New Orleans. We are driving around town listening to the soul of the city, community radio WWOZ. Between the funky oldies and the Dixieland and the Louis Armstrong – the cool horns, the hot Hammond B3, the licks and the grooves, I am in musical heaven just from the radio. We took a drive into the bayou, to Morgan City, for some sightseeing, to the mouth of the Atchafalaya, and then paralleled the Mississippi River for a while. Levees to the left. Poverty, oil fields and plantations to the right. Why is life so unbalanced? But the overarching principle here, is to enjoy the moment no matter who you are or what you have got.
"New Orleans” comes from Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade. They recorded it for the Music Fog cameras a year ago in March at Threadgill’s. The ease and spirit that this song embodies is the prevailing wind of the Big Easy. There is a sassiness, a certainty, and an innuendo to it all, that is assured, insinuating, and I must say, very appealing. Miss Tess and the band are gigging, if you want some more. And Miss Tess has a throw down every Wednesday via YouTube, where she challenges you to give her a tune to cover. She takes song requests in order, learns the song, videotapes it wherever and with whoever she feels like playing with. Cool. “New Orleans” now from Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade, as I bid NOLA adieu.
- Jessie Scott