{"id":5463,"date":"2015-10-28T16:44:07","date_gmt":"2015-10-28T16:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.artinfo.com\/blunotes\/?p=5463"},"modified":"2015-10-28T16:44:07","modified_gmt":"2015-10-28T16:44:07","slug":"in-new-orleans-jazz-spills-into-the-streets-from-music-clubs-isnt-that-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/28\/in-new-orleans-jazz-spills-into-the-streets-from-music-clubs-isnt-that-a-good-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"In New Orleans, "Jazz Spills Into The Streets From Music Clubs"\u2014Isn't That A Good Thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sousaphonist<\/a>
Sousaphonist Kirk Joseph’s CD-release party at Caf\u00e9 Istanbul in late August\/ photo: Larry Blumenfeld<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nAccording to Stephen Perry,\u00a0President and CEO, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau,\u00a0the spillage of music onto streets from clubs (and presumably of music fans, too, and of “noise”) tops the list of reasons why more than 128,000 readers of\u00a0Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler ranked New Orleans No. 5 among “Best Big Cities in America.”
\nIn an Oct. 23 press release, Perry was quoted as follows: “New Orleans offers an incomparable experience for visitors – it’s a place where jazz spills into the streets from music clubs, where internationally-renowned chefs bring their inspiration to the table and where history meets the modern-day, from our French and Spanish architecture to our customs.\u00a0The vitality of New Orleans shines through our hospitality, and this recognition from such a respected and trusted brand reconfirms New Orleans’ position as an authentic, world-class destination.”
\nWhy, then, did I get the following, only a few days earlier, concerning yet more tensions surrounding music venues in New Orleans?<\/p>\n
(though these dates are past, the issue is ongoing)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
ACTION ALERT:<\/strong>\u00a0Support\u00a0Cafe Istanbul<\/em>\u00a0at City Hall on\u00a0Tuesday, October 20 at 1pm<\/span><\/span>Marigny\/Bywater community music and arts venue\u00a0Cafe Istanbul<\/a>\u00a0is set to appear in front of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABO \/ ABCB) on\u00a0Tuesday, October 20th<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, at\u00a01:00pm<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, to\u00a0defend against<\/strong>\u00a0allegations\u2013made by a select group of neighbors in conjunction with the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association\u2013of being being a \u201cnuisance bar.\u201d<\/strong>From Cafe Istanbul co-owner (and MaCCNO Board member) Chuck Perkins:”Five years ago, (business partner) Suleyman and I said that Cafe Istanbul was going to be an inclusive venue accessible to all of the people of New Orleans, we insisted that everyone would be welcome with the exception of the hateful and intolerant. Five years later, I am happy to say that Cafe Istanbul is everything we intended it to be and more. Thanks to all of you for helping us make our dream a reality, I look forward to seeing you at\u00a01pm<\/span><\/span>\u00a0on the\u00a0October 20th<\/span><\/span>.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2014Chuck Perkins, Co-Owner,\u00a0Cafe Istanbul<\/a><\/div>\n
PLEASE JOIN MaCCNO AT
\nNEW ORLEANS CITY HALL<\/a>
\nin CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
\nON\u00a0TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20<\/span>\u00a0at\u00a01:00pm<\/span>
\nto SUPPORT CAFE ISTANBUL.
\nIf you have a MaCCNO \u2018Music is not a Crime\u2019 t-shirt, please wear it.<\/strong><\/div>\n

Here’s what I wrote recently about Caf\u00e9 Istanbul, within, “Resilience Follies,” my coverage of the 10th anniversary of the 2005 flood:<\/p>\n

That night, I ended up at Caf\u00e9 Istanbul, a club opened four years ago by spoken-word poet Chuck Perkins, within the Healing Center complex on a now quickly developing stretch of St. Claude Avenue. I fugured I\u2019d pick up a thing or two at the Center\u2019s food coop and stop in to wish Chuck a happy 50th<\/sup>\u00a0birthday.
\nThen I heard the unmistakable sound of Donald Harrison\u2019s alto sax. But Harrison was supposed to be in Japan.\u00a0Man, that sound system makes a recording sound good<\/em>, I thought. When I heard the yet more unmistakable sound of Dr. John\u2019s voice, I realized\u00a0This was no recording<\/em>.
\nIt was a CD release party for \u201cSousafunk Ave<\/a>,\u201d from Kirk Joseph\u2019s Backyard Groove band. The band is tight, funky and deeply musical on its own, fortified by the power and dexterity with which Joseph anchors the Dirty Dozen Brass Band\u2019s sound. At Caf\u00e9 Istanbul, as on the new CD, Joseph\u2019s band was joined by guests. Dr. John sang a spirited version of his classic \u201cSuch a Night,\u201d with Harrison adding sly asides and a bebop-inflected solo. Harrison, meanwhile, fresh of a flight from Japan, gathered the band\u2019s horn section for call-and-response riffs to Joseph\u2019s tunes.\u00a0Here was just the sort of gig you couldn\u2019t have predicted and don\u2019t want to miss that New Orleans, more than most cities, still offers. And Caf\u00e9 Istabul has been host to its fair share of these.
\nYet Caf\u00e9 Istanbul is the latest New Orleans venue to be threatened by complaints. As happened with increasing frequency regarding key venues during the past few years, local residents and neighborhood associations have challenged the club.\u00a0The City Attorney has filed a petition before the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board claiming that Caf\u00e9 Istanbul should be declared a public nuisance.\u00a0<\/span>Perkins told me that a hearing is scheduled for later in September.
\nYet this night, as Priness Darrinisha, a foul-mouthed and deeply funny drag queen comic hosted a raucous revue to celebrate his birthday, Perkins wasn\u2019t thinking about such things. He was showing, at 50, \u201chow I do resilience,\u201d he said.
\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Stephen Perry,\u00a0President and CEO, New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau,\u00a0the spillage of music onto streets from clubs (and presumably of music fans, too, and of “noise”) tops the list of reasons why more than 128,000 readers of\u00a0Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler ranked New Orleans No. 5 among “Best Big Cities in America.” In an Oct. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “In New Orleans, "Jazz Spills Into The Streets From Music Clubs"\u2014Isn't That A Good Thing?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5463"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/larryblumenfeld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}