And it's coming back. Let's hope with all the magic intact!
Apologies to Everyone!
Been way too infrequent in my postings! Will try to make up for lost ground!
Today is Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving and I am posting from New Orleans -- where the big topic of conversation is, in this order: the weather, LSU losing to Arkansas, the weather, what's wrong with da Saints, the weather, the Bayou Classic, and, the weather.
Reason is that the temperature the last few days has been in the 40's and 50's. It's been blustery and overcast and the locals and everybody's been just a little off.
Nonetheless, the quarter looks great! Shoppers filled up the streets on Black Friday and seem to be out in force (although a little light because of the weather).
We've had a great time here -- a real old-fashioned family vacation. We piled into the car on Tuesday and drove the nearly 16 hours from Oak Park to New Orleans...great fun, everyone got along great! Arrived late Tuesday. Spent Wednesday around the Quarter, ate oysters at Desire (which we always do on day one!) and then went to see the Hornets play the Pacers at the Arena, followed, of course, by beignets at Cafe du Monde. Really good time...the Arena is quite nice and seeing Jon Cleary play outside before the show reminded me how cool this place really is.
That and pre-Thanksgiving shopping next to Jason Marsalis at the Winn-Dixie on Tchapatoulis!
Cooked out traditional turducken for Thanksgiving along with all the trimmings. Renee brought us all to tears by offering an individualized toast to each of us, listing what qualities we all had for which she was thankful. She spent the afternoon writing all of it down and it was a truly memorable moment.
Friday was shopping day and movie night. All of it an effort to make sure the kids feel like this is as much their home as Oak Park. Think they truly feel it.
Have not seen any music, although it is all around us...Hot 8, Soul Rebels, Kermit, Rebirth -- they are all over the place. Lee and Katja in town, as is Kimberle. Hoping to see them all today or tomorrow, perhaps around the Saints game.
Ketchum Finance Team is coming to town Monday night for three days of meetings, highlighted by working at a middle school in Broadmoor on Tuesday. Looking forward to that.
Also, never posted but Claire(my 14 year-old) and I made it down just before Halloween for VoodooFest. Good time. Mostly Claire's bands (Plain White-Ts, Gym Class Heroes, Cute is What We Aim For). But she agreed to watch Troy play, too! the band was smokin'! Did their rock n' roll show. james on sax was particularly hot, although Linda Eatherton and I would probably disagree over what kind of hot he was!
All in all the city looks good, feels good and is ready for everybody's return visits.
Much more to come!
Today is Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving and I am posting from New Orleans -- where the big topic of conversation is, in this order: the weather, LSU losing to Arkansas, the weather, what's wrong with da Saints, the weather, the Bayou Classic, and, the weather.
Reason is that the temperature the last few days has been in the 40's and 50's. It's been blustery and overcast and the locals and everybody's been just a little off.
Nonetheless, the quarter looks great! Shoppers filled up the streets on Black Friday and seem to be out in force (although a little light because of the weather).
We've had a great time here -- a real old-fashioned family vacation. We piled into the car on Tuesday and drove the nearly 16 hours from Oak Park to New Orleans...great fun, everyone got along great! Arrived late Tuesday. Spent Wednesday around the Quarter, ate oysters at Desire (which we always do on day one!) and then went to see the Hornets play the Pacers at the Arena, followed, of course, by beignets at Cafe du Monde. Really good time...the Arena is quite nice and seeing Jon Cleary play outside before the show reminded me how cool this place really is.
That and pre-Thanksgiving shopping next to Jason Marsalis at the Winn-Dixie on Tchapatoulis!
Cooked out traditional turducken for Thanksgiving along with all the trimmings. Renee brought us all to tears by offering an individualized toast to each of us, listing what qualities we all had for which she was thankful. She spent the afternoon writing all of it down and it was a truly memorable moment.
Friday was shopping day and movie night. All of it an effort to make sure the kids feel like this is as much their home as Oak Park. Think they truly feel it.
Have not seen any music, although it is all around us...Hot 8, Soul Rebels, Kermit, Rebirth -- they are all over the place. Lee and Katja in town, as is Kimberle. Hoping to see them all today or tomorrow, perhaps around the Saints game.
Ketchum Finance Team is coming to town Monday night for three days of meetings, highlighted by working at a middle school in Broadmoor on Tuesday. Looking forward to that.
Also, never posted but Claire(my 14 year-old) and I made it down just before Halloween for VoodooFest. Good time. Mostly Claire's bands (Plain White-Ts, Gym Class Heroes, Cute is What We Aim For). But she agreed to watch Troy play, too! the band was smokin'! Did their rock n' roll show. james on sax was particularly hot, although Linda Eatherton and I would probably disagree over what kind of hot he was!
All in all the city looks good, feels good and is ready for everybody's return visits.
Much more to come!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
17 years and counting...
on behalf of elise and myself let me say that we could not be happier for you both. that is a true blessing and i say that because the only two things i ever have had for 17 consecutive years are my son and my baseball glove.
on behalf of myself let me also add how impressed i was with the obvious thought and care and time peter took to get especially dressed up for renee on this most special and auspicious of occasions. if i am not mistaken the dead giveaway to the formal dress code was the johnny cash black jeans reserved instead of the usual blue jeans. nicely done!
but for real, your celebration sounded like a truly memorable way to spend such a special occasion and you have all of our best wishes now and for the future.
the newer, cleaner quarter may take some getting used to - i am holding out hope that the clean-up initiative did not affect clover grill TOO much; that would really ruin the effect.
on behalf of myself let me also add how impressed i was with the obvious thought and care and time peter took to get especially dressed up for renee on this most special and auspicious of occasions. if i am not mistaken the dead giveaway to the formal dress code was the johnny cash black jeans reserved instead of the usual blue jeans. nicely done!
but for real, your celebration sounded like a truly memorable way to spend such a special occasion and you have all of our best wishes now and for the future.
the newer, cleaner quarter may take some getting used to - i am holding out hope that the clean-up initiative did not affect clover grill TOO much; that would really ruin the effect.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Anniversary Weekend in Louisiana
Renee and I just returned from Louisiana where we spent our 17th wedding anniversary.
We started in NOLA on Thursday night, where we had a very special meal at Gallatoire's. Our waiter, and sommelier, Mark (shown with us below) was a big fan of Paso Robles wine. When he found out that Kevin and I had been bottling there five days earlier, he rolled out the red carpet. Amazing meal, and all the wine stewards, treated us like celebrities. We promised bottles of Bin 504 for everybody!
After another day in NOLA, we headed out Saturday morning to Lafayette for Festivals Acadien, the best Cajun festival in the world. Each year a band called Les Traiteurs, made up of some of the best Cajun musicians around, play a charity gig there. Their picture is below. Some of you might recognize the guitarist. He's Sonny Landreth, clearly one of the best guitarists you'll ever hear. He opened up Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival this year...and is probably best known as the guitarist on John Hiatt's classic albums, including "Slow Turning (thanks Bluesgirl!)." Amazing slide guitarist...just draw-dropping. Well worth checking out his solo albums.
Another favorite, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, played Saturday night at a club called the Blue Moon Saloon, a great place to hear live music. Steve, who is a great friend of ours, and one of the best accordion players around, can be seen below smooching with Renee. The band smoked Saturday night! Just rocked the house.
That car shown below was our rental for the weekend, shown here piled high with treasures we bought on our annual pilgrimage to a shop in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, which you can see in the background. That's usually our final stop on the way back to New Orleans, right after brunch at Cafe des Amis, one of our top ten restaurants. You'd know why if you ever had the andouille cheese grits!
By the way, the quarter looked great! So clean it practically sparkled...you can get the idea from the picture below of the great balcony on Dauphine.
Needless to say, we left very reluctantly on Monday morning!
We started in NOLA on Thursday night, where we had a very special meal at Gallatoire's. Our waiter, and sommelier, Mark (shown with us below) was a big fan of Paso Robles wine. When he found out that Kevin and I had been bottling there five days earlier, he rolled out the red carpet. Amazing meal, and all the wine stewards, treated us like celebrities. We promised bottles of Bin 504 for everybody!
After another day in NOLA, we headed out Saturday morning to Lafayette for Festivals Acadien, the best Cajun festival in the world. Each year a band called Les Traiteurs, made up of some of the best Cajun musicians around, play a charity gig there. Their picture is below. Some of you might recognize the guitarist. He's Sonny Landreth, clearly one of the best guitarists you'll ever hear. He opened up Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival this year...and is probably best known as the guitarist on John Hiatt's classic albums, including "Slow Turning (thanks Bluesgirl!)." Amazing slide guitarist...just draw-dropping. Well worth checking out his solo albums.
Another favorite, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, played Saturday night at a club called the Blue Moon Saloon, a great place to hear live music. Steve, who is a great friend of ours, and one of the best accordion players around, can be seen below smooching with Renee. The band smoked Saturday night! Just rocked the house.
That car shown below was our rental for the weekend, shown here piled high with treasures we bought on our annual pilgrimage to a shop in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, which you can see in the background. That's usually our final stop on the way back to New Orleans, right after brunch at Cafe des Amis, one of our top ten restaurants. You'd know why if you ever had the andouille cheese grits!
By the way, the quarter looked great! So clean it practically sparkled...you can get the idea from the picture below of the great balcony on Dauphine.
Needless to say, we left very reluctantly on Monday morning!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Bedroom Aging?
Perhaps a few words of explanation might be in order. Kevin (aka Deano) and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in wine country -- Paso Robles, California -- where we bottled our first vintage. We call it Bin 504. Some of you might remember we picked half a ton of grapes in Paso two years ago. Since then it's been aging in in a friend of ours barrel room in Paso. On Saturday we blended and bottled the wine. We experiemented like mad scientists, but eventually agreed on a 90% cabernet, 5% malbec, 5% merlot blend.
One of the things we learned this weekend was about "bottle shock" -- all wine tends to go into a bit of shock after it is bottled. It will be about four months more before that bottle shock ends and the wine is able to be fully enjoyed.
(Although the shock of being in Kevin's bedroom may mean the wine will take longer to recover. At least we all know the temperature in that room will never get too warm, if you know what I mean.)
So get ready, everybody, a bottle of Bin 504 is in your future -- and will soon be on sale in New Orleans. Although we have absolutely no objectivity, in our humble opinion, Bin 504 is more than drinkable. It's a real in-you-face cabernet blend.
More to come!
One of the things we learned this weekend was about "bottle shock" -- all wine tends to go into a bit of shock after it is bottled. It will be about four months more before that bottle shock ends and the wine is able to be fully enjoyed.
(Although the shock of being in Kevin's bedroom may mean the wine will take longer to recover. At least we all know the temperature in that room will never get too warm, if you know what I mean.)
So get ready, everybody, a bottle of Bin 504 is in your future -- and will soon be on sale in New Orleans. Although we have absolutely no objectivity, in our humble opinion, Bin 504 is more than drinkable. It's a real in-you-face cabernet blend.
More to come!
Monday, October 8, 2007
First Vintage of Bin 504 has been bottled
Barrel aging is important, as is bottle aging, but not many know of the most crucial stage of the aging process...bedroom aging. This stage is very important for expanding the versatility of our wine. In the coming weeks, not only will these 26 cases hold the day's mail, the kid's homework, and both clean and dirty laundry, but they will also endure countless profanity-laden outbursts from me as I stub my toe on them attempting to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Talk about your bottle shock.More pictures and stories to follow.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Where is Everybody? How is Everybody?
I am writing from Philadelphia today. Here for a new business pitch...interestingly enough, in a building right next door to where Dorothy works. Been here for 24 hours and we still have not yet connected. Sure we will, though.
Meeting friends here, a special birthday surprise for Zoe, the wife of my best friend from high school. Haven't seen Jim and Zoe for a couple of years so this weekend should be great.
As I am writing, a tropical storm is bearing down on the Gulf Coast. Let's all cross our fingers that there is no damage...and that if it does hit New Orleans, that all levees hold.
Oh, and that the Saints get back into form on Monday Night!
Looking way forward to next Friday night. John Boutte and Trombone Shorty on one night. Think we have something like 25 people in our party next Friday. Let's bring lots of cameras and use this blog as photo central!!!!
Meeting friends here, a special birthday surprise for Zoe, the wife of my best friend from high school. Haven't seen Jim and Zoe for a couple of years so this weekend should be great.
As I am writing, a tropical storm is bearing down on the Gulf Coast. Let's all cross our fingers that there is no damage...and that if it does hit New Orleans, that all levees hold.
Oh, and that the Saints get back into form on Monday Night!
Looking way forward to next Friday night. John Boutte and Trombone Shorty on one night. Think we have something like 25 people in our party next Friday. Let's bring lots of cameras and use this blog as photo central!!!!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
RE: So, what did you do Saturday night?
Bonfire at the beach, but it was close. We were going to dress like Shakespearean characters and go clubbing.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
New show K-Ville on Fox to be set in NOLA...
Not sure whether this show will be what the city needs but check out the preview here: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid909858652/bctid909953053
The official site (where you can watch the entire first episode) is here: http://www.fox.com/kville/
The show premiers September 17th on Fox.
The official site (where you can watch the entire first episode) is here: http://www.fox.com/kville/
The show premiers September 17th on Fox.
Monday, September 3, 2007
And this just in...
On Friday evening, Kevin and Corina were spotted at the West Coast Jazz Party in Irvine listening to the likes of Terry Gibbs and James Moody and although neither of these guys is from New Orleans, it is true that Troy Andrews played this party last year so they've got that going from, which is nice.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Weekend Gossip From Our Far-flung Network of Blog Correspondents
Reports from our vast network indicate that :
- Bill and Pat were spotted at 13 and DBA, among other joints. Photographic evidence to follow, one would assume.
