Happy Mardi Gras!

February 21, 2012 Chuck music, New Orleans 6 Comments

If you’re not in New Orleans, you are (like me, unfortunately) in the wrong place. Sigh. Maybe next year.

Me Big Chief, me feelin' good ...

Back to the Indians in a bit … in the meantime, if you don’t know them already, you need to learn the four primary Mardi Gras songs:


Professor Longhair, “Go to the Mardi Gras” (audio only)


The Hawketts, “Mardi Gras Mambo” (audio only)


Al Johnson, “Carnival Time” (audio only)


Earl King, Dr. John, Professor Longhair and The Meters (!!!) — FULL VIDEO!

Now, time for some Mardi Gras Indians:


The Wild Magnolias, “All On A Mardi Gras Day” (audio only, with slideshow)


The Wild Tchoupitoulas, “My Big Chief Got A Golden Crown” (audio only, with slideshow)


Big Chief Albert Lambreaux, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and other Indians, singing “Indian Red” in memory of a fellow Indian taken by the Federal Flood after Hurricane Katrina, interrupted by Larry Ragusa (from HBO’s “Treme”)

A little brass band music on the streets …


Rebirth Brass Band, “Do Whatcha Wanna” (filmed in the French Quarter on April 24, 2008, the day before Jazzfest began)

Finally, my favorite band out of New Orleans these days:


Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, “One Night Only” (performance from the David Letterman Show)

HAPPY MARDI GRAS, Y’ALL!!

 

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6 Responses to “Happy Mardi Gras!”

  1. Tiare said:

    Feb 21, 12 at 8:13 am

    Happy Mardi Gras Chuck! thanks for a great post! i wish i was there..it´s harder than ever to be away right now..Anyway, i`ve seen some of the parades on Fleurty girls excellent parade cam. Gonna do my best to be there next year and then it´s also Superbowl! gonna be the biggest party ever! if you coming to the Tales i really wanna go out and eat with ya!

  2. Christine said:

    Feb 21, 12 at 8:40 am

    I hear you about Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Barry and I saw them at FQ Fest two years ago and I was hooked. Absolutely adore them. Going to JazzFest this year? I’m working on Barry but his silly well paying job keeps getting in the way. Hope you have something festive planned today. I’ll be the eccentric office lady wearing beads in my cubicle.

  3. Chuck said:

    Feb 21, 12 at 10:46 am

    Hey Christine! (And Barry!) We saw them at an absurdly overcrowded club in Hollywood that was filled with drunken asshats, and despite that it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in ages. Troy is astonishing and so is his band; they get tighter and tighter every day.

    Nothing too festive for us today, alas — we live in heathen non-New Orleans, so it’s just another workday (sigh). Last night we had friends over for king cake and Sazeracs, which was great, and tonight we’ll have red beans for dinner. Shorty and the Wild Magnolias are my soundtracks at the moment.

    🙂

  4. Bart Boydston said:

    Feb 21, 12 at 3:09 pm

    Hey, Chuck. Thanks for all of your food and musical tips plus all of the other things you do (I’m a big fan of Doctors, Professors, too). I had lunch at Orleans Corner (411 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia) today and had some of the best Chicken/Andouille Gumbo I’ve had outside of Louisiana. Plus, they’re having a Mardi Gras party at 4:30. Probably too late for you today, but if you haven’t eaten there, I highly recommend it. As for me, easing the pain of not being in NOLA for awhile by making Mardi Gras Pasta for dinner. Cheers!

  5. Chuck said:

    Feb 21, 12 at 4:25 pm

    Happy Mardi Gras, Tiare! I don’t know how to say that in Swedish. 🙂

    No Tales for us this year, though — we need to take a year off. With luck we can ramp up to travelling again once Wesly gets a job!

  6. Bill said:

    Feb 22, 12 at 7:30 am

    I represented for all y’all on Mardi Gras Day yesterday, from uptown on Jackson Ave. for Zulu with the Southern Univ Human Jukebox and St. Aug, to 2nd and Dryades for Indians(got a pic with Bo Dollis who was not masking), the Cheyenne in full force, to St. Charles for LSU Tiger band and Rex, all the way back downtown to Canal for Rex again, into Da Quarter with Society of St. Ann to sing by the river, up into the Lower Pontalba building for a third story view of Jackson Square and the river, then getting back in the car for home 12 hours after i got in it to Go See The Mardi Gras….Carnival Day what a big affair…..and today my legs and shoulders scream at me…the voice ain’t in too good a shape either…