My good friend, Ronell is on trombone. He's one of my neighbors and we play together sometimes. He mostly plays for Preservation Hall Jazz Band and tours the world with them.
OK I've posted a lot of New Orleans band videos. Wanna know what the common theme is ??? I cooked for at least one member of them at one of my restaurants...Cafe Gentilly or the Abita Springs Cafe. The last video of Big Daddyo features KyleK's younger brother, Keenan, on guitar. God, I love New Orleans...a unique culture by any standard. I love all my customers. Gentilly is an affordable neighborhood fairly close to the French Quarter. So many musicians live near the Cafe.
I met these guys in my cafe in Abita. They're like the rest of us. Trying to make enough to pay the rent. They're from all over and are real students of trad jazz. The Asian female trumpet player, Shaye, is also primarily a piano player. I really have a soft spot in my heart for her...a crush too. They play on the street in the tourist season and tour Europe and Japan in the summer.
Evan Christopher came in one day and I didn't know him from shinola...I asked him what kind of work he did and he said musician. I asked what he played and he said clarinet. I asked him his last name and he said Christopher. Of course I had heard of him. He came in town from California recently and there was a lot of talk about him. He had a great reputation....listen to him and he's better than his rep. He offered to teach me. I was floored but I couldn't afford him.