- Noam and Elise were positively identified as being in the crowd in Washington, D.C., listening to The Treme Brass Band. Unconfirmed rumors indicate that Uncle Lionel may have shown his new grill to Elise. Unknown is whether Elise still made it to see Hugh Masakela with Noam, or whether Elise stayed behind with Unc.
- And in Chicago, Peter and Renee were seen eating gumbo at Wishbone; dodging paparazzi at the Chicago premiere of Kamp Katrina, a documentary of life after Katrina in the Bywater; and later at Fitzgerlad's where they saw a rare performance outside Spotted Cat for The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, who were opening for Marcia Ball.
More details as they become available!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Bring It, Dude!
Meanwhile, rumors of long-lost photographic evidence continue to surface. Our crack research team will be all over that today if I, I mean they, can find the time.
In the meantime, it wasn't obvious at first, but if you take a good close look at photos from the recent Larry Craig press conference, a mysterious man in a pink hat appears near the photographers.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
about that other cheek
that's why i'm worried about where the OTHER hand is (for further reference, see shared hotel bedroom scene between steve martin and john candy in "planes, trains and automobiles."
AND FURTHERMORE
it takes a weak legal case indeed, when counsel must invoke springsteen to save your bacon.
so furthermore and heretofore, this is not over. this is not NEARLY over. to quote yet another great moment in american filmography, was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbor?!
AND FURTHERMORE
it takes a weak legal case indeed, when counsel must invoke springsteen to save your bacon.
so furthermore and heretofore, this is not over. this is not NEARLY over. to quote yet another great moment in american filmography, was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbor?!
Turn The Otter Cheek, Mr. Gelfond
Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether I broke a few rules, or took a few liberties - I did. But you can't go blaming the man on the grassy knoll, who if memory holds true, was, in fact, Mr. Bruce Springsteen, for the behavior of one sick twisted individual. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole of JazzFest? And if the whole JazzFest fraternity is guilty, I put it to you, Mr. Gelfond - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America!
Besides, my hand is clearly visible on your right shoulder. An error in judgement, yes. But an impeachable offense? Hardly.
in my defense...
...and before we move on to that contest right away, let's all scroll back down to the picture, the infamous "pink hat" photo.
i submit to you that the picture (and indeed the head covering) is a fraud.
i submit to you that if you will note, our own "Krewe Chief," a Mr. P. Fleischer, is exhibiting a wide stance, one that looks remarkably similar to the one described by the senator from the great state of idaho as his preferred position when charged with committing an act of questionable taste.
i submit to you that in this photo, Mr. Fleischer's hands are somehow mysterioulsy not visible.
therefore, the image is clearly a fraud and the so-called "pink hat" was placed not only placed there by a Mr. Fleischer (rather than this writer) but he did so with the help of a second party barely visible on the grassy knoll behind us.
i implore all honest and decent citizens to demand the removal of this fraudulent image.
i submit to you that the picture (and indeed the head covering) is a fraud.
i submit to you that if you will note, our own "Krewe Chief," a Mr. P. Fleischer, is exhibiting a wide stance, one that looks remarkably similar to the one described by the senator from the great state of idaho as his preferred position when charged with committing an act of questionable taste.
i submit to you that in this photo, Mr. Fleischer's hands are somehow mysterioulsy not visible.
therefore, the image is clearly a fraud and the so-called "pink hat" was placed not only placed there by a Mr. Fleischer (rather than this writer) but he did so with the help of a second party barely visible on the grassy knoll behind us.
i implore all honest and decent citizens to demand the removal of this fraudulent image.
Contest #1
Is it....
a.) Guess what I'm doing right now?
b.) $1,000!
c.) Meet me in the backroom, Uncle Lionel!
d.) Wipe me down!
Contest #1: Tell Us What Maria is Thinking?
Tell Us What You Think Maria Is Thinking:
Is it....
a.) Guess what I'm doing right now?
b.) $1,000!
c.) Meet me in the backroom, Uncle Lionel!
d.) ___________ (You fill in the blank! )
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Must See TV...
CNN: Special Investigations Unit
Watch it:
08:00 PM ET 2007-08-29 CNN
From DirecTV website:
This is citizen journalism at its finest -- from some very young citizens. Reporter Soledad O'Brien and filmmaker Spike Lee gave some Gulf Coast teenagers their own video cameras to record their stories of life after Hurricane Katrina. The result is the new episode "Children of the Storm," a poignant and inspiring collection of survival stories. Even if you don't care for documentaries, you need to check this out.
Watch it:
08:00 PM ET 2007-08-29 CNN
From DirecTV website:
This is citizen journalism at its finest -- from some very young citizens. Reporter Soledad O'Brien and filmmaker Spike Lee gave some Gulf Coast teenagers their own video cameras to record their stories of life after Hurricane Katrina. The result is the new episode "Children of the Storm," a poignant and inspiring collection of survival stories. Even if you don't care for documentaries, you need to check this out.
Monday, August 27, 2007
no matter how far you go...
As the old saying goes, “do you know what it means to miss new Orleans” [a plaque with those words hangs in my house, maybe yours too]. Here’s another one – no matter how far you go, you’re never far from new Orleans.
My much more than better half and I were on the fly in Europe this summer and experienced a couple of run ins with NOLA. First in the south of France, while just minding our own business walking near the shores of the Cote D’azur, what do we happen upon? No, not Bridgit Bardot (I’m pretty sure she couldn’t even fit on the beach much less lay on the beach) but a straight from New Orleans Second Line (the heavy dose of salt air prevents me from recalling who it was but you’d know them). On a later leg we concluded that Venice is the Italian New Orleans. All water jokes aside, it had the same soulful feel, look and array of artisans and food and characters and whatnot.
Just a few days after our trip we took in Joan Osborne at a DC club (if you put aside that one commercial song she is really quite a good white soul songstress). It’s a club with tables and having gotten there on the late side we took our seats at just about the last available spot with a table already occupied by three other couples. Just as I looked up after sitting down with our tablemates I find two of the couples wearing JazzFest attire and the third couple also turned out to be regulars. Thus ensued an evening-long conversation at the breaks comparing past Fests and other NOLA moments that had been experienced independently but now shared as if it had been experienced together in the moment.
It was just another reminder that no matter where you go you are never far from New Orleans.
Having said all that, for all my love for NOLA, you will never - and let me emphasize NEVER - find me there in a pink hat.
My much more than better half and I were on the fly in Europe this summer and experienced a couple of run ins with NOLA. First in the south of France, while just minding our own business walking near the shores of the Cote D’azur, what do we happen upon? No, not Bridgit Bardot (I’m pretty sure she couldn’t even fit on the beach much less lay on the beach) but a straight from New Orleans Second Line (the heavy dose of salt air prevents me from recalling who it was but you’d know them). On a later leg we concluded that Venice is the Italian New Orleans. All water jokes aside, it had the same soulful feel, look and array of artisans and food and characters and whatnot.
Just a few days after our trip we took in Joan Osborne at a DC club (if you put aside that one commercial song she is really quite a good white soul songstress). It’s a club with tables and having gotten there on the late side we took our seats at just about the last available spot with a table already occupied by three other couples. Just as I looked up after sitting down with our tablemates I find two of the couples wearing JazzFest attire and the third couple also turned out to be regulars. Thus ensued an evening-long conversation at the breaks comparing past Fests and other NOLA moments that had been experienced independently but now shared as if it had been experienced together in the moment.
It was just another reminder that no matter where you go you are never far from New Orleans.
Having said all that, for all my love for NOLA, you will never - and let me emphasize NEVER - find me there in a pink hat.
More Essential Reading from The Washington Post
This thoughtful piece by Doug Brinkley really is must reading. It exposes the Bush policy of 'inaction" when it comes to New Orleans.
Reckless Abandonment
By Douglas BrinkleySunday, August 26, 2007; B01
Over the past two years since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen waves of hardworking volunteers from nonprofits, faith-based groups and college campuses descend on New Orleans, full of compassion and hope.
They arrive in the city's Ninth Ward to painstakingly gut houses one by one. Their jaws drop as they wander around afflicted zones, gazing at the towering mounds of debris and uprooted infrastructure.
After weeks of grueling labor, they realize that they are running in place, toiling in a surreal vacuum.
Two full years after the hurricane, the Big Easy is barely limping along, unable to make truly meaningful reconstruction progress. The most important issues concerning the city's long-term survival are still up in the air. Why is no Herculean clean-up effort underway? Why hasn't President Bush named a high-profile czar such as Colin Powell or James Baker to oversee the ongoing disaster? Where is the U.S. government's participation in the rebuilding?
And why are volunteers practically the only ones working to reconstruct homes in communities that may never again have sewage service, garbage collection or electricity?
Eventually, the volunteers' altruism turns to bewilderment and finally to outrage. They've been hoodwinked. The stalled recovery can't be blamed on bureaucratic inertia or red tape alone. Many volunteers come to understand what I've concluded is the heartless reality: The Bush administration actually wants these neighborhoods below sea level to die on the vine.
These days a stiff Caribbean breeze causes residents to jerk into a high-alert state of anxiety. Still unfinished is the overhaul of what some call the "Lego levees," the notoriously flawed 350-mile "flood protection system" that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starting building in 1965.
The Corps has been busy fixing the three principal holes that opened in August 2005. Its hard work has, in fact, paid a partial dividend. A decent defensive floodwall is now on the east side of the Industrial Canal, attempting to protect the Lower Ninth Ward.
Unfortunately, that is where the upbeat news nosedives. The federal government has refused to shut the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet canal that helped cause the Katrina "funnel effect" flooding two years ago. In addition, entire neglected neighborhoods still have no adequate flood control.
The answer to New Orleans's levee woes is painfully obvious: money and willpower. Common sense dictates that the endangered areas -- if repopulated (and that is a big if) -- demand levees that can sustain Category 5 storms. It's a national obligation. Entire blocks are moldering away while the federal government lifts only a cursory hand to reverse the desultory trend.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest misperceptions the American public harbors is that Katrina was a week-long catastrophe. In truth, it's better to view it as an era. Remember, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s lasted eight or nine years. We're still in the middle of the Katrina saga.
Bold action has been needed for two years now, yet all that the White House has offered is an inadequate trickle of billion-dollar Band-aids and placebo directives. Too often in the United States we forget that "inaction" can be a policy initiative. Every day the White House must decide what not to do.
The stubborn inaction appears to fall under the paternalistic guise of helping the storm victims. Bush's general attitude -- a Catch-22 recipe if ever there was one -- appears to be that only rank fools would return when the first line of hurricane defense are the levees that this administration so far refuses to fix.
New Orleans appears to be largely abandoned by the Department of Homeland Security, except for its safeguarding of the Port Authority (port traffic is at 90 percent of pre-Katrina numbers) and tourist districts above sea level, such as the French Quarter and Uptown. These areas are kept alive largely by the wild success of Harrah's casino and a steady flow of undaunted conventioneers.
The brutal Galveston Hurricane of 1900 may be a historical guide to the administration's thinking. Most survivors of that deadly Texas storm moved to higher land. Administration policies seem to tacitly encourage those who live below sea level in New Orleans to relocate permanently, to leave the dangerous water's edge for more prosperous inland cities such as Shreveport or Baton Rouge.
After the 1900 hurricane, in fact, Galveston, which had been a large, thriving port, was essentially abandoned for Houston, transforming that then-sleepy backwater into the financial center for the entire Gulf South. Galveston devolved into a smallish port-tourist center, one easy to evacuate when hurricanes rear their ugly heads.
To be fair, Bush's apparent post-Katrina inaction policy makes some cold, pragmatic sense. If the U.S. government is not going to rebuild the levees to survive a Category 5 storm -- to be finished at the earliest in 2015 and at an estimated cost of $40 billion, far eclipsing the extravagant bill for the entire Interstate Highway System -- then options are limited.
But what makes the current inaction plan so infuriating is that it's deceptive, offering up this open-armed spin to storm victims: "Come back to New Orleans." Why can't Bush look his fellow citizens in the eye and tell them what seems to be the ugly truth? That as long as he's commander in chief, there won't be an entirely reconstructed levee system.
Shortly after Katrina hit, former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert declared that a lot of New Orleans could be "bulldozed." He was shot down by an outraged public and media, which deemed such remarks insensitive and callous. Two years have shown that Hastert may have articulated what appears to have become the White House's de facto policy. He may have retreated, but the inaction remains.
The White House keeps spinning Bush's abysmal poll numbers by claiming that his legacy will rise decades from now the way Harry S. Truman's did. But Truman had a reputation for straight talk and bold vision. If Bush wants history to perceive him as Trumanesque, then he must act Trumanesque.
Bush's predecessors moved mountains. Theodore Roosevelt set aside 230 million acres for wildlife conservation (plus built the Panama Canal). Franklin D. Roosevelt began a kaleidoscope of New Deal programs to calm the Great Depression and Truman oversaw the Marshall Plan rebuilding of Western Europe after World War II. Bush could seize the initiative and announce a real plan to rebuild, a partnership between the government, Fortune 500 companies and faith-based groups.
Unfortunately, right now New Orleans is having a hard time lobbying on its own behalf. Minnesota's Twin Cities have about 20 Fortune 500 companies to draw in private-sector money to help rebuild the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. New Orleans has one, Entergy, which is verging on bankruptcy. So besides U.S. taxpayers and port fees, New Orleans must count on spiked-up tourist dollars to jumpstart the post-Katrina rebuild.
But this is where the bizarre paradox of living in a city of ruins comes into play. Out of one side of its mouth the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce says, "Come on down, folks! We're not underwater!" Yet these same civic boosters -- viscerally aware that the Bush administration is treating the desperate plight of New Orleans in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind fashion -- don't want to bite the hand that feeds them large chunks of reconstruction cash. New Orleans is both bragging about normalcy and poor-mouthing itself, confusing Americans about what the real state of the city is.
