“Give me half a bottle of moonshine, two-three bottles of beer; We gonna pitch a boogie right here.” —Will Ezell, “Pitchin’ Boogie,” 1929
We are not getting any younger and the three days of Jazz Fest have left us all a little tired. A lazy morning is the order of the day. Hoff and Bernie walk around to the nearby Rousses Market for a few supplies. Another great day in ‘the City that Care Forgot,’ with clear skies and no humidity to speak of.
Coffee at 11:30 and then we walk another block on Freret St to Dat Dog. A franchise diner that specializes in all sorts of humble hotdogs/sausages, all loaded with whatever topping takes your fancy. I had the ‘Son of a Saint Dog.’
Today we are catching up with Skye and Scott and their traveling compadres at the popular Bacchanal wine bar. For those not au fait with the Roman God, Bacchus then here is a little history for y’all. The bacchanal in art describes any small group of revellers, often including satyrs and perhaps Bacchus or Silenus, usually in a landscape setting. The subject was popular from the Renaissance onwards and usually included a large degree of nudity among the figures. We are going to be in for a great afternoon. Pat is coming with us as well and she will be the foreigner in a bunch of Aussies. Before I hand over to Bernie for his summary of the afternoon’s frivolity you should check out the wine bar here:
Junior correspondent Bernie takes over – Bacchanal is the ultimate cool wine bar located in a pretty dodgy neighborhood. It is always busy. We arrive around four, and, for the first time, we actually snaffle a seat on the lawn. That is thanks to Skye, Scott, and their crew, who arrived before us and have started on the Spanish Rose. We are joined by Pat, Rob, and Wendy’s friend from NOLA. We take a little time in the wine shop to peruse the selection. Pretty diverse and no shortage of choices. We start with a South African Chein Blanc blend and Wendy goes for a Californian Chardonnay. Rob finds a very good dry Apple Cider. With a cheese platter, it’s a good way to spend an afternoon. We chat with Skye’s crew. They have really packed a lot in on their travels and it is good to swap notes.
Bacchanal – Let The Party Begin
Two bottles down, we realize that it could be a long evening unless we grab some food and slow down on the wine. So, Pat plays chauffeur and we look for an eating place. We end up at a club/bar called Buffas. There is a great little jazz outfit, the Doyle Cooper trio playing traditional tunes. Doyle is a fine trumpeter and has a great voice, so it is easy to listen to.
A little later, guitarist Alex McMurray and pianist, Bill Malchow, take over the stage. They are great and obviously seasoned performers. Alex has the laconic style and dry wit of Randy Newman with a little Leon Redbone thrown in as well. The food is good bar food and we hang in for most of the first set. Although we don’t know these performers, Google informs us that Alex has recorded a dozen albums. No wonder he is such a polished performer. On the drive home with Pat, we tune into husband Bob’s radio show on WWOZ. A real treat.
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