Thanksgiving is in the rear view mirror; New Year’s is on the horizon, and holiday parties are in full swing. Here are my picks for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.
Irvin Mayfield’s New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is celebrating ten years of big band jazz and educational programs this month. They recently played a well-received show at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the celebration continues tonight with “Dirt, Dust, Trees: A Tribute to Literary Legend Ernest Gaines featuring Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Ernest Gaines and Soledad O’Brien.” It takes place at the Joy Theater beginning at 7:30 PM.
Mayfield has a long history of honoring and collaborating with artists in other genres going back to his album Half Past Autumn Suite, which appeared in 2003, and was inspired by photographer Gordon Parks.
Gaines is an American and Louisiana literary icon best known for the books The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and A Lesson Before Dying.
I saw my first show at the renovated Joy Theater a couple of weeks ago, and the room sounds great. It should be a wonderful setting for the debut of Mayfield’s latest work.
Saturday night I have it on good authority that The Honey Island Swamp Band and Tommy Malone will be collaborating at Tipitina’s. Malone will open the show and welcome A-Ron and Chris from the HISB for a few songs. Then Malone will return the favor and join the HISB during their headlining set. A-Ron is a multi-instrumentalist, so let’s hope he brings out the mandolin during the early set.
Finally, one of the more interesting acts that I have seen in the last couple of years is playing Sunday night at the Howlin’ Wolf. I got to see Of Montreal at a festival in Chicago during the summer of 2011. They put on a spirited show complete with special effects and props. But the music is what really drew me in. Imagine an indie rock band that mines the sensibilities of glam era David Bowie.
See you there!
