Category: Personal

Frank Gratkowski @ Chickie Wah Wah

Lately I have been getting a bit dark on New Orleans, and the creative music scene here. Tonight I was encouraged. Frank Gratkowki played the first of several nights of gigs here in New Orleans, at Chickie Wah Wah.

The place was packed, well packed for free jazz on a Monday night. The music was good, and Dale made red beans and rice. There is something about red beans and rice on a Monday night that makes it seem like everything is all right.

Here is Frank’s schedule for the rest of his stay (Thanks to Ben):

TUES. MARCH 13 w/HELEN GILLET @ SOUND CAFE 7PM

Frank with “experimental cellist” Helen Gillet, bane
of the right-wing blogosphere
(http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1792010/posts)
at the intimate Sound Cafe for an early evening
improvisational session. Bring the kids!!!

TUES. MARCH 13 w/JOHNNY VIDACOVICH AND MIKE DILLON @
D.B.A. 10PM

Frank Gratkowski will be a special guest at Johnny’s
weekly d.b.a. gig, joining vibes player Mike Dillon

WED. MARCH 14 w/DRY BONES TRIO @ HI-HO LOUNGE 10PM

Frank Gratkowski, reeds
Bill Hunsinger, bass
Rob Cambre, guitar
Endre Landsnes, drums

This is a double bill put together by Rob Cambre
featuring the Majik Markers, of whom I know no more
than this anonymous internet quote: “Majik Markers
girl f@#%ing guitar wild-style noise like cacophony en
masse.”

THURS. MARCH 14 @ SNUG HARBOR 8 & 10PM

Frank Gratkowski, reeds
Brian Coogan, keybords
Rick Trolsen, trombone
Dave Capello, drums

frank gratkowski

Both literally and figuratively

In an online discussion about the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, an African-American friend of mine who grew up in north Louisiana wrote the following:

I remember the park across from my house being segregated. I remember walking out of our house as a child and seeing a sign in the park that said, Colored Area. When I go home to day, the sign is gone but the metal post upon which it rested is still there.

Here is an NPR story with several recorded versions of th song.

A little freaky…not encouraging

It is Monday night, a week and a day before Mardi Gras. New Orleans is well into Carnival season, and there were parades this past weekend. This should be the busy time. I played at dba on Frenchmen St tonight with Jonathan Freilich.

The scene at dba (on nights when more overtly creative stuff is happening) is usually a dozen or more music fans who are there to hear the band, and a decent size bar crowd who are there for a cool hang. Tonight the street was dead and much of the bar crowd was absent. The music fans were there, the tip jar was full, the club paid the band as agreed, and we all left with the money we expected to leave with, BUT it felt weird. Empty. Dead. As I packed up my gear, then walked to my car, I could easily imagine a scene a year or two out that looked like a ghost town. Empty buildings; a few brave lonely wanderers; a shell of what used to be. I hope that imaginary scene is the surfacing of my fears more than a premonition.

Brazillian Food in Fat City

My good friend Ray Moore is a connoisseur of all things Brazillian, and the other night he took me and John Worthington to this fabulous little Brazillian restaurant in the Fat City area of Metairie. As I recall, the sign just says Luncheonette, and it is definitely aimed at the local Brazillian community. You have to ask for a menu in English. We didn’t, Ray just translated.

I had beef steak with onions that was served over rice and beans with fried bananas, and a breaded fried eggplant that was called an empanada, but was different from an empanada you might get in a Mexican restaurant. It was all slammin’. For dessert we had something that translated as sweet rice, which was very good, and huge. There was so much of it, I couldn’t finish it.

I feel electric

Just about everything I have done under my own name in the last few years has been acoustic. Today I did a recording session with some old and new friends, and for a variety of reasons, it ended up being all electric bass and electric keyboards, and it was way fun. I’m sure you’ll hear more about it soon.

2 good ones last Sunday

January can be a slow time in New Orleans. There’s a lull between the holidays and Mardi Gras. Well, I had the pleasure of playing two really fun and rewarding gigs this past Sunday.

The first was with Martin Krusche’s Magnetic Ear at Bacchanal. It is an early gig (6-9) and it is outdoors. It was pretty cold, but the music and the company were very happening. It is always an honor when friends and musicians come out to hear us play, and we were honored Sunday. The band had a couple of new members of the Magnetic Ear musician pool, and they both played great. Will Terry on sousaphone, and Charlie Kohlmeyer on drums were both grooving and aware, and a real pleasure to make music with.

Later that night I got to play with a Jonathan Freilich band called Klezmurder All-Stars, which was an amalgom of the long standing New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, and a newer band that Jonathan has called Klezmurder, which is a sort of free-jazz klezmer band. There was a lot of flying by the seat of my pants, but I was surrounded by great musicians, and it was tons of fun. There was a fun and engaging audience as well, which always helps.