Post 475: THE MESSY COOKERS

In Post 469, I wrote about a band called John Zarsky And The Trad Stars.

Now, reader Roman Zlatopolsky has alerted me to another New Orleans band that seems to have much in common with the Trad Stars.

This band is called The Messy Cookers. As with The Trad Stars, it seems that it was a trumpet player who had the idea (about four years ago) to form the band and who now manages it. Also in common with The Trad Stars, the trumpet player in question invites some of the best players from other bands on the New Orleans scene to join him to make up (usually) a six-piece band. The trumpet player is young Alex Owen, and among the players he has employed so far are:

Albanie Falletta (guitar)

John Eubanks (guitar)

Dave Bandrowski (guitar & banjo)

Steve Pistorius (piano)

Andy Reid (bass)

Tate Carson (bass)

Benjamin Amón (drums)

James Evans (reeds)

Christopher Johnson (reeds)

Jon Ramm (trombone)

Russell Ramirez (trombone)

The Messy Cookers have produced two CDs which consist almost entirely of popular standards - well played, as you would expect from musicians of this calibre. The same is true of the few videos of them to have appeared on YouTube.

However, they have performed twice at the Abita Springs Opry, as a result of which you can have a good introduction to this band at:

http://www.abitaopry.org/html/AO2014-09.html

Or you may prefer to watch a more recent performance at Abita Springs (in which the band lacks a trombone but is graced by the presence of Albanie Falletta and James Evans):

https://vimeo.com/201133551

Post 405: CHLOE, ALBANIE; AND 'WHAT A LITTLE MOONLIGHT CAN DO'

One of the loveliest videos I have seen recently was filmed by James Sterling of Florida when he spent a long weekend in New Orleans during June 2016.

Like me, James is a fan of Chloe Feoranzo and Albanie Falletta, so, when he heard that they had recently got together and would be playing with Kaladeva Chandra and John Joyce in a quartet at the dba music club in Frenchmen Street, he eagerly went to see them.

James requested one of his favourites - What a Little Moonlight Can Do. They told him they had never played it together before. However, after a little chat among themselves about how to tackle it and in which key, off they went.

The result is so good that I really must recommend it to you. All four musicians are brilliant and Albanie's singing is utterly charming. Watch the video BY CLICKING HERE.

By the way, What a Little Moonlight Can Do was composed (both words and music) in 1934 by Harry Woods. He wrote it for the movie Road House, which was filmed in England while Harry was working for a brief spell in London. It was sung in the movie by Violet Lorraine.

What a phenomenal contribution Harry made to our music: The Clouds Will Soon Roll By, I Wish't I Was in Peoria, I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover, Paddlin' Madeline Home, River - Stay Away From My Door, Side By Side, That's All There Is - There Ain't No More; Try a Little Tenderness, We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye, When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful, When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain, When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along, - all of these are examples of the songs he composed.

Harry Woods lived from 1896 until 1970. Two sad points about him are these: he was born without fingers on his left hand; and he died when knocked down by a car right outside his house in Glendale, Arizona.

What a Little Moonlight Can Do is a little unusual. Most popular songs of this kind were at the time constructed in 32 bars, usually consisting of four sets of 8 bars. Harry Woods has 'doubled up' in the structure of this song. There are four sets of 16 bars, making 64 bars in total. The first 32 bars have much in common with the second 32. In fact, Bars 1 - 11 are Bars 33 - 43 are identical in melody and chord structure.

As an aide-mémoire for playing the tune on my cornet, I have this sheet in my filofax. I make no claim that's it's 100% accurate. I put the tune in the key of C, as that is comfortable for me. But in the video, Albanie and Co. play it in G, as you may have noticed. 

Post 261: WHO DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF?

Which of today's singer-guitarists - who divides her time between Texas and New Orleans - do you think of when you look at this picture?

When I saw this, my reaction was: Ah! Albanie Falletta at the age of six, with her first chord book!

I was wrong. It's actually an oil painting from 1772. The artist was Nicolas Lépicié. But here - for comparison - is the great Albanie with me when I had the pleasure of meeting her in April 2015.

And for a super example of Albanie singing and playing, CLICK HERE.

One of my correspondents recently told me he has become addicted to Albanie and her music. I'm not surprised.