Recently Mayor C. Ray Nagin, born with the proverbial foot in his mouth, tried to explain why the homicide rate in New Orleans is so appallingly high. When a TV reporter asked, Nagin merely shrugged: "It's not good for us, but it also keeps the New Orleans brand out there." This absurd comment -- and dozens like it -- hurts New Orleans's recovery almost as much as Bush's policy of inaction.
Everywhere I travel in the United States, people ask, "Why did you guys reelect such a doofus?" There is a feeling that any community that reelected a "first responder" who stayed in a Hyatt Regency suite during Hurricane Katrina, never delivered a speech to the homeless at the Superdome or Convention Center in New Orleans, and played the "chocolate city" race card at a historic moment when black-white healing was needed probably deserves to get stiffed by the federal government.
And Nagin isn't the only bad ambassador New Orleans has. It also has City Council member Oliver Thomas, Sen. David Vitter and Rep. William J. Jefferson -- all currently in deep trouble for potentially breaking the law. Dismayed by such political buffoonery, Americans have simply turned a blind eye to New Orleans's reconstruction plight. There is a scolding sentiment around the country that Louisiana needs to get its own house in order before looking for fresh levee handouts.
Then there are egregious contractor crimes such as over-billing and price-gouging. The medical infrastructure has largely collapsed. Mercy and Charity hospitals remain closed. A severe crisis in mental health care has erupted and gang violence is on the rise. The Environmental Protection Agency refuses to clearly state that it's safe to live in the metro area. Young professionals, recognizing that there are greener pastures all over the nation, are fleeing in droves.
Even with our trillion-dollar debt and excessive military expenses in Iraq, the American people, if presented with a bold plan, might be ready to save the beleaguered city. Perhaps the people haven't lost their good Samaritan grit.
Let's, for once, put New Orleans on the front burner. After all, Katrina exposed all the ills of urban America -- endemic poverty, institutionalized racism, failing public schools and much more. New Orleans is just a microcosm of Newark and Detroit and hundreds of other troubled urban locales.
How we deal with New Orleans's future will tell us a lot about our nation's future. In 2008 it should really be an up or down vote. Category 5 levees or not? An independent FEMA or a FEMA still ensconced in Homeland Security? Do we pour $40 billion into grandiose Louisiana engineering projects or do we instead put up "no trespassing" signs in the areas below sea level? All are hard choices with various merits and pains.
The important thing, however, is for America to decide whether the current policy of inaction is really the way we want to deal with the worst natural disaster in our history.
Douglas Brinkley is a history professor at Rice University and
the author of "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast."
Reckless Abandonment
By Douglas BrinkleySunday, August 26, 2007; B01
Over the past two years since Hurricane Katrina, I've seen waves of hardworking volunteers from nonprofits, faith-based groups and college campuses descend on New Orleans, full of compassion and hope.
They arrive in the city's Ninth Ward to painstakingly gut houses one by one. Their jaws drop as they wander around afflicted zones, gazing at the towering mounds of debris and uprooted infrastructure.
After weeks of grueling labor, they realize that they are running in place, toiling in a surreal vacuum.
Two full years after the hurricane, the Big Easy is barely limping along, unable to make truly meaningful reconstruction progress. The most important issues concerning the city's long-term survival are still up in the air. Why is no Herculean clean-up effort underway? Why hasn't President Bush named a high-profile czar such as Colin Powell or James Baker to oversee the ongoing disaster? Where is the U.S. government's participation in the rebuilding?
And why are volunteers practically the only ones working to reconstruct homes in communities that may never again have sewage service, garbage collection or electricity?
Eventually, the volunteers' altruism turns to bewilderment and finally to outrage. They've been hoodwinked. The stalled recovery can't be blamed on bureaucratic inertia or red tape alone. Many volunteers come to understand what I've concluded is the heartless reality: The Bush administration actually wants these neighborhoods below sea level to die on the vine.
These days a stiff Caribbean breeze causes residents to jerk into a high-alert state of anxiety. Still unfinished is the overhaul of what some call the "Lego levees," the notoriously flawed 350-mile "flood protection system" that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers starting building in 1965.
The Corps has been busy fixing the three principal holes that opened in August 2005. Its hard work has, in fact, paid a partial dividend. A decent defensive floodwall is now on the east side of the Industrial Canal, attempting to protect the Lower Ninth Ward.
Unfortunately, that is where the upbeat news nosedives. The federal government has refused to shut the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet canal that helped cause the Katrina "funnel effect" flooding two years ago. In addition, entire neglected neighborhoods still have no adequate flood control.
The answer to New Orleans's levee woes is painfully obvious: money and willpower. Common sense dictates that the endangered areas -- if repopulated (and that is a big if) -- demand levees that can sustain Category 5 storms. It's a national obligation. Entire blocks are moldering away while the federal government lifts only a cursory hand to reverse the desultory trend.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest misperceptions the American public harbors is that Katrina was a week-long catastrophe. In truth, it's better to view it as an era. Remember, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s lasted eight or nine years. We're still in the middle of the Katrina saga.
Bold action has been needed for two years now, yet all that the White House has offered is an inadequate trickle of billion-dollar Band-aids and placebo directives. Too often in the United States we forget that "inaction" can be a policy initiative. Every day the White House must decide what not to do.
The stubborn inaction appears to fall under the paternalistic guise of helping the storm victims. Bush's general attitude -- a Catch-22 recipe if ever there was one -- appears to be that only rank fools would return when the first line of hurricane defense are the levees that this administration so far refuses to fix.
New Orleans appears to be largely abandoned by the Department of Homeland Security, except for its safeguarding of the Port Authority (port traffic is at 90 percent of pre-Katrina numbers) and tourist districts above sea level, such as the French Quarter and Uptown. These areas are kept alive largely by the wild success of Harrah's casino and a steady flow of undaunted conventioneers.
The brutal Galveston Hurricane of 1900 may be a historical guide to the administration's thinking. Most survivors of that deadly Texas storm moved to higher land. Administration policies seem to tacitly encourage those who live below sea level in New Orleans to relocate permanently, to leave the dangerous water's edge for more prosperous inland cities such as Shreveport or Baton Rouge.
After the 1900 hurricane, in fact, Galveston, which had been a large, thriving port, was essentially abandoned for Houston, transforming that then-sleepy backwater into the financial center for the entire Gulf South. Galveston devolved into a smallish port-tourist center, one easy to evacuate when hurricanes rear their ugly heads.
To be fair, Bush's apparent post-Katrina inaction policy makes some cold, pragmatic sense. If the U.S. government is not going to rebuild the levees to survive a Category 5 storm -- to be finished at the earliest in 2015 and at an estimated cost of $40 billion, far eclipsing the extravagant bill for the entire Interstate Highway System -- then options are limited.
But what makes the current inaction plan so infuriating is that it's deceptive, offering up this open-armed spin to storm victims: "Come back to New Orleans." Why can't Bush look his fellow citizens in the eye and tell them what seems to be the ugly truth? That as long as he's commander in chief, there won't be an entirely reconstructed levee system.
Shortly after Katrina hit, former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert declared that a lot of New Orleans could be "bulldozed." He was shot down by an outraged public and media, which deemed such remarks insensitive and callous. Two years have shown that Hastert may have articulated what appears to have become the White House's de facto policy. He may have retreated, but the inaction remains.
The White House keeps spinning Bush's abysmal poll numbers by claiming that his legacy will rise decades from now the way Harry S. Truman's did. But Truman had a reputation for straight talk and bold vision. If Bush wants history to perceive him as Trumanesque, then he must act Trumanesque.
Bush's predecessors moved mountains. Theodore Roosevelt set aside 230 million acres for wildlife conservation (plus built the Panama Canal). Franklin D. Roosevelt began a kaleidoscope of New Deal programs to calm the Great Depression and Truman oversaw the Marshall Plan rebuilding of Western Europe after World War II. Bush could seize the initiative and announce a real plan to rebuild, a partnership between the government, Fortune 500 companies and faith-based groups.
Unfortunately, right now New Orleans is having a hard time lobbying on its own behalf. Minnesota's Twin Cities have about 20 Fortune 500 companies to draw in private-sector money to help rebuild the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. New Orleans has one, Entergy, which is verging on bankruptcy. So besides U.S. taxpayers and port fees, New Orleans must count on spiked-up tourist dollars to jumpstart the post-Katrina rebuild.
But this is where the bizarre paradox of living in a city of ruins comes into play. Out of one side of its mouth the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce says, "Come on down, folks! We're not underwater!" Yet these same civic boosters -- viscerally aware that the Bush administration is treating the desperate plight of New Orleans in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind fashion -- don't want to bite the hand that feeds them large chunks of reconstruction cash. New Orleans is both bragging about normalcy and poor-mouthing itself, confusing Americans about what the real state of the city is.
Recently Mayor C. Ray Nagin, born with the proverbial foot in his mouth, tried to explain why the homicide rate in New Orleans is so appallingly high. When a TV reporter asked, Nagin merely shrugged: "It's not good for us, but it also keeps the New Orleans brand out there." This absurd comment -- and dozens like it -- hurts New Orleans's recovery almost as much as Bush's policy of inaction.
Everywhere I travel in the United States, people ask, "Why did you guys reelect such a doofus?" There is a feeling that any community that reelected a "first responder" who stayed in a Hyatt Regency suite during Hurricane Katrina, never delivered a speech to the homeless at the Superdome or Convention Center in New Orleans, and played the "chocolate city" race card at a historic moment when black-white healing was needed probably deserves to get stiffed by the federal government.
And Nagin isn't the only bad ambassador New Orleans has. It also has City Council member Oliver Thomas, Sen. David Vitter and Rep. William J. Jefferson -- all currently in deep trouble for potentially breaking the law. Dismayed by such political buffoonery, Americans have simply turned a blind eye to New Orleans's reconstruction plight. There is a scolding sentiment around the country that Louisiana needs to get its own house in order before looking for fresh levee handouts.
Then there are egregious contractor crimes such as over-billing and price-gouging. The medical infrastructure has largely collapsed. Mercy and Charity hospitals remain closed. A severe crisis in mental health care has erupted and gang violence is on the rise. The Environmental Protection Agency refuses to clearly state that it's safe to live in the metro area. Young professionals, recognizing that there are greener pastures all over the nation, are fleeing in droves.
Even with our trillion-dollar debt and excessive military expenses in Iraq, the American people, if presented with a bold plan, might be ready to save the beleaguered city. Perhaps the people haven't lost their good Samaritan grit.
Let's, for once, put New Orleans on the front burner. After all, Katrina exposed all the ills of urban America -- endemic poverty, institutionalized racism, failing public schools and much more. New Orleans is just a microcosm of Newark and Detroit and hundreds of other troubled urban locales.
How we deal with New Orleans's future will tell us a lot about our nation's future. In 2008 it should really be an up or down vote. Category 5 levees or not? An independent FEMA or a FEMA still ensconced in Homeland Security? Do we pour $40 billion into grandiose Louisiana engineering projects or do we instead put up "no trespassing" signs in the areas below sea level? All are hard choices with various merits and pains.
The important thing, however, is for America to decide whether the current policy of inaction is really the way we want to deal with the worst natural disaster in our history.
Douglas Brinkley is a history professor at Rice University and
the author of "The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast."
Bravo!
Well put, Kevin! This anniversary has stirred up so many emotions for me and I know for a lot of others. How the hell we could be in this sorry ass shape two years down the road is astonishing. I continue to see it as a complete failure of leadership. Not only did the levees and the Army Corps fail us, our so-called leaders at every level have failed us -- repeatedly. What a difference an activist Mayor, a strong Governor and non-idealogue President could have made.
But as one who always sees the Abita half-full, I blieve that ultimately the life force of the city will prevail and the good times will roll again. But how long it will take until New Orleans is off life-support is anybody's guess. Until President Obama is inaugurated, I reckon!
In the meantime, we can all share our passion and our love for the city, support its musicians and encourage others to do the same. And, I hope, put some pressure on our leaders to try a new approach -- fucking lead or get the fuck out of the way!
But as one who always sees the Abita half-full, I blieve that ultimately the life force of the city will prevail and the good times will roll again. But how long it will take until New Orleans is off life-support is anybody's guess. Until President Obama is inaugurated, I reckon!
In the meantime, we can all share our passion and our love for the city, support its musicians and encourage others to do the same. And, I hope, put some pressure on our leaders to try a new approach -- fucking lead or get the fuck out of the way!
Chris Rose on NPR
I just listened to Chris on NPR (
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13966248). Great piece. I live the negative attitudes towards New Orleans everyday here in "sunny" CA. "Those people are nuts to want to go back", "Isn't the crime worse, now?", and, the most fucked up thing I've heard, "The city is just not relevant anymore" (At least this person once thought it relevant). These comments make me angry, but trying to explain my views has been a problem, until I heard Chris. Now I have a new strategy: Instead of anger, I'll show pity for those who don't get NOLA. No more wasting energy trying to convince everyone how great the city is. Those who can be convinced, like all of you who might read this, will be so based on my positive energy toward the city and by my being a new orleanian wherever I am. Hell, most folks around here can't get past the fact that there is humidity in New Orleans and that people actually walk from points A to B. I really do feel sorry for them.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13966248). Great piece. I live the negative attitudes towards New Orleans everyday here in "sunny" CA. "Those people are nuts to want to go back", "Isn't the crime worse, now?", and, the most fucked up thing I've heard, "The city is just not relevant anymore" (At least this person once thought it relevant). These comments make me angry, but trying to explain my views has been a problem, until I heard Chris. Now I have a new strategy: Instead of anger, I'll show pity for those who don't get NOLA. No more wasting energy trying to convince everyone how great the city is. Those who can be convinced, like all of you who might read this, will be so based on my positive energy toward the city and by my being a new orleanian wherever I am. Hell, most folks around here can't get past the fact that there is humidity in New Orleans and that people actually walk from points A to B. I really do feel sorry for them.
