Overall summary. Much better engineered than
anything we have heard from the Fairgrounds so
far. Better mixes, better levels. Best act: Dr
Lonnie Smith. Wonderful.
Listening to the DJ before the show starts, is
reassuring. He has a great voice, isn't an idiot
and I guess has some production skills. Not all
WWOZ DJs are idiots. I take it back about the
production skills. He plays a CD that blasts
immediately after talking. At least it isn't
overmodulating. I definitely take it back about
production skills. The next CD is even louder.
His level is kinda low compared to the music he
plays. That may be part of his schtick but it's
hard to hear him and also keep the radio at a
good level when the music plays. Little things
like that make for bad radio. (He's peaking at
-10, CDs are peaking at 0db)
"In just about a few minutes..."
LiveWire comes on real loud, 10db hotter than the DJ. Good, OZ.
8 o'clock NY time. When will they start?
Silence. Boom, they go. Silence again. DJ at the
HOB has started talking before the feed gets to
him. We go to Carol Fran now. (So says the DJ)
Here's some of who're expected (from the OZ web page):
James Andrews, Marcia Ball, Marco Benevento,
Eddie Bo, Jon Cleary, Dan Dyer, Casandra
Faulconer (backup band), Carol Fran, Henry Gray,
John Gros, Herb Hardesty, Joe Krown, Ronald
Markham, Adam Matasar, Tom McDermott, Amasa
Miller, Charlie Miller, Renard Poché, Shannon
Powell (backup band), Donald Ramsey (backup
band), Reeka, John Royen, Marc Stone, David
Torkanowsky, Robert Walter.
She's playing some ragtime.
This feed is oh, averaging -10 db. Will it get
louder? Will DJs blast? Will DJs butt in at every
chance to do station IDs?
Vocal mic is low, averaging -30db. (She sounds like a he...)
Plays a waltz.
No DJ butting in.
This is a guy, not Carol Fran. Who is it? Moron DJ.
DJ butts in. Does station ID. Amasy Miller he
says. (spelled Amasa on the OZ web page)
8:20 NY time They switch in the middle of the
tune. Carol Fran and Joe Krown. OK. This is a
tune Alberta Hunter used to sing. Darktown
Strutters Ball.
You Don't Know Me (Ray Charles)
Running and Hiding. Bass comes in too loud but gets adjusted quickly.
DJ ID. Shannon Powell on drums, Donald Ramsey on bass.
Her uncle Henry Gray comes up. Two piano players, not quite in sync.
Henry sings, Sweet Home Chicago. Some high
frequency feedback, quickly stopped. She comes
in on the second verse but is low level, probably
off-mic. Sax is in the mix but it's low. Average
level is -10 db. With vocals, ~-3db.
DJ ID. Short and sweet.
Now, Henry singing, level is only -10db. I'm not
going to keep changing it. Tough if they are low
level.
Mixes have been good enough. Everybody in them. Levels ok but low.
ID again.
Rock Me Daddy. Carol singing, low in the mix.
Carol is done. Her spiel is below -30 db. Good engineering...
9:04 NY time Jon Cleary on. Bob French intros him.
Take Me Back Home To New Orleans?Mississippi River Blues (Changed to New Orleans Louisiana Blues)
familiar instrumental, full of glissandos (Cuban)
Lucille. Hard rockin' version.
Blueberry Hill
He's done.DJ "You've been jistening to Jon Cleary." Jistening? I guess he was going to say "just listening to" but the words didn't quite make it out of his mouth. Station ID
We go to the Parish but DJ has no idea who is playing. Good. Then, without a word, we are back at the main stage, Bob French MCing. Makes joke about George Bush. Good Bob!
Such A Night. Player not ID'd. I think it is John Gros. Bill Payne of Little Feat playing with him now?
"Can I get a yeah, you right? Yeah, you right" the crowd shouts back. Well alright.
Hello Josephine. Pianos sound good! We can hear the bass nicely. Level is good. Averaging -10, peaking at -3. Vocals are right on. Good mix.
DJ butts in. IDs John Gros and Bill Payne.
Roll Away. Slow, an anthem. His vocals get lost. Is he off-mic?As they stall, DJ comes in. OK.
DJ.
9:55 NY time John done. Bob French on. Dave Torkanowsky up next. If we're waiting for the piano to be fixed, why don't we go to the Parish? Words of wisdom from Bob: "Everybody ought to drink."
A deconstructed familiar tune, solo.
Back to the main stage. IDs again.Dave starts. Mo's Art. Dedicated to Alvin Batiste. Level goes down during this slightly.
Dave's vocal mic is low now.
10:18 pm NY time, Shut up DJ. You're talking over the music. (He feels compelled to
finish his sentence.)
Playing some Pro Longhair riffs. Hearing distortion.Big Chief. Hey Now Baby. Nice. Now into lounge. Back into Big Chief as we know it.
'Gonna keep fast company.' Nice mix. Sings How
Did I Get So Far Gone. Some nice licks and tricks.
"This is my favorite night of the year, I swear to god." Jonathan Batiste next.
A hot instrumental! Into Mardi Gras (Prof
Longhair) Weird percussion is too hot but
otherwise all is ok.
(Some 6.3k, no 16k but it sounds good, Much
better than anything I've heard from the
Fairgrounds.)
Dave is done.
DJ ID. We go other stage to hear Reeka for a
second, then it switches back to the DJ mic
checking and we get some BAD pops. Not much point
in going to Reeka was there?
They go back to Reeka. They're playing Big Chief. Just piano and gtr.
