Thursday – April 24^th

New friend Policeman Joey from French Quarter Fest

‘For me there is something primitively soothing about this music, and it went straight to my nervous system, making me feel ten feet tall.’ – Eric Clapton

Jazz Fest Eve. The weather is certainly more New Orleans in feel and all is looking good for the festival. There are more people in town already. Back to the Magnolia Grill for waffles and bacon. The old African American using the grill in front of me is very amiable. He is cooking up a Cajun sauce for the lunch special of pasta. He hands out small cups to the people sitting at the counter in front of him for a taste and critique. We got talking and he gave me some tips for cooking my Jambalaya back home. The time is only 9:30 and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people that order a beer, Bloody Mary or some other alcoholic refreshment to go with their bacon, eggs. grits and biscuit (like a scone)

It took me over two hours to type the blog about Borbon St. It was by far the wordiest of all the blogs I have posted. Two finger typing is a time consuming affair.

Mid -afternoon and I headed back to the market for a bite to eat. I will be having a formal dinner tonight with Brian Wises’ tour group this evening so I decided on a light snack. A pecan pie and tropical smoothie hit the spot.

The welcome dinner for the Aussies on tour is at the courtyard of the Maison Dupuy on Toulouse. It was good to catch up with Brian and exchange information on what we have been up to over the last few weeks. Brian is still struggling a little with the aftermath of his motor-bike accident. I recognized a few faces from previous tours however there are at least 10 newbies this time around, they are in for some fun. Dinner was very tasty, oyster shooters and a help yourself buffet of gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya, blackened catfish, salad and some spinach thing that I avoided.

Around 8 I headed off by myself. I have two photos of Big Al Carson to get signed. I know he will be at the Funky Pirate on Bourbon performing with his band the Blues Masters. I said hello to the guitarist, we know each other from Johnny White’s bar. There is a very well dressed guy talking to some band members as they set up. He came over and said hello. He will be doing the sound at Congo Square tomorrow and is laughing about his schedule. He has brass bands and New Orleans stars such as Shamarr Allen to mix for and his last act of the day will be the notorious Public Enemy. Big Al came in and I waited until he had settled unto his seat before going to show him the photos. As with all the musicians who have seen Wendy’s shots he was also very impressed and wants her to send him copies, he gave me his business card with his phone number and email address.

The crowd has built up somewhat as the band kicks into some blues music. There is an old lady (70’s?) walking in the door with a couple of other people, everyone takes a second look at her as she seems to be topless! On further inspection she has on a skin coloured Mardi Gras T-shirt with very realistic boobs painted on front. She is here to party and as soon as the music starts she is up and dancing. I watched two sets and then headed home, tomorrow will be a big day