I am working on a Weekend Mix that was inspired by a number of recent events, including my friends' Allen Vella and Susan Shaw's radio show "All That Gumbo" that aired this past Friday. At the moment, it needs some editing, otherwise it is going to be a 2 CD set. This track by Uncle Lionel wasn't easy to let go, but I had to start somewhere. Who knows? By Friday, it might be back in the mix.
Uncle Lionel was larger than life. Whether on his way to a gig with the Treme Brass Band or on his way back home, Unc was always dressed to the nines. You can feel through the thick Crescent City air just how much he knew it, too. People would shout, "Hey Unc!" He'd nod back, smile, wave, raise his walking stick or tip his hat. He lived for this.
I had been walking Uptown one afternoon. Reaching the end of the French Quarter, just before Canal Street, I see Uncle Lionel coming towards me on a very quiet stretch of Dauphine Street. He was a good distance from his home in the Treme. He was carrying a small bag from Walgreens. I shouted "Hey Unc!" He stopped, and as if I had just flipped his power switch to “on,” he launched into a story about waiting in line for way too long in Walgreens, when all he needed was batteries. It wasn't the story. It was the feeling of being Unc's friend. He talked to everyone. Outside of New Orleans, Lionel Batiste is just another character from the Big Easy. In his hometown, Lionel Batiste's presence was as big as Frank Sinatra.
Uncle Lionel died from prostate cancer which moved to his stomach. But while he was in hospice care, a mock traditional jazz funeral was held, so family and friends could say goodbye while he was alive. That's New Orleans for ya.
3 comments:
Very sweet.
What a great voice.
My toes are tingling in anticipation of your weekend mix.
Randy
His passing was also when NO just became a little less eclectic and soulful. Such a unique man.
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