I'm very lucky to be a member of the Carnival Season brass agregation, the Panorama Brass Band. Essentially a enlarged version of the amazing Panorama Jazz Band with some wacko out-of-town ringers (like me.) This year's parade season was the best yet, in my opinion and this particular version of the band has a really wonderful and sweet vibe all week long. I produced a CD for the Jazz Band just a few months prior to Katrina hitting, and you should try and find yourself a copy.
What's also amazing is the fact that cell phone technology has advanced to the point where nearly every moment of parade is available for viewing on YouTube. So, I have compiled here quite a few little snippets of the parades, up to and including rolling with the St. Anthony Ramblers on Mardi Gras day.
I must say one of the most moving and tender moments I've had all year was performing a chorale in honor of one of the Rambler's who passed over to glory in the last year, while we were introduced to brand new Rambler's who just recently came into this world. All on a Mardi Gras Day, in the Marginy in New Orleans. (Makes a big boy like me pretty weepy. And yes the sound is awful, but I hope you get the spirit that was created in the moment.)
We actually took a couple days off between rolls and recorded a CD, which I hope will be all wrapped up and out soon. The 2010 version of the Panorama Brass Band was:
Patty Farrel, alto horn
Don Godwin & Mark Rubin, tenor horns
Charlie Halloran, slide trombone
Ben Schenck, clarinet
Aurora Nealan, alto sax
JR Hankins, truba
Jack Pritchett, trumpet
Dan Oestreicher, bari sax
John Gross, sousaphone
Boyana Travanova, spinning drum
Greg Mervine, bass drum
Sean Clark & Ritchie Barshay, percussion
Bon Mardi Gras, y'all. See you next year, for sho!!