Reason #364 Why I Love Barack Obama
Obama: U.S. Can't Fail New Orleans Again
By BECKY BOHRERThe Associated PressMonday, August 27, 2007; 11:22 AM
NEW ORLEANS -- Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday the country cannot fail New Orleans again and that as president, he would keep the city in mind every day.
"The words never again cannot be another empty phrase," he said in front of one of the few rebuilt houses he saw on a brief tour of the city's Gentilly Woods section. "It cannot become another broken promise."
Obama is the first of several presidential candidates from both parties who are set to visit New Orleans in connection with the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday. President Bush also is expected to mark the occasion with a trip to the Gulf Coast.
Obama, whose day began at First Emanuel Baptist Church, said that long before Katrina, the nation had failed to lift up New Orleans, a city with persistent struggles such as poverty and poor public schools. He said that cannot happen again and that Americans have a "collective responsibility" to each other.
"Racial discord, poverty, the old divisions of black and white, rich and poor, it's time to leave that to yesterday," he said.
"In rebuilding, we've got an opportunity to do more than put up a foundation that for too long failed the people of New Orleans," he told congregants. Some snapped photos of him at the pulpit with their cell phones.
"In rebuilding, we've got an opportunity to build something better, a foundation that can put up with a lot, upon which the children of New Orleans can build their dreams."
Progress since Katrina has been slow, mired in bureaucracy and marred by fingerpointing among federal, state and local officials. Some small businesses are struggling, houses remain empty in vast sections of the city and people are frustrated.
From several residents, Obama heard about poor infrastructure and the slow pace of home rebuilding grants. He walked past empty lots overgrown with weeds rising above his head and saw Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers and signs advertising services such as mold remediation.
"I just feel like we've been forgotten about," resident JoAnn Fleming Bradley told him.
The Illinois senator criticized Bush for what he said was a lack of urgency in rebuilding the city. "I can promise you this: I will be a president who wakes up every morning and goes to bed every night with the future of this city on my mind," Obama said.
He outlined a plan he said would help restore the region by:
_providing grants for community policing in New Orleans, which has struggled with violence since Katrina;
_offering incentives such as loan forgiveness programs to try to attract doctors and college students;
_ensuring displaced residents who want to return have a place to stay;
_creating a national catastrophic insurance reserve, which he said would help homeowners struggling with their premiums.
At least two other leading Democratic candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, also have outlined rebuilding plans and touched on similar themes.
"Part of the problem, I'll be honest with you, I just don't think there is a sense of urgency in the White House, where the president is cracking the whip, day in, day out, and saying, 'Why is it that we're not getting this done?'" Obama said.
"I mean, you think about the amount of attention that's been devoted to Iraq. 'All hands on deck.' I don't get that same sense that there's a focus on getting this work done," Obama said.
By BECKY BOHRERThe Associated PressMonday, August 27, 2007; 11:22 AM
NEW ORLEANS -- Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday the country cannot fail New Orleans again and that as president, he would keep the city in mind every day.
"The words never again cannot be another empty phrase," he said in front of one of the few rebuilt houses he saw on a brief tour of the city's Gentilly Woods section. "It cannot become another broken promise."
Obama is the first of several presidential candidates from both parties who are set to visit New Orleans in connection with the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Wednesday. President Bush also is expected to mark the occasion with a trip to the Gulf Coast.
Obama, whose day began at First Emanuel Baptist Church, said that long before Katrina, the nation had failed to lift up New Orleans, a city with persistent struggles such as poverty and poor public schools. He said that cannot happen again and that Americans have a "collective responsibility" to each other.
"Racial discord, poverty, the old divisions of black and white, rich and poor, it's time to leave that to yesterday," he said.
"In rebuilding, we've got an opportunity to do more than put up a foundation that for too long failed the people of New Orleans," he told congregants. Some snapped photos of him at the pulpit with their cell phones.
"In rebuilding, we've got an opportunity to build something better, a foundation that can put up with a lot, upon which the children of New Orleans can build their dreams."
Progress since Katrina has been slow, mired in bureaucracy and marred by fingerpointing among federal, state and local officials. Some small businesses are struggling, houses remain empty in vast sections of the city and people are frustrated.
From several residents, Obama heard about poor infrastructure and the slow pace of home rebuilding grants. He walked past empty lots overgrown with weeds rising above his head and saw Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers and signs advertising services such as mold remediation.
"I just feel like we've been forgotten about," resident JoAnn Fleming Bradley told him.
The Illinois senator criticized Bush for what he said was a lack of urgency in rebuilding the city. "I can promise you this: I will be a president who wakes up every morning and goes to bed every night with the future of this city on my mind," Obama said.
He outlined a plan he said would help restore the region by:
_providing grants for community policing in New Orleans, which has struggled with violence since Katrina;
_offering incentives such as loan forgiveness programs to try to attract doctors and college students;
_ensuring displaced residents who want to return have a place to stay;
_creating a national catastrophic insurance reserve, which he said would help homeowners struggling with their premiums.
At least two other leading Democratic candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards, also have outlined rebuilding plans and touched on similar themes.
"Part of the problem, I'll be honest with you, I just don't think there is a sense of urgency in the White House, where the president is cracking the whip, day in, day out, and saying, 'Why is it that we're not getting this done?'" Obama said.
"I mean, you think about the amount of attention that's been devoted to Iraq. 'All hands on deck.' I don't get that same sense that there's a focus on getting this work done," Obama said.
Trombone Shorty Hits the Big Time!
Thanks, Kim, for the link to today's fabulous story on Troy Andrews.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/default.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/default.htm
From Sunday's Washington Post
Still Singing Those Post-Katrina Blues
By Teresa WiltzWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, August 26, 2007; M01
NEW ORLEANS -- In a funky, crowded, smoke-filled bar in the French Quarter, locals are passing a tip bucket 'round the room, while singer John Boutte whoops and hollers, banging on his tambourine, crooning tales of regret and rage over the havoc wreaked by that witch Katrina. Adding his own spin to an old Randy Newman song, "Louisiana 1927":
President Bush flew over in a airplane . . .
President Bush said, "Great job, good job!
"What the levees have done to this poor Creole's land . . . ."
Backstage, in between sets, the Virgin Mary gazes down from her perch on the wall while the bar's managers count the proceeds, every single, every fiver, every ten-spot, counting aloud, one, two, three, four . . . $147. They count again . . . $147. And then hand the loot to Boutte, the son of seven generations of musicmaking New Orleans Creoles.
"I'm rich," Boutte says sardonically, fanning out the bills in his hands like a deck of cards.
Two years post-Katrina, it's like this for the city's musicians: New Orleans may be the music mecca, the birthplace of jazz, the place where you go to get your juice. But it's no place to make money.
"People tell me I should get the [expletive] out," says Boutte, at 48 and 5-foot-3, a bronze-skinned, bellicose, curly-haired Pan.
"Hell no. Why should I leave? This is my home. My ancestors' bones are here. . . .
"They've squashed my joy. But I'm not extinguished yet."
* * *
Nearly 4,000 New Orleans musicians were sent scattering after Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005. Many of them have been trying to return ever since. Today the soul of the city -- its rich musical legacy-- is at risk.
"Everything is shrinking," says David Freedman, general manager of WWOZ-FM, a public radio station in the city. "In the clubs, you get the impression that all's back to normal. When you start scratching the surface, it's smoke and mirrors.
"So many musicians have not come back. How many can we lose before we lose that dynamic? To what degree do we just become a tourist theme park?"
By industry insiders' estimates, a third of the city's musicians, like Boutte, have found a way back home for good. Another third, like Lumar LeBlanc of the brass band Soul Rebels, are doing what he calls "the double Zip code thing," parachuting into town for gigs and then heading back to temporary homes in Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles. The final third, like blind bluesman Henry Butler, stuck in Denver, have yet to make it back.
Among the double Zip-coders is Ivan Neville, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, son of Aaron. His mom's house was washed away. She passed in January. His dad settled near Nashville. Neville relocated to Austin, jetting in and out of New Orleans a couple times a month. As for making a permanent move back home?
"I don't see it," Neville, 48, says between sets at the Maple Leaf in the city's Uptown section. "Not in the near future. The spirit of New Orleans is alive. But it will never be the same again."
How do you measure loss? So much is gone now, so much will never come back. There are tangible ways, of course: High schools lost their caches of musical instruments. Fifty public schools remain shuttered; enrollment is down 40 percent. With the loss of schools comes the loss of teaching jobs, work that musicians counted on to pay the rent between gigs. With the loss of students comes the loss of a future generation of musicians. (This year, the state passed legislation requiring that art and music be taught in the public schools.)
"Is New Orleans's music scene coming back?" says Bill Summers, 59, a percussionist and voodoo priest who's played with Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Madonna and Sting. "Yeah. And no. Baby . . . it's very sad."
Says Deacon John Moore, 66, an R&B singer and president of the local musicians union: "We've been reduced to beggars in the streets. Begging for tips from the tourists. . . . The competition is so keen among musicians, they'd do almost anything for exposure."
Life was always tough for New Orleans's musicmakers: Decent pay was scarce, with musicians, desperate to make a buck, scrambling for whatever they could get, underpricing other musicians.
The waters rushing in from Lake Ponchartrain obliterated already fragile support systems. Neighborhood-based Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, once the backbone of New Orleans society, helping their dues-paying members with burial and hospital expenses, have been displaced. Eighty percent of the city flooded; more than 200,000 homes were destroyed in the process. Rents have close to doubled since the storm; a one-bedroom apartment that once could be had for $500 a month now goes for more than $800.
The upside to calamity, if there is one, may be artistic. "Post-Katrina, everybody is getting in touch with their New Orleans roots," says singer-songwriter Paul Sanchez, co-founder of the country-rock band Cowboy Mouth. "We all lost more than we can ever articulate. And as artists, it's our job to articulate that loss."
Deprivation still abounds. You see it in the FEMA trailers parked outside Katrina-ravaged houses. You feel it in the bulldozed lots of the Lower Ninth Ward, where homeowners have scrawled on the handful of remaining homes: "DO NOT DEMO. WORK IN PROGRESS."
You hear it in the music, from trumpeter Terence Blanchard's funereal "A Taste of God's Will: A Requiem for Katrina" to Cowboy Mouth's CD, "Voodoo Shoppe," to Boutte's melancholic cover of Annie Lennox's "Why."
You read it in the death notices.
In the past year, New Orleans's music community has buried at least 19 of its own -- and everyone seems to keep a running tally from the obituaries. This summer, within a week of each other, five musicians died: R&B singer Oliver Morgan; jazz saxophonist Earl "the African Cowboy" Turbinton; musician and jazz poet Eluard Burke; R&B vocalist Issachar Gordon; jazz percussionist John Thompson.
George Brumat, the owner of the legendary jazz club Snug Harbor, died in July of an apparent heart attack at 63. Jazz virtuoso Alvin Batiste passed in May, also of a presumed heart attack, at 74. Just after Christmas, Dinerral Shavers, 25, a drummer with the Hot 8 Brass Band, was shot in the back of the head while driving with his wife and children through the streets of New Orleans -- a victim of the city's crime rate, which escalated at an alarming rate after the hurricane.
"These are Katrina deaths," WWOZ's Freeman contends. "It's stress. They were fragile. And this pushed them over the edge."
* * *
There are, of course, programs created to help musicians and to "preserve" the legacy of New Orleans, efforts both private and public. There's the Musicians' Village, where native sons Harry Connick Jr. and Branford and Ellis Marsalis partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build 70 single-family houses in the Upper Ninth Ward. There's Sweet Home New Orleans, a collective of 14 not-for-profit agencies serving New Orleans musicians. And there's a grandiose, but so far stalled, $716 million proposal that involves restoring the Hyatt Regency Hotel and building a massive National Jazz Center and park.
"We have to think big," says Irvin Mayfield Jr., artistic director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. "Build an institution that's going to survive any hurricane. The country needs to get behind something audacious."
But the hardest thing to preserve is something that can't be purchased. It is that which New Orleanians so desperately want to preserve: the feel of the city, that NOLA mojo, the likes of which can be found in Bullets, a crowded little Mid-City joint. Inside, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and his band, the Barbecue Swingers, are jammed against the window. A steady stream of sports is playing on the TV, but no one pays much attention.
In spirit, Bullets is as far from the tourist-laden French Quarter as you can get. Here, it's buckets of Miller Lite and chicken wings served alongside Ruffins's gritty, greasy swinging "trad jazz" -- traditional jazz. The crowd is more boomer than youthful, with seasoned souls sporting tees that read "We Survived Hurricane Katrina" and "New Orleans: Proud to Call It Home." A grizzled gent leans over a newcomer, slyly uttering the post-Katrina pickup line du jour: "I really want to show you the Ninth Ward."
As the sun sets, a man comes in peddling homemade tamales; another hawks cellphone covers and disposable cameras. Tattooed white kids arrive, while a contingent of Creole matrons stands in the center of the room, arms folded, looking just a little bit aloof. Until they start to dance as one, getting down and dirty with the beat.
A man scratches away on a washboard as band members sing in Creole and English, catcalling and ululating. Everybody, it seems, knows the words, and they sing along, loud and strong, filling the tiny club with a sense of goose-bump-raising communion.
I cry Hey mama
In the morning time
Yi-Yi-Yi
"Only in New Orleans," Ruffins chants, laughing and laughing. "Only in New Orleans."
* * *
This is the city that spawned Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and Sidney Bechet, Randy Newman and Master P -- not to mention a long line of famous musical families: the Marsalises, the Nevilles, the Batistes, the Toussaints.
