The Happy Organ Hour

 

 

 

It can be argued that the heyday of the New Orleans club scene has passed. Frenchmen Street was once a new and exciting, smart alternative to Bourbon Street but now has become Bourbon Street Junior, with illegal vendors, second and third tier cover bands and endless parades of bachelorettes looking for photo-ops. 

Twenty years ago, the cream of the New Orleans crop of musicians could be found in various iterations at any number of Frenchmen Street clubs. 8 and 10PM you'd find Henry Butler, Mark Mullins, Matt Perrine and Donald Harrison Jr. setting fire to the stage for two sets at famed jazz club Snug Harbor, only to find Donald Harrison Jr., Stanton Moore, Mark Mullins and Ivan Neville, partying hard at midnight, right next door at The Blue Nile, while Jon Cleary was Fessin' it up at D.B.A. just a few steps to the left.

It's true, many of the legends are gone, while some have retired and moved away. But those that remain, aren't gathering together as often as they once did. The good news is, the new hot shots still tear it up, if not on Frenchmen Street, then at The Bayou Bar in the Garden District, or at the legendary Maple Leaf on Oak Street in River Bend. It's not as easy as it once was, where you could stroll up Frenchmen and hear a dozen of your favorite players across a few hours on the same night, often for free, or a minimal cover charge. But once you decide to venture out of the French Quarter, you will be rewarded.

One of my new favorite events is the Happy Organ Hour at The Maple Leaf. This was put together by the brilliant keyboardist Joe Ashlar and my man, drummer extraordinaire Stanton Moore as a way to play earlier than the usual late New Orleans start times. Every Wednesday, from 6-9, Ashlar and Moore take the Maple Leaf stage with a different special guest added to create a new and exclusive trio. Last week, one of the best young jazz composers, sax player Brad Walker was included, and over two sets, this magical trio tore it up and took names.

This was Larry Young via The Meters. Jimmy Smith at Mardi Gras. Tony Williams, Coltrane and Jack McDuff on another planet. This set was everything I have been raving about for 25 years and the very reason why I continue to make the trip south.

Both sets are included in the video uptop, thanks to the daily Maple Leaf live stream on YouTube. If you're not ready to dive in head first, I only ask that you watch the first two songs, a hot shit version of the Ramsey Lewis classic, "The In Crowd," and a local standard by New Orleans guitarist Steve Masakowski called "Sidewalk Strut."

I realize, like reggae, punk, heavy metal, and jazz (and...and...and...) extended jamming isn't everyone's cup of java. But if you don't feel something, anything at all by the musicianship on that stage, well, I guess there will be more room for me at The Maple Leaf when I make my next trip to the Crescent City.