The Miracle of Mardi Gras...

...and of modern technology.

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!!

Box of Wine - Mardis Gras 2008

Hours prior to the parade leaders arrest that evening (and that's a whole other story wild related here,) the Panorama Brass Band works out a litte Ornette Coleman number for the revelers.

Note the trumpet fiddle in the hands of former NO Klezmer All Stars fiddler Rick Perles.

Panorama Brass Band - Krewe of Babylon -2008

Mardis Gras 2008, Krewe of Tucks, Panorama Brass Pand

So here's my first report from this years Mardis Gras. The first nights parade, Morpheus, was a horror show as it was rained out and then rescheduled to roll after the next nights parades. That meant that there we 4, count 'em 4, whole parades that lined up at 6pm.

To accomodate our commitments to both Krewes, the Panorama band broke into two 6 member band, with your truly on a borrowed tuba. We didn't get to the parade end until nearly 1 am, and the last parade rolled in much later. Absolute chaos reigned, which was ironic as the Krewe of Chaos actually canceled their parade, wussies....

It was night time and a camera was out of the question, which is fine as the Morpheus folks were a supreme let down. Last year, Morpheus had the kickingess floats and best throws and had me wishing we were rolling with them rather than just watching them go by. But this year we rolled just behind the "King" who couldn't be bothered to toss the band a throw, so we had to contend ourselves with Krewe D'Etat throws from the previous roll. The floats were mighty weak, the throws kinda lame and the Krewe members less than neighborly, but that's just one tuba players opinion and as usual he could be completely full of shit.

The next morning brought on a much more happening Carnival experience with my 3rd time rolling with the Krewe of Tucks. Its the whole 12 piece brass orchestra this time and these musicians are among the finest I've ever worked with.

Here's some candid shots from the parade:

A pre-roll jam out, on an Ornette Coleman composition I believe...

The view from behind float #21. Nice folks these Tucks.

The very welcome trumpet of 1st time Carnival marcher Ben Holmes of Brooklyn NY.

Fat man got him a new hat.
The band really wishes he put down the damn tambourine though....

Band leader Ben Schenk and the mid-horn section: yours truly and Don Godwin on tenor, Patty Farrel on alto.


Ben is a characteristically uplifting pose.

Tucks float #22 right behind us broke down and slowed the whole thing down a bit, and the local paper had a moment by moment coverage of that very float. Dig it here.

Tomorrow we roll Babylon in the AM and then Box of Wine Marching Club around 4pm-sh. It's a technical impossibility to play bothy, but we plan on bending time and space to do so. In a first for me, I'll be marching Mardi Gras with my mighty Vega tenor banjo that Vinnie Mondello made for me. More reports then.

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!!

Panorama Brass Band rolling Mardi Gras '07

Folks,

Since you most likely missed it, here's the Panorama Brass Band parading with the St. Anthony Ramblers in the French Quarter. We're just leaving the church on Jackson Square and headed down Charters. The tune is a Sher, can't recall the title, but from the Yiddish repertoire. I'm the 2nd tenor torn player. Yes, in this band, I'm happy to the tenor horn man.

Look about 2 minutes in where I run into another Krewes musicians, who quite cooincidentally turns out under his mask is a fellow Austinite and band mate of mine in the Monkey Butlers Oliver Steck. You see where I hand him a flask of 20 year old home brewed Slivovitz provided to me by a dear friend from Serbia, and saved for toasting this very occasion.

I hope all of you can come celebrate the rebuliding of New Orleans, both phsyically and spiritually in years to come.

Mardi Gras Schedule, 2007

I can hardly contain myself. A few short days, a trip to the rental car joint, and then it's I-10 West to New Orleans to roll with the Panorama Brass Band.

Here's where you'll find me:

Parading with Panorama Brass Band

February 15, Knights of Babylon, Uptown, rolls at 5:45pm
February 16, Krewe of Morpheus, rolls at 7:45pm
Cafe Brazil, post parade shindig
February 17, post-Edmyion party, Rusty Nail, Lee Circle, 9pm
February 18, Box of Wine, Garden District, rolls at 4:30pm
February 19, busking in Jackson Square, 11am-2pm
Mimi's (Franklin & Royal,) 9am-12am
February 20, MARDI GRAS, all over the French Quarter

Let's hope we see you out!