Folks like to brag that New Orleans is the northernmost tip of the Caribbean, a sentiment that has little to do with geography. It's a sensibility, evident in the food, the culture, in the French and Spanish surnames, in the old folks who cling to Creole, an Africanized French patois.
New Orleanians have always celebrated the mixing of genes, the blending of races and cultures into a potent ancestral gumbo. All this informs the music here, marinating it in nostalgia and a sense of defiant joy. New Orleanians are peculiarly tied to place, ever cognizant of history.
Drive by Congo Square, and without fail, a local will remind you that it was here that the slaves played their music on Sundays, drumming away their worries, and where a slave could earn enough extra money to buy freedom. Where the Creole orchestras played in brass band concerts -- many of whose members were the black sons of rich white fathers who sent them to Europe to be educated.
"In New York, you learn jazz, you learn the blues," Paul Sanchez says. "In New Orleans, you're born into it. Baby comes out the womb chasing the rhythm."
He's waxing lyrical as he tools around the Lower Ninth Ward, cruising in his green minivan.
"I tell you, this place is magic," Sanchez says. "I say this with sadness in my voice."
For Sanchez, scion of the city's working-class Irish Channel neighborhood, life pre-Katrina meant 16 years of touring the world with Cowboy Mouth. Partying like a rock star. He had a wife and a house, cash in his pocket. Then the water wiped out everything he had. Everything, that is, but his wife.
Back in the day, it was sold-out gigs at the 9:30 club in Washington. Now he's no longer with Cowboy Mouth, and when he's not playing for tips, Sanchez is driving from city to city, playing house parties for $750 a pop, hoping for the random club gig. Being "formerly of" a once-popular band gets you only so far.
Sanchez was in Atlanta recording a Cowboy Mouth album when the storm hit. With nowhere to go, the band booked a bunch of gigs and hit the road. But playing with the band now felt like "a cartoon," so he left. For three months, he and his wife hid out in Belize, too battle-scarred to move back home. Eventually, they made it back, renting out a spot in the Lakeview area.
His music has changed: It's slower, sadder, resolute, seasoned with both bitterness and hope, rooted in New Orleans traditions and themes. Now he's collaborating on a new CD with his buddy, Boutte; he spends a lot of time hanging out with blues and jazz musicians.
"At 47, I don't have to prove to anyone that I can rock," says Sanchez, a man with a fondness for old-school fedoras. "I played rock-and-roll. Now I play New Orleans music. There's definitely a freedom in that."
* * *
At 21, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is one of the lucky ones. Where others have struggled post-Katrina, his career is taking off: He played with the Neville Brothers on Letterman. He made his acting debut on NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." For the rest of the year, he's got 19 gigs booked, touring the country with his jazz-funk-rock-pop band, Orleans Avenue.
When Katrina hit, Andrews was a 19-year-old wunderkind on break from touring with Lenny Kravitz. He fled with his family to Dallas, 10 crammed in his Volvo, wondering and worrying if other family members made it out, too.
He didn't stay away for long. New Orleans grounds him. Specifically, it is Faubourg Treme that feeds him -- reputed to be America's oldest black neighborhood, which nurtured the musical talents of the Rebirth Brass Band, 19th-century Creole classical composer Edmund Dede, Kermit Ruffins and Louis Prima. The neighborhood that nurtured Andrews.
Here, high-water marks along the wooden shotgun houses and shuttered nightclubs give mute testimony to the flood. Few residents returned, but today, under a highway overpass, against a backdrop of murals of long-gone jazz greats, a group of men gathers as it does every day, sitting on metal folding chairs, trying to reclaim a little bit of community. Most of them don't live here any longer.
"These," Andrews says, pointing at the men as he pulls up alongside them in his oversize SUV, "are the last that's left. This is the soul of the neighborhood."
He rolls down the window. "Hey, Dad. Do you need anything? You hungry?" His father, James, smiles at him, shakes his head.
This is where Trombone Shorty comes to touch base, to get his "laugh on," to run errands for his elders. To remind himself not to get a big head. To remind himself of the importance of reaching back, to pull along other musicians who aren't as fortunate as he.
"New Orleans made me who I am," Andrews says. "I can't leave it.
"I need New Orleans. And New Orleans needs me."
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var article_id = "AR2007082301413" ;
By Teresa WiltzWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, August 26, 2007; M01
NEW ORLEANS -- In a funky, crowded, smoke-filled bar in the French Quarter, locals are passing a tip bucket 'round the room, while singer John Boutte whoops and hollers, banging on his tambourine, crooning tales of regret and rage over the havoc wreaked by that witch Katrina. Adding his own spin to an old Randy Newman song, "Louisiana 1927":
President Bush flew over in a airplane . . .
President Bush said, "Great job, good job!
"What the levees have done to this poor Creole's land . . . ."
Backstage, in between sets, the Virgin Mary gazes down from her perch on the wall while the bar's managers count the proceeds, every single, every fiver, every ten-spot, counting aloud, one, two, three, four . . . $147. They count again . . . $147. And then hand the loot to Boutte, the son of seven generations of musicmaking New Orleans Creoles.
"I'm rich," Boutte says sardonically, fanning out the bills in his hands like a deck of cards.
Two years post-Katrina, it's like this for the city's musicians: New Orleans may be the music mecca, the birthplace of jazz, the place where you go to get your juice. But it's no place to make money.
"People tell me I should get the [expletive] out," says Boutte, at 48 and 5-foot-3, a bronze-skinned, bellicose, curly-haired Pan.
"Hell no. Why should I leave? This is my home. My ancestors' bones are here. . . .
"They've squashed my joy. But I'm not extinguished yet."
* * *
Nearly 4,000 New Orleans musicians were sent scattering after Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005. Many of them have been trying to return ever since. Today the soul of the city -- its rich musical legacy-- is at risk.
"Everything is shrinking," says David Freedman, general manager of WWOZ-FM, a public radio station in the city. "In the clubs, you get the impression that all's back to normal. When you start scratching the surface, it's smoke and mirrors.
"So many musicians have not come back. How many can we lose before we lose that dynamic? To what degree do we just become a tourist theme park?"
By industry insiders' estimates, a third of the city's musicians, like Boutte, have found a way back home for good. Another third, like Lumar LeBlanc of the brass band Soul Rebels, are doing what he calls "the double Zip code thing," parachuting into town for gigs and then heading back to temporary homes in Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles. The final third, like blind bluesman Henry Butler, stuck in Denver, have yet to make it back.
Among the double Zip-coders is Ivan Neville, singer, songwriter, keyboardist, son of Aaron. His mom's house was washed away. She passed in January. His dad settled near Nashville. Neville relocated to Austin, jetting in and out of New Orleans a couple times a month. As for making a permanent move back home?
"I don't see it," Neville, 48, says between sets at the Maple Leaf in the city's Uptown section. "Not in the near future. The spirit of New Orleans is alive. But it will never be the same again."
How do you measure loss? So much is gone now, so much will never come back. There are tangible ways, of course: High schools lost their caches of musical instruments. Fifty public schools remain shuttered; enrollment is down 40 percent. With the loss of schools comes the loss of teaching jobs, work that musicians counted on to pay the rent between gigs. With the loss of students comes the loss of a future generation of musicians. (This year, the state passed legislation requiring that art and music be taught in the public schools.)
"Is New Orleans's music scene coming back?" says Bill Summers, 59, a percussionist and voodoo priest who's played with Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Madonna and Sting. "Yeah. And no. Baby . . . it's very sad."
Says Deacon John Moore, 66, an R&B singer and president of the local musicians union: "We've been reduced to beggars in the streets. Begging for tips from the tourists. . . . The competition is so keen among musicians, they'd do almost anything for exposure."
Life was always tough for New Orleans's musicmakers: Decent pay was scarce, with musicians, desperate to make a buck, scrambling for whatever they could get, underpricing other musicians.
The waters rushing in from Lake Ponchartrain obliterated already fragile support systems. Neighborhood-based Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, once the backbone of New Orleans society, helping their dues-paying members with burial and hospital expenses, have been displaced. Eighty percent of the city flooded; more than 200,000 homes were destroyed in the process. Rents have close to doubled since the storm; a one-bedroom apartment that once could be had for $500 a month now goes for more than $800.
The upside to calamity, if there is one, may be artistic. "Post-Katrina, everybody is getting in touch with their New Orleans roots," says singer-songwriter Paul Sanchez, co-founder of the country-rock band Cowboy Mouth. "We all lost more than we can ever articulate. And as artists, it's our job to articulate that loss."
Deprivation still abounds. You see it in the FEMA trailers parked outside Katrina-ravaged houses. You feel it in the bulldozed lots of the Lower Ninth Ward, where homeowners have scrawled on the handful of remaining homes: "DO NOT DEMO. WORK IN PROGRESS."
You hear it in the music, from trumpeter Terence Blanchard's funereal "A Taste of God's Will: A Requiem for Katrina" to Cowboy Mouth's CD, "Voodoo Shoppe," to Boutte's melancholic cover of Annie Lennox's "Why."
You read it in the death notices.
In the past year, New Orleans's music community has buried at least 19 of its own -- and everyone seems to keep a running tally from the obituaries. This summer, within a week of each other, five musicians died: R&B singer Oliver Morgan; jazz saxophonist Earl "the African Cowboy" Turbinton; musician and jazz poet Eluard Burke; R&B vocalist Issachar Gordon; jazz percussionist John Thompson.
George Brumat, the owner of the legendary jazz club Snug Harbor, died in July of an apparent heart attack at 63. Jazz virtuoso Alvin Batiste passed in May, also of a presumed heart attack, at 74. Just after Christmas, Dinerral Shavers, 25, a drummer with the Hot 8 Brass Band, was shot in the back of the head while driving with his wife and children through the streets of New Orleans -- a victim of the city's crime rate, which escalated at an alarming rate after the hurricane.
"These are Katrina deaths," WWOZ's Freeman contends. "It's stress. They were fragile. And this pushed them over the edge."
* * *
There are, of course, programs created to help musicians and to "preserve" the legacy of New Orleans, efforts both private and public. There's the Musicians' Village, where native sons Harry Connick Jr. and Branford and Ellis Marsalis partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build 70 single-family houses in the Upper Ninth Ward. There's Sweet Home New Orleans, a collective of 14 not-for-profit agencies serving New Orleans musicians. And there's a grandiose, but so far stalled, $716 million proposal that involves restoring the Hyatt Regency Hotel and building a massive National Jazz Center and park.
"We have to think big," says Irvin Mayfield Jr., artistic director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. "Build an institution that's going to survive any hurricane. The country needs to get behind something audacious."
But the hardest thing to preserve is something that can't be purchased. It is that which New Orleanians so desperately want to preserve: the feel of the city, that NOLA mojo, the likes of which can be found in Bullets, a crowded little Mid-City joint. Inside, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and his band, the Barbecue Swingers, are jammed against the window. A steady stream of sports is playing on the TV, but no one pays much attention.
In spirit, Bullets is as far from the tourist-laden French Quarter as you can get. Here, it's buckets of Miller Lite and chicken wings served alongside Ruffins's gritty, greasy swinging "trad jazz" -- traditional jazz. The crowd is more boomer than youthful, with seasoned souls sporting tees that read "We Survived Hurricane Katrina" and "New Orleans: Proud to Call It Home." A grizzled gent leans over a newcomer, slyly uttering the post-Katrina pickup line du jour: "I really want to show you the Ninth Ward."
As the sun sets, a man comes in peddling homemade tamales; another hawks cellphone covers and disposable cameras. Tattooed white kids arrive, while a contingent of Creole matrons stands in the center of the room, arms folded, looking just a little bit aloof. Until they start to dance as one, getting down and dirty with the beat.
A man scratches away on a washboard as band members sing in Creole and English, catcalling and ululating. Everybody, it seems, knows the words, and they sing along, loud and strong, filling the tiny club with a sense of goose-bump-raising communion.
I cry Hey mama
In the morning time
Yi-Yi-Yi
"Only in New Orleans," Ruffins chants, laughing and laughing. "Only in New Orleans."
* * *
This is the city that spawned Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and Sidney Bechet, Randy Newman and Master P -- not to mention a long line of famous musical families: the Marsalises, the Nevilles, the Batistes, the Toussaints.
Folks like to brag that New Orleans is the northernmost tip of the Caribbean, a sentiment that has little to do with geography. It's a sensibility, evident in the food, the culture, in the French and Spanish surnames, in the old folks who cling to Creole, an Africanized French patois.
New Orleanians have always celebrated the mixing of genes, the blending of races and cultures into a potent ancestral gumbo. All this informs the music here, marinating it in nostalgia and a sense of defiant joy. New Orleanians are peculiarly tied to place, ever cognizant of history.
Drive by Congo Square, and without fail, a local will remind you that it was here that the slaves played their music on Sundays, drumming away their worries, and where a slave could earn enough extra money to buy freedom. Where the Creole orchestras played in brass band concerts -- many of whose members were the black sons of rich white fathers who sent them to Europe to be educated.
"In New York, you learn jazz, you learn the blues," Paul Sanchez says. "In New Orleans, you're born into it. Baby comes out the womb chasing the rhythm."
He's waxing lyrical as he tools around the Lower Ninth Ward, cruising in his green minivan.
"I tell you, this place is magic," Sanchez says. "I say this with sadness in my voice."
For Sanchez, scion of the city's working-class Irish Channel neighborhood, life pre-Katrina meant 16 years of touring the world with Cowboy Mouth. Partying like a rock star. He had a wife and a house, cash in his pocket. Then the water wiped out everything he had. Everything, that is, but his wife.
Back in the day, it was sold-out gigs at the 9:30 club in Washington. Now he's no longer with Cowboy Mouth, and when he's not playing for tips, Sanchez is driving from city to city, playing house parties for $750 a pop, hoping for the random club gig. Being "formerly of" a once-popular band gets you only so far.
