NOLA Community Blog
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Enjoy New Orleans JazzFest ... from home! First Weekend, Day 3
John Dunlop
While JazzFest is canceled, you can still enjoy the best of the Fest! WWOZ is presenting JazzFesting in Place, broadcasting some of the best performances in the history of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, straight from the Archive of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.
Listen “live” at https://www.wwoz.org/listen/player/. The broadcast is 9am - 5pm L.A. time, 11am - 7pm NOLA time, Saturday 4/25 and Sunday 4/26, and next Thursday through Sunday (4/30 - 5/3)!
Check out the schedule, affectionately known as “The Cubes”, and check back with the WWOZ website each morning for the most up-to-date schedule!
Enjoy New Orleans JazzFest ... from home!
John Dunlop
While JazzFest is canceled, you can still enjoy the best of the Fest! WWOZ is presenting JazzFesting in Place, broadcasting some of the best performances in the history of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, straight from the Archive of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.
Listen “live” at https://www.wwoz.org/listen/player/. The broadcast is 9am - 5pm L.A. time, 11am - 7pm NOLA time, Thursday through Sunday (4/23-4/26), and Thursday through Sunday (4/30-5/3)!
Check out the schedule, affectionately known as “The Cubes”, and check back with the WWOZ website each morning for the most up-to-date schedule!
Celebrating the Birthday of Cosimo Matassa
John Dunlop
Record producer Cosimo Matassa was born in New Orleans on April 13, 1926, and opened the J&M Recording Studio in 1945 at the age of 18, at the back of his family's shop on Rampart Street. In 1955, he moved to the larger Cosimo Recording Studio on Gov. Nichols Street, nearby in the French Quarter.
Matassa was crucial to the development of the sound of R&B, rock and soul of the 1950s and 1960s, often working as an engineer with producers Dave Bartholomew and Allen Toussaint. He recorded many hits, including Fats Domino’s "The Fat Man" (a contender for the first rock and roll record), Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", and records by Ray Charles, Dr. John and many others. He was responsible for developing what became known as the New Orleans sound, with strong drums, heavy guitar and bass, heavy piano, light horns and a strong vocal lead.
Matassa retired from the music business in the 1980s to manage the family's food store, Matassa's Market, in the French Quarter. In 2007, Matassa was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and was also given a Grammy Trustees Award that same year. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.
Cosimo Matassa passed away on September 11, 2014, aged 88, in New Orleans, but his musical legacy lives on forever. Today we celebrate him and all he gave music fans worldwide.
Beloved New Orleans musician and educator Ellis Marsalis has passed away at 85.
John Dunlop
Beloved pianist, composer and music educator Ellis Marsalis passed away today at age 85. Born in New Orleans on November 14, 1934, Marsalis was the patriarch of a musical family, with internationally famous sons, saxophonist Branford and trumpeter Wynton, as well as accomplished jazz musicians, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason. Marsalis focused on teaching, influencing the careers of many musicians. A Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee, he and his sons are group recipients of the 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award. Marsalis was an immeasurable talent whose loss will be felt by all in New Orleans and by music lovers around the world. Rest in peace, Ellis.
Photo by: Lee Paxton - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Leepaxton
Celebrating the Birthday of Marva Wright
John Dunlop
Vocalist Marva Wright was born in New Orleans on March 20, 1948, and started singing in church at age 9, with her gospel singer, piano player mother accompanying her. The world-renowned “Queen of Gospel” Mahalia Jackson was an early friend of the family. Wright turned professional in 1987, at nearly 40 years old, after she was discovered while working as a secretary. She began singing as a second job to support her family. While Wright sang traditional jazz and gospel, she was better known for sultry, sometimes bawdy blues songs.
During a live set at Tipitina's in 1989, Wright made her first recording, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean., and in 1991, she made her national television debut and met the late CBS news anchorman Ed Bradley, who encouraged her career and introduced her at every JazzFest. Wright's first full-length release, Heartbreakin' Woman, appeared later that year, and was named blues album of the year by the Louisiana Music Critics Association. Her album Born With The Blues was released in France in 1993, and worldwide in 1996. Her 2007 effort, After The Levees Broke, addressed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed her house and all her belongings. In August 2008, she performed with the Louisiana Wetlands All Stars at both the Democratic National Convention in Colorado and the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Wright also sang backup for such artists as Allen Toussaint, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Cyril Neville, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Fats Domino, Lou Rawls, and Marcia Ball. Sadly, she passed away on March 23, 2010. On this day, we celebrate the life of the Blues Queen of New Orleans, Marva Wright.
