(Yes, that's right, Kenner. OK, before today, I didn't know there was a Zulu Fest on Lundi Gras in Kenner either.) Turns out there are 3 celebrations going on simultaneously along the Mississippi River in Greater New Orleans on Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras -- the Rex Festival at Spanish Plaza, the Zulu Festival at Woldenburg Park, AND the Zulu Festival at Rivertown in Kenner. Who knew?
When Paul Batiste asked Big Man to play with the Batiste Brothers at the Lundi Gras Zulu Festival, we naturally assumed he meant the one near the Aquarium at Woldenburg Park. It wasn't until we were just about to leave the house this morning that we clarified that the concert was actually in Kenner. Yikes! Luckily, we made it on time, greatly helped by the fact that the Official Proclamations and Royal Toasts (from the Mayor of Kenner, assorted Jefferson Parish elected officials, and the Captain, Big Shot, and Medicine Man of Zulu, along with various Ladies of the Royal Zulu Court) went on for longer than advertised. This being Zulu's 100th Anniversary year, I figure they can take as many toasts as they want.
Then, just for good measure, a somewhat truncated assortment of Rebirth players got on the stage and played ONE TUNE before announcing that they were playing live at the Maple Leaf on Mardi Gras night, from 11 pm to 6 am, and everyone was invited. The crowd was pleased, but somewhat surprised at the one tune deal. Big Man called it a live commercial for Rebirth.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day -- perfectly clear blue sky, bright sunshine (don't you LOVE getting a sunburn in February?), light wind. It had seemed chilly as we left the house, but at the Rivertown festival ground, it was warm and bright. An enthusiastic crowd had gathered in Zulu's honor -- about 300 total men, women, and kids who were mostly black, some white, and a smattering of Latino and some kind of Asian-American (Vietnamese-American? Hmong-American? Chinese-American?). There were a few booths with food and drinks (chicken on a stick, funnel cakes, hamburgers, hot dogs, boudin, pralines, hurricanes, soft drinks, beer, coffee) and a few not-really-crafts booths. It seems that after the Zulu formalities, the music stage was the main deal and that the Batiste Brothers (with Big Man on trumpet) was the main event.
The band took the stage about 12:15 pm and they played pretty much non-stop for about 3 hours. (Not counting some stage banter and side business that never took more than say 3-5 minutes.) Fortunately for Big Man's poor chops, there were a few tunes during those 3 hours that didn't require much or anything from a horn, so at least he got that much of a break. Three hours without a break! Amazing!
What is billed as "The Batiste Brothers" is really an agglomeration of brothers, cousins, nephews, and sons of the extended Batiste family, or maybe Batiste dynasty would be more correct. (With the addition of Big Man, of course.) Through his musical experiences around town, Big Man has separate working relationships with 2 members of the group, Paul and Russell (who are cousins). The level of musicianship is high, and they segue smoothly from New Orleans classics to old-school soul numbers and a few originals. Big Man was fast on his musical feet and everyone onstage and in the crowd seemed appreciative. I could tell he was enjoying himself, too.
The band called for everyone who could do the Bus Stop or the Electric Slide (what's the difference, I want to know?) to come to the front, right in front of the stage and about 150 people of all ages complied. It was quite a sight to see: men and women, grandmothers and grandfathers, one wizened white lady who was surely a great-grandmother, a couple of elderly drunks, 2 or 3 black kids under their teens, some white women younger than me, all moving together in rhythm, steps more or less the same (some folks giving a little extra special "english" on some moves), a wonderful communal celebration.
Made me proud and happy to be a New Orleanian -- and proud and happy to be Big Man's spouse.
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