Sanchez was in Atlanta recording a Cowboy Mouth album when the storm hit. With nowhere to go, the band booked a bunch of gigs and hit the road. But playing with the band now felt like "a cartoon," so he left. For three months, he and his wife hid out in Belize, too battle-scarred to move back home. Eventually, they made it back, renting out a spot in the Lakeview area.
His music has changed: It's slower, sadder, resolute, seasoned with both bitterness and hope, rooted in New Orleans traditions and themes. Now he's collaborating on a new CD with his buddy, Boutte; he spends a lot of time hanging out with blues and jazz musicians.
"At 47, I don't have to prove to anyone that I can rock," says Sanchez, a man with a fondness for old-school fedoras. "I played rock-and-roll. Now I play New Orleans music. There's definitely a freedom in that."
* * *
At 21, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is one of the lucky ones. Where others have struggled post-Katrina, his career is taking off: He played with the Neville Brothers on Letterman. He made his acting debut on NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." For the rest of the year, he's got 19 gigs booked, touring the country with his jazz-funk-rock-pop band, Orleans Avenue.
When Katrina hit, Andrews was a 19-year-old wunderkind on break from touring with Lenny Kravitz. He fled with his family to Dallas, 10 crammed in his Volvo, wondering and worrying if other family members made it out, too.
He didn't stay away for long. New Orleans grounds him. Specifically, it is Faubourg Treme that feeds him -- reputed to be America's oldest black neighborhood, which nurtured the musical talents of the Rebirth Brass Band, 19th-century Creole classical composer Edmund Dede, Kermit Ruffins and Louis Prima. The neighborhood that nurtured Andrews.
Here, high-water marks along the wooden shotgun houses and shuttered nightclubs give mute testimony to the flood. Few residents returned, but today, under a highway overpass, against a backdrop of murals of long-gone jazz greats, a group of men gathers as it does every day, sitting on metal folding chairs, trying to reclaim a little bit of community. Most of them don't live here any longer.
"These," Andrews says, pointing at the men as he pulls up alongside them in his oversize SUV, "are the last that's left. This is the soul of the neighborhood."
He rolls down the window. "Hey, Dad. Do you need anything? You hungry?" His father, James, smiles at him, shakes his head.
This is where Trombone Shorty comes to touch base, to get his "laugh on," to run errands for his elders. To remind himself not to get a big head. To remind himself of the importance of reaching back, to pull along other musicians who aren't as fortunate as he.
"New Orleans made me who I am," Andrews says. "I can't leave it.
"I need New Orleans. And New Orleans needs me."
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var article_id = "AR2007082301413" ;
Saturday, August 25, 2007
New Orleans In Chicago!
Saw a great New Orleans tribute show last night at beautiful Millenium Park in downtown Chicago. Featured act was The New Orleans Social Club, which features among others, the great New Orleans piano player Henry Butler, Ivan Neville and guitarist Leo Nocintelli of the late, great Meters.
Joining the Social Club were Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews -- who was astonishing as always on Trombone; John Boutte -- who did a bring-the-house-down version of "Why"; Irma Thomas; Chicago's own "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor and the Hot 8 Brass Band.
Lots of great moments -- particularly when Koko, John and Irma were dancing together during Saints! And when Troy was hanging with Henry Butler. Crowd was second lining and having a ball.
Lots of heartfelt tributes to New Orleans from the announcers and everybody involved. Felt like New Orleans in Chicago for a few hours at least!
By the way, John spotted me in the audience, which added to the fun!
Joining the Social Club were Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews -- who was astonishing as always on Trombone; John Boutte -- who did a bring-the-house-down version of "Why"; Irma Thomas; Chicago's own "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor and the Hot 8 Brass Band.
Lots of great moments -- particularly when Koko, John and Irma were dancing together during Saints! And when Troy was hanging with Henry Butler. Crowd was second lining and having a ball.
Lots of heartfelt tributes to New Orleans from the announcers and everybody involved. Felt like New Orleans in Chicago for a few hours at least!
By the way, John spotted me in the audience, which added to the fun!
Friday, August 24, 2007
From the "Are You Kidding Me?" Department
President to mark Katrina anniversary
Posted by Washington bureau August 24, 2007 2:34PM
By Bruce AlpertWashington bureau
WASHINGTON -- President Bush will be in New Orleans on Wednesday to observe the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the White House has announced.
It provided no details of the president's itinerary. The visit will be Bush's 13th to the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.
Bush's trip will follow visits to the city by five presidential candidates seeking to succeed him in 2009. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., running second in polls among Democratic contenders, will address the First Emanuel Baptist Church at 1829 Carondelet St. on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and later go on a walking tour of a New Orleans neighborhood.
On Monday, Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., along with former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., will appear at a Katrina summit organized by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., at the University of New Orleans. Also appearing will be Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that Bush continues to follow through "on his commitment to help local citizens rebuild their lives and communities on the Gulf Coast.
He said that the federal government has provided more than $114 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts, over $96 billion of which as been disbursed or is available for states to draw from.
In addition to a stop in New Orleans, Bush is also slated to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Johndroe said.
Posted by Washington bureau August 24, 2007 2:34PM
By Bruce AlpertWashington bureau
WASHINGTON -- President Bush will be in New Orleans on Wednesday to observe the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the White House has announced.
It provided no details of the president's itinerary. The visit will be Bush's 13th to the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.
Bush's trip will follow visits to the city by five presidential candidates seeking to succeed him in 2009. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., running second in polls among Democratic contenders, will address the First Emanuel Baptist Church at 1829 Carondelet St. on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and later go on a walking tour of a New Orleans neighborhood.
On Monday, Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., along with former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., will appear at a Katrina summit organized by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., at the University of New Orleans. Also appearing will be Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that Bush continues to follow through "on his commitment to help local citizens rebuild their lives and communities on the Gulf Coast.
He said that the federal government has provided more than $114 billion for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts, over $96 billion of which as been disbursed or is available for states to draw from.
In addition to a stop in New Orleans, Bush is also slated to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Johndroe said.
Katrina Anniversary Coverage
Katrina anniversary TV coverage kicks into high gear
By Dave WalkerTV columnist
Katie's already been here and Brian and Anderson are on their way, so you know the K+Y2 anniversary is knocking.
Following is a selected overview of planned network coverage of the Gulf Coast's recovery, such as it is, two years after It. (Local news-providing broadcasters have plans of their own, to be detailed in Living later this week.)
What follows are the tentative and subject-to-change network plans, as supplied by network publicity departments to varying degrees of detail.
ABC The network's branded coverage -- slogan: "Katrina: Where Things Stand" -- begins at 7 a.m. today (Sunday) on WGNO-Channel 26 with a "Good Morning America" report by correspondent Jim Avila on the state of mental health in New Orleans. The coverage continues at 10:30 a.m. in the "Voices" segment on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," which will feature Pass Christian, Miss., native Robin Roberts discussing her involvement with the Pink Hearts Fund, an organization founded by a survivor of both breast cancer and Katrina who has helped other similar survivors. At 5:30 p.m., "World News" Sunday anchor Dan Harris will report on Lower 9th Ward residents struggling to rebuild, and Avila will report on the St. Rita's nursing home trial.
On Tuesday's "Good Morning America," Avila will examine the Road Home mess. On Wednesday's "GMA," Diane Sawyer and Roberts will co-anchor the show's anniversary coverage.
Also Wednesday, "World News with Charles Gibson" (5:30 p.m.) and/or its Webcast will feature reports from Steve Osunsami (violent crime in the city) and Avila (levees). Later, on "Nightline" (delayed a half-hour to 11:05 p.m. due to extended local news on WGNO), Harris reports on coastal erosion.
CBS Tonight at 6 on WWL-Channel 4, "60 Minutes" repeats Morley Safer's story about Dr. Anna Pou's prosecution. The "CBS Evening News" (5:30 p.m. weekdays) plans a Katrina anniversary series to run throughout the week, for which anchor Katie Couric visited New Orleans last week. Two stories by Harry Smith, tentatively scheduled to run Thursday and Friday on "The Early Show" (7 a.m., WUPL-Channel 54) examine recovery obstacles and rebuilding volunteerism.
"48 Hours Mystery" has been in town working on two episodes -- one apparently about the murders of Dinerral Shavers and Helen Hill, the other about the St. Rita's case. Airdates for both are not set.
CNN "Children of the Storm," the result of a yearlong project overseen by Soledad O'Brien and filmmaker Spike Lee, airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Eleven local teenagers were outfitted with video gear to tell their own recovery stories for the program, which repeats at the same time Saturday and Sept. 2.
With its title star reporting live from New Orleans, a special edition of "Anderson Cooper 360" titled "Katrina, Two Years Later: Keeping Them Honest" will air at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Fox News Channel Reporters Jeff Golblatt and Kris Gutierrez will file live updates from New Orleans throughout the day Wednesday for Fox's regularly scheduled news programming. Story topics are expected to include recovery progress, relief funding allocation and levee repair. During "Studio B with Shepard Smith" (2 p.m.) and "The Fox Report with Shepard Smith" (6 p.m.), Trace Gallagher will report on New Orleans recovery challenges. Also on Fox, Marianne Silber will look at "voluntourism" in Mississippi.
HBO All 270 minutes of Spike Lee's documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" will rerun at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
NBC At 9 tonight, the cable network CNBC premieres "Against the Tide: The Battle for New Orleans," a documentary analyzing the New Orleans business community's recovery. It repeats at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Tuesday, Brian Williams will anchor the "NBC Nightly News" from Waveland, Miss. Wednesday, he's here -- for the 14th time. Also on the story: NBC New Orleans Bureau correspondent Martin Savidge.
The Weather ChannelAt 4 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 1) on "Forecast Earth: This Week," host Heidi Cullen will revisit New Orleans to take stock of recovery efforts.
Public radio A special edition of "American Routes" -- titled "After the Storm IX: Recovery Routes" -- airs at 6 p.m. today on WWNO FM-89.9. Profiled artists include Irma Thomas, James Andrews, members of the Rebirth Brass Band and Lionel Ferbos.
At 8 tonight, WWNO will air "Routes to Recovery," a documentary by American RadioWorks, a segment for which will examine the recovery role of the city's vernacular culture, including brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians.
The week's Katrina slate for NPR News, carried by WWNO, is full. Stories will air on most of the network's news programs (and reviewable after the fact, as always, at www.npr.org).
Expected coverage highlights: On Monday's "All Things Considered" (4 p.m.), Wade Goodwyn reports on the nearly 100,000 Katrina evacuees still in Houston. On Wednesday's "Morning Edition" (5 a.m.), Pam Fessler tracks recovery dollars. Thursday, "Morning Edition" profiles Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas. On Friday's "All Things Considered," Ari Shapiro looks at New Orleans' criminal justice system, and Noah Adams profiles Eddie Bo.
TV columnist Dave Walker can be reached at dwalker@timespicayune
By Dave WalkerTV columnist
Katie's already been here and Brian and Anderson are on their way, so you know the K+Y2 anniversary is knocking.
Following is a selected overview of planned network coverage of the Gulf Coast's recovery, such as it is, two years after It. (Local news-providing broadcasters have plans of their own, to be detailed in Living later this week.)
What follows are the tentative and subject-to-change network plans, as supplied by network publicity departments to varying degrees of detail.
ABC The network's branded coverage -- slogan: "Katrina: Where Things Stand" -- begins at 7 a.m. today (Sunday) on WGNO-Channel 26 with a "Good Morning America" report by correspondent Jim Avila on the state of mental health in New Orleans. The coverage continues at 10:30 a.m. in the "Voices" segment on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," which will feature Pass Christian, Miss., native Robin Roberts discussing her involvement with the Pink Hearts Fund, an organization founded by a survivor of both breast cancer and Katrina who has helped other similar survivors. At 5:30 p.m., "World News" Sunday anchor Dan Harris will report on Lower 9th Ward residents struggling to rebuild, and Avila will report on the St. Rita's nursing home trial.
On Tuesday's "Good Morning America," Avila will examine the Road Home mess. On Wednesday's "GMA," Diane Sawyer and Roberts will co-anchor the show's anniversary coverage.
Also Wednesday, "World News with Charles Gibson" (5:30 p.m.) and/or its Webcast will feature reports from Steve Osunsami (violent crime in the city) and Avila (levees). Later, on "Nightline" (delayed a half-hour to 11:05 p.m. due to extended local news on WGNO), Harris reports on coastal erosion.
CBS Tonight at 6 on WWL-Channel 4, "60 Minutes" repeats Morley Safer's story about Dr. Anna Pou's prosecution. The "CBS Evening News" (5:30 p.m. weekdays) plans a Katrina anniversary series to run throughout the week, for which anchor Katie Couric visited New Orleans last week. Two stories by Harry Smith, tentatively scheduled to run Thursday and Friday on "The Early Show" (7 a.m., WUPL-Channel 54) examine recovery obstacles and rebuilding volunteerism.
"48 Hours Mystery" has been in town working on two episodes -- one apparently about the murders of Dinerral Shavers and Helen Hill, the other about the St. Rita's case. Airdates for both are not set.
CNN "Children of the Storm," the result of a yearlong project overseen by Soledad O'Brien and filmmaker Spike Lee, airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Eleven local teenagers were outfitted with video gear to tell their own recovery stories for the program, which repeats at the same time Saturday and Sept. 2.
With its title star reporting live from New Orleans, a special edition of "Anderson Cooper 360" titled "Katrina, Two Years Later: Keeping Them Honest" will air at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Fox News Channel Reporters Jeff Golblatt and Kris Gutierrez will file live updates from New Orleans throughout the day Wednesday for Fox's regularly scheduled news programming. Story topics are expected to include recovery progress, relief funding allocation and levee repair. During "Studio B with Shepard Smith" (2 p.m.) and "The Fox Report with Shepard Smith" (6 p.m.), Trace Gallagher will report on New Orleans recovery challenges. Also on Fox, Marianne Silber will look at "voluntourism" in Mississippi.
