Reflections and rants WWOZ blog posts

Why are city governments so "NON-SUPPORTIVE" of LIVE music? In Mandeville, Chenier built a new shopping, residential facility on Highway 190. They included in their plans a lovely ampitheater with gazebo for performances. They schedule four live music performance for Thursdays in October, free to the public and invited the neighborhood.

I've been away from the Petri Dish of all music, New Orleans for the last three weeks. I'm on a Hajj to the source of the flushes that come out of my New Orleans tap.  Yep, I'm above the headwaters, all the way to the continental divide - Yellowstone, Tetons, Boulder, Colorado, and Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  
 

We're going to try on the second half of the Tuesday Kitchen Sink to do some of the late Hart McNee's music and some of the music that he liked, and include parts of a profound interview that filmmaker and grand Marshall Henry Griffin did with Hart in 2006.

Sometime after 10:30 or so - Tuesday July 21, 2009 - Kitchen Sink.

New Orleans flautist Hart McNee passed away July 14, 2009, at the age of 66. A memorial will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, at Sound Café on Port and Chartres in the Bywater.

Just a quick hello to the listeners who noted my missing today's show. As you all know we are all volunteers who do our shows for the love of the music. As such most of us have another life that includes a "real" job. I am fortunate to work for a company with a management team that understand the importance of community radio and especially WWOZ.

Saturday the weather was nice and I decided to take in more live music in a single outing than I've done in quite a while. In retrospect this was actually great preparation for a couple of New Orleans Marathons that are scheduled over the next two months. No I'm not talking about those where you have to don skimpy apparel and run or jog, but those where you have choose from musical treats among the various stages and tents and gatherings at the French Quarter Festival, and of course, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

I am shocked and saddened by the death of Antoinette K-Doe on Mardi Gras Day. I can't say that I knew her nearly as well as others who will post in various places. I first met her three years ago when I had her as a guest on my show. And last month, it was at the Mother-In-Law lounge that I chose to watch the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama.

I was in the bank today and a middle-aged, hip-looking Tip's-in-the-'80s sort of couple was waiting by the teller for a long time. The bank radio was playing an '80s station quite loud. I couldn't help but overhear them:

Man: Is that Pat Benatar?
Woman: Yeah.
Man: How long is this going to take?
Woman: Ugh, I don't know.
Man: Well, nobody's looking. Go over there and switch it to OZ.