Her mic is low. Tipitina. 'We're gonna slow it
down. Everybody knows Tipitina, right?'
They switch to the other stage. Sounds like white noise in the background...
Jonathan Batiste now. Nice. Turns into Big Chief.
Horn is way too loud but they are handling it.
Now it is barely heard. Now his vocals are WAY
TOO HOT. You'd think these people have never been
in front of microphones before...
He does mic test ("test, test, test, test") while playing classical theme.
Oop poop a doop.
DJ ID
Something You Got. Some nice playing, vocals are
a mess. W/ father Michael Batiste.
Some melodeon pieces. Some snazzy riffs.
What A Wonderful World, complete with Louis Armstrong-style vocal.
One more. Miss Liza Jane. They can' t sing for, you know.
DJ is on the street? Tom Morgan is MCing. They go
to Tom McDermott (piano) and Evan Christopher
(clarinet).
Indifferent Musette. Nicely played. ('Musettes
are French jazz played in whorehouses, turned
into their national music.') Like ragtime turned
into ours, jazz.
They switch to Marcia Ball. That's Enough Of That
Stuff. 11:24 NY time. Gtr comes in. Horns sound
good.
DJ ID. Big D, shut up.
Watermelon Time. Nice gtr solo, if too short.
Another goddam ID?
Same Old Blues. Nice gtr solo. IDs band.
'Thank you for listening out there in radio and computerland.'
Nice gtr work on this one. (Rt 90 New Orleans...)
Hot Tamale Baby. (Flight of the Bumblebee in there.)
DJ iD, goes to Parish stage. Who is on there? (John Royen)
Preparing for Dr who? Some nice solo ragtime.
Familiar tune. (Fat's Waller?) Low level. Hum too.
They bring his vocal mic up, good. Talks of
Willie The Lion Smith. Echo of Spring. Damn, they
go to Dr Lonnie Smith on the main stage. But
they're not ready so the DJ talks. Shouldn't the
director have a clue? Nope.
Nice organ work. Nice percussion. Vaguely
familiar tune. Wading in the Water at one point.
Can't remember who did this, a jazz classic, done
in the 60s. Freedom Jazz Dance. I remember
hearing that by Brian Auger's Oblivion Express!
Plays some busy/newsreel music...Train whistle.
American In Paris. Willow Weep For Me. Low level
but gets better. Now he scats. That's some
painful scatting! Nice!
Singing in his almost Tibetan voice, Come
Together, done disco funk style! Great climax! Good levels, good mix.
Pop, sounded like static. Why? Some feedback.
They bring it down, nice. He laughs at the end.
DJ ID
He sings Misty. Holds out one LONG note! lol. (44 seconds by my estimate!) You
Are The Sunshine Of My Life, done a la Stevie
Wonder, with vocal and probably physical
mannerisms! Running blues. This guy's a kick.
Makin' fun of everybody! gobblydygook. Ends. No,
starts another one. Shuffle. Hot! His scatting
is hilarious. Man On The Flying Trapeze at the end!
DJ They go Josh Paxton in the Parish. Solo improv. End of one.
St Louis Blues. He starts it then they go back to
the main stage with no comment. OK. DJ, you can
talk now. They're not doing anything on stage.
Finally he does. Eddie Bo on. They go back to
Josh for a second. Why?
"There's something wrong here." Eddie says, as we
hear some sort of crunch. He plays Big Chief,
asking for Marsha Ball before. Sax is OUT OF THE
MIX, they bring it in. Marsha's piano is low in
the mix. Sound crew? Trumpet is fine. Give the
drummer some.
DJ ID
unknown song, nice.
'What's synonymous with big feet? Big shoes.' One
of his Popeye songs. You better check your
spinach. Nice organ licks.
DJ IDs and he is practically not heard! IDIOTS He
does it again. Talks so long we miss the
beginning, MORON.
Slippin' and Slidin'. Marsha's piano is low in
the mix. Do they fix it? Eventually. "Everybody
can tell when a musician was born near a garbage
dump. Everything is funky."
Tells Joe Crown to play the blues just like BB
King. Nice slow blues. Steal Away? Nice sax. Nice
organ solo.
Check Your Bucket. Disco style. NIce trumpet
solo, well mic'd/mixed. Sax low. Amazing how the
sound crew can be so clueless. Eddie's done.
DJ ID, Marcia Bell on second piano? Idiot.
Joe Kron on now, playing piano. They bring the level up. OK.
Boogie woogie.
Joe's vocal mic is low. Nice, slow, blues written
post-Katrina, made more sad by knowing that.
Played with respect.
DJ ID
Now on organ. Ode to Billie Joe. Sax is good
level now. Average level is peaking at 0 lately.
Good. Good mixes too, for the most part.
DJ ID again.
instrumental.
DJ ID. They're getting to be obnoxious again.
Distortion heard during last tune, happens again
in the beginning on this funky instrumental. 2 am
NY time. Vaguely familiar tune. Joe's done.
We barely hear Tom. DJ ID. For those of you out
there on the interweb. Moron. Dan Dyer on next.
LiveWire starts to play and then they stop it.
Dan's vocal mic is a good level. How come? Gtr is
low. What is the deal with this guy? He must be a
concession to the music biz, a hopeful they want
to showcase. Too bad he isn't that talented. (I
thought the same thing last year.)
I go to bed. This isn't worth staying up for.
"yeah, you right"... if you don't go you don't know. Go to the venue and quit trying to ride for free. pdk2009
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