HBO All 270 minutes of Spike Lee's documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" will rerun at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
NBC At 9 tonight, the cable network CNBC premieres "Against the Tide: The Battle for New Orleans," a documentary analyzing the New Orleans business community's recovery. It repeats at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Tuesday, Brian Williams will anchor the "NBC Nightly News" from Waveland, Miss. Wednesday, he's here -- for the 14th time. Also on the story: NBC New Orleans Bureau correspondent Martin Savidge.
The Weather ChannelAt 4 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 1) on "Forecast Earth: This Week," host Heidi Cullen will revisit New Orleans to take stock of recovery efforts.
Public radio A special edition of "American Routes" -- titled "After the Storm IX: Recovery Routes" -- airs at 6 p.m. today on WWNO FM-89.9. Profiled artists include Irma Thomas, James Andrews, members of the Rebirth Brass Band and Lionel Ferbos.
At 8 tonight, WWNO will air "Routes to Recovery," a documentary by American RadioWorks, a segment for which will examine the recovery role of the city's vernacular culture, including brass bands and Mardi Gras Indians.
The week's Katrina slate for NPR News, carried by WWNO, is full. Stories will air on most of the network's news programs (and reviewable after the fact, as always, at www.npr.org).
Expected coverage highlights: On Monday's "All Things Considered" (4 p.m.), Wade Goodwyn reports on the nearly 100,000 Katrina evacuees still in Houston. On Wednesday's "Morning Edition" (5 a.m.), Pam Fessler tracks recovery dollars. Thursday, "Morning Edition" profiles Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas. On Friday's "All Things Considered," Ari Shapiro looks at New Orleans' criminal justice system, and Noah Adams profiles Eddie Bo.
TV columnist Dave Walker can be reached at dwalker@timespicayune
The Elysian Trumpet
The Elysian Trumpet, hand-built by David Monette, the modern master of trumpet design, is dedicated to the memory of Irvin Mayfield, Sr. and all of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.elysiantrumpet.com/
http://www.elysiantrumpet.com/
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Let's See Where The Presidential Candidates Stand On This!
$7.6 billion expected for New Orleans levees
Posted
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State officials say the Bush administration will propose $7.6 billion for improving New Orleans levees next year, but Louisiana might not be able to afford its share.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana Congress members said the president is expected to submit the request to Congress in February to upgrade the levees to protect against a 100-year flood.
State officials project Louisiana's portion would be about $2.6 billion, though, based on a historic 65-35% cost-share.
Coming up with that "would be nearly impossible," Blanco said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sufficient funding to make repairs and improvements until fiscal year 2009, according to Donald Powell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding. He said the $7.6 billion funding for the levees and more drainage would be requested as part of the fiscal year 2009 budget process.
Powell's spokesman, Evan McLaughlin, said the true cost-share wasn't yet known and that the federal government would fully pay for certain repairs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, who is running for Louisiana governor, said the federal government should pick up more of the cost since post-Hurricane Katrina flooding proved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' assurances that the levees were sufficient were false.
Posted
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State officials say the Bush administration will propose $7.6 billion for improving New Orleans levees next year, but Louisiana might not be able to afford its share.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana Congress members said the president is expected to submit the request to Congress in February to upgrade the levees to protect against a 100-year flood.
State officials project Louisiana's portion would be about $2.6 billion, though, based on a historic 65-35% cost-share.
Coming up with that "would be nearly impossible," Blanco said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sufficient funding to make repairs and improvements until fiscal year 2009, according to Donald Powell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding. He said the $7.6 billion funding for the levees and more drainage would be requested as part of the fiscal year 2009 budget process.
Powell's spokesman, Evan McLaughlin, said the true cost-share wasn't yet known and that the federal government would fully pay for certain repairs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, who is running for Louisiana governor, said the federal government should pick up more of the cost since post-Hurricane Katrina flooding proved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' assurances that the levees were sufficient were false.
Local jazz DJ from NOLA
I recently found out that one of the DJs on the jazz and blues station, KLON (www.jazzandblues.org), is either from New Orleans or has spent a great deal of time there. He played a great set of NOLA music last weekend. I am attempting to contact him to see what, if anything, he is going to do on his show on, or around, the anniversary date. Keep y'all posted.
Happy Anniversary!
This picture was taken, believe it or not, on August 29, 2005 -- the day Katrina hit. 'nuf said.
A Free Pass
I hear ya...I hate it, too, when celebs do a drive-by...political candidates, too, who have all used New Orleans as a photo backdrop and then abandoned the city. But I am totally prepared to give Brad and Angelina a free pass. First, they are down-the-street neighbors and I may have to borrow some sugar (or an Abita) sometime. But, second, this really seems to be an ongoing cause for them and their love of New Orleans seems genuine.
Just for fun, I may do a rogue's gallery of Presidential candidates who have posed for photos, then cut and run!
As Kevin and I would say in our best Boston-ese, the fuckin' bahstads!
Just for fun, I may do a rogue's gallery of Presidential candidates who have posed for photos, then cut and run!
As Kevin and I would say in our best Boston-ese, the fuckin' bahstads!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Brad Pitt aims to keep focus on Katrina recovery
Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of Brad Pitt or any celebrity who hitches their publicity wagon to a cause for self-serving reasons. However, given he and his wife own a home in the French Quarter, perhaps he's sincere and can help to make a positive difference in New Orlean's fight to rebuild.
Ed
By Russell McCulley
Tue, 21 Aug 2007, 03:13PM
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Calling Hurricane Katrina a "man-made disaster," actor Brad Pitt said on Tuesday he remains committed to helping the city recover from the storm.
Nearly two years after the August 29, 2005 hurricane, the "Ocean's Thirteen" star said he was at times dismayed by the pace of recovery in New Orleans, where he and partner Angelina Jolie own an elegant townhouse in the historic French Quarter.
Pitt was in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood to tour an ecologically sustainable single-family home being built by Global Green USA, an environmental group he backs.
The actor praised the house in the Holy Cross area of the ward as a "small victory" for efforts to rebuild the city, but said, "it's hard to find an overall victory when you see how slowly everything is still moving. And Katrina was a man-made disaster. This house is a man-made solution."
Pitt said the city's flood-protection defenses must be restored before displaced residents feel confident enough to rebuild.
"We've got to push to get these levees taken care of in the correct fashion," he told reporters at a news conference in the hurricane-ravaged working class neighborhood.
The house that Pitt toured, loosely modeled on the distinctive New Orleans "shotgun" style of long, narrow homes, will generate almost all its electricity from 28 roof-mounted solar panels, said Global Green USA president Matt Petersen.
Global Green hopes to use the house, which should be completed this fall, as a prototype for the neighborhood. Built not far from the banks of the Mississippi River and raised by three feet on concrete pilings, it is above sea level.
Some in the area, which was not as badly flooded as others in the city, are rebuilding. But a lack of funds have kept most from starting fresh.
Levee repairs are ongoing and engineers differ over how the new levees will fare in a major storm.
The environmental group has pledged to create a residential community of "green" structures, including an 18-unit, low-income apartment building near the Mississippi.
Pitt, 43, said the redevelopment project could help encourage people whose homes were destroyed in the storm to return and rebuild in a more environmentally conscious fashion.
"We knew we couldn't bring back the families and friends that were lost, bring back the heirlooms, the pictures," Pitt said. "But maybe, in the process of rebuilding, we could build something smarter, and create a better way of life for those people who live here."
Ed
By Russell McCulley
Tue, 21 Aug 2007, 03:13PM
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Calling Hurricane Katrina a "man-made disaster," actor Brad Pitt said on Tuesday he remains committed to helping the city recover from the storm.
Nearly two years after the August 29, 2005 hurricane, the "Ocean's Thirteen" star said he was at times dismayed by the pace of recovery in New Orleans, where he and partner Angelina Jolie own an elegant townhouse in the historic French Quarter.
Pitt was in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood to tour an ecologically sustainable single-family home being built by Global Green USA, an environmental group he backs.
The actor praised the house in the Holy Cross area of the ward as a "small victory" for efforts to rebuild the city, but said, "it's hard to find an overall victory when you see how slowly everything is still moving. And Katrina was a man-made disaster. This house is a man-made solution."
Pitt said the city's flood-protection defenses must be restored before displaced residents feel confident enough to rebuild.
"We've got to push to get these levees taken care of in the correct fashion," he told reporters at a news conference in the hurricane-ravaged working class neighborhood.
The house that Pitt toured, loosely modeled on the distinctive New Orleans "shotgun" style of long, narrow homes, will generate almost all its electricity from 28 roof-mounted solar panels, said Global Green USA president Matt Petersen.
Global Green hopes to use the house, which should be completed this fall, as a prototype for the neighborhood. Built not far from the banks of the Mississippi River and raised by three feet on concrete pilings, it is above sea level.
Some in the area, which was not as badly flooded as others in the city, are rebuilding. But a lack of funds have kept most from starting fresh.
Levee repairs are ongoing and engineers differ over how the new levees will fare in a major storm.
The environmental group has pledged to create a residential community of "green" structures, including an 18-unit, low-income apartment building near the Mississippi.
Pitt, 43, said the redevelopment project could help encourage people whose homes were destroyed in the storm to return and rebuild in a more environmentally conscious fashion.
"We knew we couldn't bring back the families and friends that were lost, bring back the heirlooms, the pictures," Pitt said. "But maybe, in the process of rebuilding, we could build something smarter, and create a better way of life for those people who live here."
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Some Upbeat News From The New Orleans CVB
NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU ISSUES “STATE OF THE CITY” REPORT, AUGUST 2007Two years after Katrina, New Orleans’ vital tourism industry celebrates successes, looks to the future with optimism
NEW ORLEANS – August 9, 2007 – As the nation prepares to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29th, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (New Orleans CVB) is reflecting on the extraordinary progress achieved in the past two years for tourism—New Orleans’ number one industry, largest employer and a critical force in rebuilding the areas of the city that still are in recovery.
The resurgence of the tourism industry began in early 2006 with a strong return of Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center re-opening after a multi-million-dollar renovation and the first citywide convention—the American Library Association. Progress continued in the fall with the return of cruise ships, many successful meetings including the National Association of Realtors®, and the reopening of the Louisiana Superdome, which is now considered one of the most memorable nights in NFL history.
In 2007 alone, New Orleans has safely and successfully hosted more than one million visitors for ESSENCE Music Festival, Mardi Gras, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, major sporting events, cultural festivals, corporate meetings, large citywide conventions such as the American College of Cardiology, Risk & Insurance Management Society and more.
Today, airlines are adding new flights to Louis Armstrong International Airport; the city has one of the freshest hotel products in the country; the French Quarter is cleaner than it has been in decades and we continue to receive extremely positive testimonials from visitors. Major corporations such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Southwest Airlines and others are investing in New Orleans’ hospitality industry; new restaurants are opening; festivals are enjoying record-breaking attendance; armies of college students and volunteers are traveling to the city to participate in life-changing “voluntourism” projects; and the New Orleans CVB is aggressively booking leisure and convention business for the future.
“The rich New Orleans cultural experience that has existed for hundreds of years is alive and well,” said Stephen Perry, president & CEO of the New Orleans CVB. “In the coming weeks, as areas of the recovery are scrutinized, and the focus may be on more negative than positive stories, we want to remind everyone that New Orleans also is a city where soul PROVED waterproof … a place of hope, resilience and life. On behalf of the entire hospitality community of New Orleans, we extend a profound thank you to every individual visitor, travel professional, volunteer, executive, meeting professional, meeting attendee, exhibitor, organization, corporation and association that has supported us and participated in the rebirth of one of the greatest destinations in the world.”
For the full release, check out:
http://www.neworleanscvb.com/articles/index.cfm/action/view/articleID/1313/typeID/1
NEW ORLEANS – August 9, 2007 – As the nation prepares to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29th, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (New Orleans CVB) is reflecting on the extraordinary progress achieved in the past two years for tourism—New Orleans’ number one industry, largest employer and a critical force in rebuilding the areas of the city that still are in recovery.
The resurgence of the tourism industry began in early 2006 with a strong return of Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center re-opening after a multi-million-dollar renovation and the first citywide convention—the American Library Association. Progress continued in the fall with the return of cruise ships, many successful meetings including the National Association of Realtors®, and the reopening of the Louisiana Superdome, which is now considered one of the most memorable nights in NFL history.
In 2007 alone, New Orleans has safely and successfully hosted more than one million visitors for ESSENCE Music Festival, Mardi Gras, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, major sporting events, cultural festivals, corporate meetings, large citywide conventions such as the American College of Cardiology, Risk & Insurance Management Society and more.
Today, airlines are adding new flights to Louis Armstrong International Airport; the city has one of the freshest hotel products in the country; the French Quarter is cleaner than it has been in decades and we continue to receive extremely positive testimonials from visitors. Major corporations such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Southwest Airlines and others are investing in New Orleans’ hospitality industry; new restaurants are opening; festivals are enjoying record-breaking attendance; armies of college students and volunteers are traveling to the city to participate in life-changing “voluntourism” projects; and the New Orleans CVB is aggressively booking leisure and convention business for the future.
“The rich New Orleans cultural experience that has existed for hundreds of years is alive and well,” said Stephen Perry, president & CEO of the New Orleans CVB. “In the coming weeks, as areas of the recovery are scrutinized, and the focus may be on more negative than positive stories, we want to remind everyone that New Orleans also is a city where soul PROVED waterproof … a place of hope, resilience and life. On behalf of the entire hospitality community of New Orleans, we extend a profound thank you to every individual visitor, travel professional, volunteer, executive, meeting professional, meeting attendee, exhibitor, organization, corporation and association that has supported us and participated in the rebirth of one of the greatest destinations in the world.”
