Remembering Wardell Quezergue

I tried several times to write about the great Wardell Quezergue (and nobody should EVER say or write his name ever again without putting "the great" in front of it) after learning of his death on September 6, but found myself stymied by having far too much to say. Let's just stipulate that if you love New Orleans rhythm & blues of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, especially the slew of hits churned out by Cosimo Matassa's J & M Studios, then you already are a fan of Wardell Quezergue (pronounced, for you outlanders, as "kuh-zhair") and you didn't even know it. If truth is told in the history of rock'n'roll, then someday Wardell will get credit for putting horns in rock.

Whenever some musician or other artist dies, people always say, "This was a genius" but it was really true in Wardell's case. He started off on trumpet, and played his first professional gigs as a teenager, but his real talents lay elsewhere. He was a composer and arranger par excellence, and apparently he heard music in his head all the time. Here's the kicker: he wrote all his songs and his Creole Mass and his horn charts and song arrangements using a tuning fork. I kid you not, he used a tuning fork, it's well known. Amazing.

If you seek a list of his credits, that won't be possible, because so many times back in the day he wasn't credited. But even what is available to be marveled at is more than impressive. One online discography put his output (albums, singles, and compilations) at over 200; for comparison, the list for another famous "Q" Quincy Jones is 157. The list of great bands and vocalist who worked with him sounds like a who's who of New Orleans -- and national -- music. (Indeed, at his funeral at Corpus Christi Catholic Church on September 12th, Big Man whispered to me that if anything untoward happened, music would be wiped out in the city and much of the country.)

Of the famous non-family members who were present at his service, Dr. John seemed the most choked up. Deacon John offered a sweet and funny remembrance. Many of us felt that the Neville Brothers and Allen Toussaint were conspicuous by their absence. (However, Cyrille Neville and his nephew Ivan Neville were there.) Since Big Man and I were sitting (with songwriter and poet Ron Cuccia, my son's parain, and the immortal author of "My Darlin' New Orleans") about the middle of the church, I couldn't see everyone, since it would have been rude for me to turn all the around and see who's sitting behind me, here's a partial list of the talent present at the service:

Dave Bartholemew (older even than Wardell and from his wheelchair, he actually played his trumpet for one tribute song)
Coco Robichaux (who performed some kind of voodoo ritual over the casket with an eagle wing)
Dave Torchinowski
Amasa Miller
Holley Bendtsen of the Pfister Sisters
Davell Crawford
Jo "Cool" Davis (who contributed several gospel tunes to the musical tribute)
Kermit Ruffins
Jean Knight
Dorothy Moore
Doc Paulin
Dooky Chase
Dooky Chase Jr.
Greg Kline of Bonerama

It was a beautiful, moving service, and we were glad to be there. (Big Man has all kinds of regrets that he never got a chance to work with Wardell.) Wardell's final opus will be released later this year, and I recommend everyone go out and buy it.

A nephew of Wardell's wrote a poem about his uncle, who in later years lost his eyesight due to complications from diabetes. It was called, "Close your eyes and see." So close your eyes, listen to some of Wardell's great recordings, and see what real genius sounds like.

We miss you already, Wardell.