Post 83: ALBANIE FALLETTA

Photo supplied by Bill Stock.
What a picture!

I first came across the guitarist and singer Albanie Falletta in this delightful video, where, on the north bank of the Mississippi in New Orleans, with two string-playing friends, she performs I'll See You in My Dreams: CLICK HERE TO VIEW. I was immediately charmed.

And here is a wonderful April 2015 video filmed by the great digitalalexa of 'Albanie and her Fellas' playing in Royal Street, New Orleans. You could hardly have a better introduction to her: CLICK HERE.

With the help of YouTube, I had found that Albanie played in The Thrift Set Orchestra in Austin, Texas, with such fine musicians as Jonathan Doyle, Hal Smith, David Jellema and Westen Borghesi. Here's an example: CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

She also turns up on YouTube in both Texas and Louisiana with her band 'Albanie And Her Fellas'. For example, you can catch her singing When It's Sleepy Time Down South BY CLICKING HERE. Or watch them busking in New Orleans BY CLICKING HERE, where the 'Fellas' happen to include Jonathan Doyle, Todd Burdick, David Jellema and Robin Rapuzzi.

There is also a video of Albanie playing with Tuba Skinny at a French Quarter Festival.

So for months Albanie has been one of my favourites.

Now imagine my joy when I visited New Orleans in April 2015 and suddenly noticed in Royal Street a young lady who looked exactly like the Albanie on YouTube. She had a guitar strapped to her back. 'Are you the famous Albanie?' I asked. 'Well, my name's Albanie,' she replied.

I found her just as sweet and charming as she appears in those videos. Albanie told me she came from Austin, where she started to teach herself to play the guitar at an early age. She has a good ear and usually has no trouble in working out the chords for a tune. She 'dropped out of high school' and took to busking and playing wherever she could. She has mastered her instrument to a high degree and sings very pleasantly.

I later discovered Albanie is highly respected by the entire community of New Orleans musicians. Dividing her time between Austin and New Orleans, she gets to play in many different groups.

Now that she is internationally famous and has reached a high level of proficiency, we might think she would be satisfied with her achievements. But Albanie surprised me by saying she still hoped one day to go to college and study music academically.

How modest these great young musicians on the New Orleans French Quarter scene always are!

I have two precious photo souvenirs. Here's a picture my friend Bill Stock from Essex, England, took of Albanie a few moments before I arrived. (Bill also happens to be the cameraman who made the video on the bank of the Mississippi - the video I mentioned at the top of this article.)

And here she is with me:

Pops Coffee Meets One Of His Idols

FOOTNOTE

Reader Phil has identified the bass player in the video on the bank of the Mississippi as Jeff Moran, leader of The California Feetwarmers, and has commented: Trivial perhaps but still interesting to me how musicians travel and learn from each other...Jeff was busking on the street in California with Chloe Feoranzo when Chloe was still a teenager. You can see the video Phil is referring to if you CLICK HERE.

Post 42: 'BLUE DRAG'

I learn something every day. Recently I learned there is a good simple tune called Blue Drag. It seems to have been composed in 1932 by a Russian-born composer of film scores called Josef Myrow (1910 - 1987). He was a graduate of the Curtis School of Music and an extremely good pianist. His best-remembered song is perhaps You Make Me Feel So Young.

A kind American correspondent suggested I might enjoy watching a YouTube of The Thrift Set Orchestra (of Austin, Texas), playing Blue Drag. In this delightful video, the vocal is sung by Albanie Falletta and the band includes some familiar faces - players who are among the best in the world today.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT.

It seemed to me this would be a very good tune to include in our programmes. It's fun to have a 'riffy' one occasionally, especially if, like this, it is in a minor key.

Blue Drag reminds me a little of Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. But it makes a good alternative to that tune for use in concerts. The two songs seem to have a very similar harmonic pattern and the same structure:  a  a  b  a, with b (the Middle Eight) providing a perfect contrast to the riff.

My friends and I worked it out by ear, as well as we could, and it didn't sound at all bad when we tried playing it.

Even though this catchy number is new to me, perhaps some of you have known it for years. I find it was recorded long ago by such artists as Earl Hines, Freddie Taylor and Django Reinhardt.