For the full release, check out:
http://www.neworleanscvb.com/articles/index.cfm/action/view/articleID/1313/typeID/1
Uncle Lionel Gets Around!
From the Louisiana Weekly
New Orleans style jazzfest in Norway
By Thor A. Nagell, Contributing WriterAugust 13, 2007
Every summer, 100,000 people crowd together in a tiny town on the west coast of Norway to celebrate jazz, New Orleans style. One week a year, the sleepy town comes to life, and inhabitants and tourists join together in a weeklong jazz splurge, all headed by "Uncle" Lionel Batiste from New Orleans.
The little town called Molde is known mainly for two things - roses and jazz. The town slogan, "the town of roses'" should perhaps be changed to "the town of jazz," as it is host to one of the oldest and most renowned jazz festivals of Europe. Molde International Jazz Festival was established as early as 1960 by local enthusiasts and has been arranged annually ever since, this year for the 47th time.
The local jazzfest has managed to put its hometown on the map in European and international jazz circles, and despite its small scale, it continues to draw major international names to its stages. Jazz musicians from every corner of the world (and especially the U.S. seem to have a fondness for the festival, from Mr. Jazz himself, the venerable Miles Davis, headliner for the festival back in 1984, to Oscar Peterson and his trio who visited in 1987. Ray Charles has played at the charming outdoor scene of "Romsdalsmuseet," a museum for the region of Romsdal with idyllic, old log houses surrounded by picturesque ponds and birch trees. In 1996 Bob Dylan played for a record-breaking crowd of nearly 10.000 people at the museum grounds, joining the ranks of other headliners such as Sting, Paul Simon, B.B. King and Eric Clapton.
Post-Katrina collaboration
Some of the major names at this year's festival were Elvis Costello and New Orleans soul icon Allen Toussaint. Together they gave a fabulous concert at the old museum, surrounded by greenery and log houses.
The concert was almost identical to the one they did in support for the victims of Katrina. After this concert they collaborated on the album "The River in Reverse," which features seven Toussaint-classics together with five new tracks they made together, as well as some tracks signed Costello.
Other names at the festival this year were Steely Dan, Chick Corea & Gary Burton, as well as a long range of other American, Norwegian, European and African musicians. The festival had a total of about 60 different concerts at 12 scenes and an additional 12 concerts for free at two different scenes - one outside the Town Hall and another in the small "Alexandra" park with thousands of roses, adjoining the harbor.
Looking to New Orleans
While Molde is without a doubt Norway's jazz capital, there is even less doubt that the jazz-loving Norwegians look to New Orleans for inspiration. One popular establishment is called "Perspiration Hall" - humorously named after Preservation Hall on Bourbon Street. Furthermore, the festival is officially opened by a popular and crowded street parade - local musicians and dancers, the manager of the festival Mr. Jan Ole Otnes, the traditional "artist in residence," all appear in the street parade - even the Prime Minister of Norway once danced his way through the streets of Molde, proving once and for all that white men can't dance, according to local reverberations of the event.
Leading the way in the parade, we find "Uncle" Lionel Batiste - a familiar face to the regulars of the festival. Born in 1931, he has become the "granddaddy" and trademark of the festival, even appearing in marketing campaigns. When we ask him about his role in the festival, he hurries off to retrieve an issue of the local newspaper, featuring a big picture of himself and the festival manager on the front cover.
"I love being here in Molde and enjoying the music, the atmosphere and the friendly people. And I love dancing in the street parade," says Batiste.
It is perhaps no surprise that he enjoys his role as a front figure, seeing as he has been an artist and entertainer for more than six decades.
Batiste first started playing bass drum with the Square Deal Social & Pleasure Club in his home neighborhood, the Tremé, at age 11. In Norway, he has been collaborating with acclaimed singer Tricia Boutté and the local Ytre Suløens Jazz Ensemble, with whom he made the recording "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" in 2001. Batiste himself, like so many other New Orleanians, lost his home when Katrina hit, and feels thankful that his jazz-loving friends in Norway warmly welcome him every year.
Make jazz, not war
For the sixth consecutive year, Norway ranks first at the United Nations' quality of life survey. Social Security systems provide parents with one-year paid maternity leave, and medical care, including hospitalization, is free for everyone.
The working stock is guaranteed a minimum of four weeks paid vacation every year, which means that residents of Molde and neighboring towns often take an entire week off to enjoy the jazzfest full-time. Perhaps this is the reason why serious crime is practically absent, even during the crowded and at times alcohol-fuelled week of music. The peaceful festival-goers are effectively watched over by friendly and unarmed police officers, as all police are unarmed in regular duty. This approach seems appropriate for the occasion, as Norwegian festival-goers seem more interested in making jazz, than making "war."
New Orleans style jazzfest in Norway
By Thor A. Nagell, Contributing WriterAugust 13, 2007
Every summer, 100,000 people crowd together in a tiny town on the west coast of Norway to celebrate jazz, New Orleans style. One week a year, the sleepy town comes to life, and inhabitants and tourists join together in a weeklong jazz splurge, all headed by "Uncle" Lionel Batiste from New Orleans.
The little town called Molde is known mainly for two things - roses and jazz. The town slogan, "the town of roses'" should perhaps be changed to "the town of jazz," as it is host to one of the oldest and most renowned jazz festivals of Europe. Molde International Jazz Festival was established as early as 1960 by local enthusiasts and has been arranged annually ever since, this year for the 47th time.
The local jazzfest has managed to put its hometown on the map in European and international jazz circles, and despite its small scale, it continues to draw major international names to its stages. Jazz musicians from every corner of the world (and especially the U.S. seem to have a fondness for the festival, from Mr. Jazz himself, the venerable Miles Davis, headliner for the festival back in 1984, to Oscar Peterson and his trio who visited in 1987. Ray Charles has played at the charming outdoor scene of "Romsdalsmuseet," a museum for the region of Romsdal with idyllic, old log houses surrounded by picturesque ponds and birch trees. In 1996 Bob Dylan played for a record-breaking crowd of nearly 10.000 people at the museum grounds, joining the ranks of other headliners such as Sting, Paul Simon, B.B. King and Eric Clapton.
Post-Katrina collaboration
Some of the major names at this year's festival were Elvis Costello and New Orleans soul icon Allen Toussaint. Together they gave a fabulous concert at the old museum, surrounded by greenery and log houses.
The concert was almost identical to the one they did in support for the victims of Katrina. After this concert they collaborated on the album "The River in Reverse," which features seven Toussaint-classics together with five new tracks they made together, as well as some tracks signed Costello.
Other names at the festival this year were Steely Dan, Chick Corea & Gary Burton, as well as a long range of other American, Norwegian, European and African musicians. The festival had a total of about 60 different concerts at 12 scenes and an additional 12 concerts for free at two different scenes - one outside the Town Hall and another in the small "Alexandra" park with thousands of roses, adjoining the harbor.
Looking to New Orleans
While Molde is without a doubt Norway's jazz capital, there is even less doubt that the jazz-loving Norwegians look to New Orleans for inspiration. One popular establishment is called "Perspiration Hall" - humorously named after Preservation Hall on Bourbon Street. Furthermore, the festival is officially opened by a popular and crowded street parade - local musicians and dancers, the manager of the festival Mr. Jan Ole Otnes, the traditional "artist in residence," all appear in the street parade - even the Prime Minister of Norway once danced his way through the streets of Molde, proving once and for all that white men can't dance, according to local reverberations of the event.
Leading the way in the parade, we find "Uncle" Lionel Batiste - a familiar face to the regulars of the festival. Born in 1931, he has become the "granddaddy" and trademark of the festival, even appearing in marketing campaigns. When we ask him about his role in the festival, he hurries off to retrieve an issue of the local newspaper, featuring a big picture of himself and the festival manager on the front cover.
"I love being here in Molde and enjoying the music, the atmosphere and the friendly people. And I love dancing in the street parade," says Batiste.
It is perhaps no surprise that he enjoys his role as a front figure, seeing as he has been an artist and entertainer for more than six decades.
Batiste first started playing bass drum with the Square Deal Social & Pleasure Club in his home neighborhood, the Tremé, at age 11. In Norway, he has been collaborating with acclaimed singer Tricia Boutté and the local Ytre Suløens Jazz Ensemble, with whom he made the recording "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" in 2001. Batiste himself, like so many other New Orleanians, lost his home when Katrina hit, and feels thankful that his jazz-loving friends in Norway warmly welcome him every year.
Make jazz, not war
For the sixth consecutive year, Norway ranks first at the United Nations' quality of life survey. Social Security systems provide parents with one-year paid maternity leave, and medical care, including hospitalization, is free for everyone.
The working stock is guaranteed a minimum of four weeks paid vacation every year, which means that residents of Molde and neighboring towns often take an entire week off to enjoy the jazzfest full-time. Perhaps this is the reason why serious crime is practically absent, even during the crowded and at times alcohol-fuelled week of music. The peaceful festival-goers are effectively watched over by friendly and unarmed police officers, as all police are unarmed in regular duty. This approach seems appropriate for the occasion, as Norwegian festival-goers seem more interested in making jazz, than making "war."
Frecnh Quarter Brass Band Schedule
More from the "wish we could be there" file!
By OffBeat staff
Friday evening second line parades begin at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel on the 700 block of Orleans Street.
Concert begins at approximately 6:20 p.m. on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building, 400 Royal Street.
Schedule as follows:
August 17
Soul Rebels Brass Band
August 24
Storyville Stompers
August 31
Pin Stripe Brass Band
September 7
Treme Brass Band
September 14
Bone Tone Brass Band
September 21
Algiers Brass Band
By OffBeat staff
Friday evening second line parades begin at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel on the 700 block of Orleans Street.
Concert begins at approximately 6:20 p.m. on the steps of the Louisiana Supreme Court Building, 400 Royal Street.
Schedule as follows:
August 17
Soul Rebels Brass Band
August 24
Storyville Stompers
August 31
Pin Stripe Brass Band
September 7
Treme Brass Band
September 14
Bone Tone Brass Band
September 21
Algiers Brass Band
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday Editorial From the NY Times
With the two year anniversary of Katrina rapidly approaching, the situation in our beloved city continues to be untenable, as described in an editorial in Sunday's New York Times. There will likely be a ton of coverage of New Orleans two years later in the media over the next few weeks.
Editorial
New Orleans Still at Risk
Published: August 19, 2007
How quickly the sense of urgency flags. Even as Hurricane Dean heads toward the Gulf Coast, New Orleans is frighteningly far from being prepared to withstand a storm with even a fraction of Katrina’s power.
As John Schwartz reported in The Times on Friday, New Orleans is still a city very much at risk. The task of rebuilding its rickety system of levees has proved hugely difficult, while the government’s efforts have been far less than what was promised and what is needed.
The Army Corps of Engineers has taken a piecemeal, disorganized approach to the reconstruction of the city’s defenses. It built up a defensive floodwall on the east side of the Industrial Canal — to protect the largely abandoned Lower Ninth Ward — while leaving the more heavily populated Gentilly neighborhood on the west side exposed behind a lower wall. Other projects — in particular, floodgates erected in relative haste to protect more prosperous neighborhoods — have raised charges that the corps is more concerned about the rich.
And though most of the task remains to be done, the corps seems to have lost its sense of urgency. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, which experts say funneled floodwater into the city, has not been closed off. The corps says it is waiting for proposals from contractors to do the job, which might not be finished for years.
The corps says it aims to build up a defense system able to withstand a 1-in-100 storm by 2011. But that is still four years, and four hurricane seasons, away. Moreover, it will require more money from Congress: the plan is likely to cost about double the more than $7 billion that has been appropriated so far. But many members of Congress seem to have lost their enthusiasm.
Tens of thousands of battered residents who abandoned homes and lives are not going to return until they can be assured that they will be safe, while the people who stayed are still at risk. Two years after Katrina, that is shameful — and not what President Bush, Congress and the corps promised.
Editorial
New Orleans Still at Risk
Published: August 19, 2007
How quickly the sense of urgency flags. Even as Hurricane Dean heads toward the Gulf Coast, New Orleans is frighteningly far from being prepared to withstand a storm with even a fraction of Katrina’s power.
As John Schwartz reported in The Times on Friday, New Orleans is still a city very much at risk. The task of rebuilding its rickety system of levees has proved hugely difficult, while the government’s efforts have been far less than what was promised and what is needed.
The Army Corps of Engineers has taken a piecemeal, disorganized approach to the reconstruction of the city’s defenses. It built up a defensive floodwall on the east side of the Industrial Canal — to protect the largely abandoned Lower Ninth Ward — while leaving the more heavily populated Gentilly neighborhood on the west side exposed behind a lower wall. Other projects — in particular, floodgates erected in relative haste to protect more prosperous neighborhoods — have raised charges that the corps is more concerned about the rich.
And though most of the task remains to be done, the corps seems to have lost its sense of urgency. The Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, which experts say funneled floodwater into the city, has not been closed off. The corps says it is waiting for proposals from contractors to do the job, which might not be finished for years.
The corps says it aims to build up a defense system able to withstand a 1-in-100 storm by 2011. But that is still four years, and four hurricane seasons, away. Moreover, it will require more money from Congress: the plan is likely to cost about double the more than $7 billion that has been appropriated so far. But many members of Congress seem to have lost their enthusiasm.
Tens of thousands of battered residents who abandoned homes and lives are not going to return until they can be assured that they will be safe, while the people who stayed are still at risk. Two years after Katrina, that is shameful — and not what President Bush, Congress and the corps promised.
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