Bands - May 1

Joseph Torregano

The members of this band included Joseph Torregano on clarinet, Andrew Behan on trumpet, Wendell Eugene on trombone, Michael Torregano on piano, Alfred J. Bernard on bass and Bob French on drums. Their set included Struttin' with Some Barbeque, Night and Day, Royal Garden Blues, When You're Smiling, Margie, Amazing Grace and Bye Bye Blackbird.

Dukes of Dixieland

The Dukes of Dixieland claim to be the oldest continuing Dixieland band. I have no way to verify this, but they have been around for a long time and have performed at every Jazzfest I've been to (I think). The band members included Jamie White on cornet, Ben Smith on trombone and vocal, Earl Bonnie on clarinet, Richard Scott on piano, John Lutz on bass and Richie Taylor on drums. Their set included Bourbon Street Parade, Fidgety Feet, Basin Street Blues, Once in a While, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, Milneberg Joys, Tin Roof Blues, Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home, Black Bottom Stomp and That's A-Plenty.

Walter Payton & Filé Gumbo

Walter Payton is a chatty bandleader. He seems to know every musician and music fan in town. He'll spend a lot of time telling stories and acknowledging people in the audience. His volubility got the better of him this year however - he talked so much that he only got five numbers into his set. He seemed surprised when the stage manager told him his time was up.

The band members included Walter Payton on bass, Mark Braud on trumpet, Phil Quinelle on piano, Gerald French on drums, Rodney Paulin on alto and tenor saxes and Ellen Smith on vocal. They featured a dancer named Lula Elsy (?) on one number. The set included Bourbon Street Parade, Royal Garden Blues, Drucilla (with dancer), The Shadow of Your Smile and Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby.

By the way, Walter Payton is the father of Nicholas Payton, the modern jazz trumpeter.

Geronimo Hunters Mardi Gras Indians

This is a group I saw briefly while on my way to the Southern Comfort Blues Tent. They were performing at the Jazz & Heritage stage. I don't know who the performers were, nor do I have a set list. Mardi Gras Indians are part of a tradition in New Orleans in which neighborhood groups dress in elaborate costumes and hold impromptu street parades. When two of these groups meet they engage in a competition of improvised parading, singing and dancing.

Music Maker Blues Revue featuring Boo Hanks, Macavine Hayes & Eddie Kirkland

This group was finishing up on the blues stage just as I got there to see the next act. I don't have a set list.

Carolina Chocolate Drops

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a traditional string band that performs music from the twenties and thirties. They members of the group met at a black banjo gathering in 2005 and decided to form their own group. Each of them plays several instruments - it was hard for me to keep track of who played what, but the instruments included violin, banjo, jug, kazoo, Dobro, drums, bones and Jew's harp. All of them also sang. The group was used in the soundtrack of the movie The Great Debaters. You can read more about them at the Carolina Chocolate Drops web site.

The band members were Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson. Their set included Little Rabbit, George Buck, Don't Get Trouble in Your Mind, Two Time Loser, Viper Mad, Will Adams' Breakdown, Cornbread and Butterbeans, I'm Not Jealous, Snowden's Jig, I'm Gonna Run, Memphis Shakedown and Hit 'Em Up Style (?).

Hot Club of New Orleans

The Hot Club of New Orleans creates a sound similar to the Quintet of the Hot Club of France (which featured Django Reinhart and Stephane Grapelli). This band's members included Matt Rhody on violin, Christopher Colbert on clarinet, Matt Johnson and John Rodney on guitar and Bradford Trudy on bass. Their set included Ambiance Douce, Heavy Artillery, Sweet Charms, Elsa's Dream, Palesteena and Bourbon Street Parade.

Ruby Wilson

Ruby Wilson is a soul singer from Memphis. I didn't get the names of her band members, which is too bad because they were very good! The set included Down by the Riverside, Cake Walking Babies from Home, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, Beale Street Blues, Summertime, You Can't Tell the Difference After Dark, You Been a Good Old Wagon, Daddy, but You Done Broke Down, Basin Street Blues, After You've Gone, Amazing Grace and St. Louis Blues.