Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro is the place to be Saturday night for a meeting of minds between two esoteric performers that have mined the world for musical inspiration. Sets are at 8 and 10 PM.
Though they may appear to come from different places and different generations, McDermott and Parks have both developed a fascination with the music of the African diaspora. They are performing to celebrate the release of McDermott’s latest collection, Bamboula, which was curated by Parks.
World music in the 21st century is usually expected to jump with chiming electric guitars and funky rhythms that feel similar, but seem exotic. Even in New Orleans, a city that has often been referred to as the northernmost in the Caribbean, when someone plays music from locales south of here it’s usually meant to encourage the shaking of the butt.
What McDermott presents on this recording is world music from two centuries past. Rather than salsa or reggae or rhumba, he plays musettes, choros, and tangos. This is the music that accompanied the dances of our great-great-grandparents.
On Saturday night, Parks (who we spoke with in September) is best known as a collaborator with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, but also has an abiding interest in world music, will open each set and McDermott will follow.
