Confetti Park

Author: Confetti Park

  • A Kids’ Chorus Comes Up in Algiers

    Watch out for the pirates!
    Watch out for the pirates!

    New Orleans journalist Michael Patrick Welch just wrote a really fun article for NewOrleans.me on the Confetti Park Players: A Kids’ Chorus Comes Up in Algiers. It discusses the origins of our chorus in Algiers, and gives an overview of our first year. Some of our kid singers are even interviewed!

    Our first CD is called We’re Going to Confetti Park. It was recorded at Marigny Recording Studios and features some amazing New Orleans artists collaborating with the kids, including Johnny Vidacovich, Jon-Erik Kellso, Evan Christopher (Clarinet Road), Matt Perrine of Bonerama , Patti Adams of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Beth Patterson, Tom McDermott Roger Lewis of Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dave Rosser On Guitar, Brian Coogan of Pretty Lights, Tim Robertson Music, Jason Rhein of Rotary Downs, Rick Nelson of The Afghan Whigs and so many more…… album will be out late summer. https://confettipark.com/music/

    You can visit our Soundcloud channel for sneak peaks!

  • Interview: Jayna Morgan & the Swing Setters swing kids music

    Interview: Jayna Morgan & the Swing Setters swing kids music

    The New Orleans-based jazz band the Swing Setters play kids music!
    The New Orleans-based jazz band the Swing Setters play kids music!

    In this episode of Confetti Park, Katy Ray interviews jazz vocalist Jayna Morgan about her newest New Orleans band, the Swing Setters, a fun, energetic group that plays kids music jazz-style!

    (Is this a great name for a jazz band that plays kids music, or what?!)

    The Swing Setters truly fill a void in the New Orleans live music scene with their polished treatment of classic American songs, folk songs, and Disney favorites that kids love.

    Says Morgan, “There’s not many jazz bands in New Orleans that play children’s music…we were trying to think of names of other people in New Orleans that have a great personality [that aren’t grumpy!], very affable with children, who wouldn’t mind being silly once in a while!”

    The band is comprised of professional jazz musicians including Morgan on the vocals, Alex Owen on trumpet, Greg Agid on clarinet and saxophone, David Phy on trombone, Ted Long on guitar, Joe Kennedy on piano, Alan Broome on bass, and Gerald French on drums. 

    insert-front_swingsettersThe band recently released their first CD, called Swingin’ at the Playground, available for purchase online at http://11thcommandmentrecords.com/store/ This podcast includes several previews of songs from that record, including “Look for the Silver Lining,” “The Glow Worm,” “This Old Man,” and “A-Tisket A-Tasket.”

     

  • An “A” for The Little Mouse Santi

    Confetti Park is so proud of the great reviews rolling in for The Little Mouse Santi! We got an A from the School Library Journal, a prestigious publication that has been printing since 1954. This publication is a go-to for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians as they decide which books to order. Thank you Teri Markson and thank you to School Library Journal, for helping us spread the word about Santi! Librarians, if you want to order our book (and we hope you do!), please order through IPG.

    School Library Journal

    05/01/2015

    K-Gr 2—In this simple ode to felines and the power of one’s heart’s desire, little mouse Santi has only one wish: to be a cat. Every day he watches the cats on the farm and practices strutting, meowing, ignoring others, and pretending to be bored, all the while wishing he could join them for naps in the sun, romps in the grass, and cozy snoozes in the lap of the farmer’s wife. The other mice laugh at him, but he doesn’t care, and one day he finally gathers the courage to become a cat…with surprising results. The spare text and clean lines give the book the look and feel of an animated cartoon, while gentle visual humor and winsome facial expressions add depth to Santi’s longing. VERDICT A sweet and appealing book that speaks of the need to confront one’s fears in order to realize a dream.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

  • Have you seen the Okra Man?

    Have you seen the Okra Man?

    Photo of Mr. Okra by Miranda H., via Flickr Creative Commons
    Photo of Mr. Okra via Flickr Creative Commons

    Have you seen the Okra Man around New Orleans?

    Mr. Okra is a fruit and vegetable vendor who travels the city of New Orleans vending from his truck. His unmistakable call over his P.A. system—“I have cantaloupes! I have tomatoes!”—can be heard from blocks away, and people await him on their front porches so they can buy their fresh produce for the week. Learn all about Mr. Okra in this article by Ian McNulty for New Orleans Magazine.

    The Confetti Park Players are so delighted to feature Mr. Okra on a song on their CD, We’re Going to Confetti Park. More info at confettipark.com/music

    This is a traditional adapted by Katy Hobgood Ray and Arthur Robinson (Mr. Okra). The song was produced by Katy and Matt Aguiluz and recorded at Marigny Recording Studio in New Orleans.

    Featuring: Scott Albert Johnson, harmonica; Arthur Robinson, vocals; David Rosser, guitar. Kids chorus: Lily Bell, Luna Bell, Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, Millie Moffett, Hrilina Ramrakhiani, Sadie Strong, and Virginia Strong.

    The Confetti Park Players is an all-ages children’s choir in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our home base is in Algiers, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Led by songwriter Katy Hobgood Ray, the Confetti Park Players meet weekly to sing, make rhythms, learn traditional New Orleans songs, and practice the craft of songwriting. The songs we sing are a mixture of fun and whimsical originals by contemporary Louisiana songwriters, classic folk songs, nursery rhymes, jump rope jingles, fairy tales, and natural lore.

    Mr. Okra and Katy Ray.
    Mr. Okra and Katy Ray.

     

  • Music Medley: Crawfish Time

    Music Medley: Crawfish Time

    Photo of crawfish by Sally Asher
    Photo of crawfish by Sally Asher

    Confetti Park is a community radio program out of New Orleans. We feature local storytellers and songs that kids love, songs created for kids, or created by kids, right here in Louisiana. This medley of kids music shows the diversity of Louisiana musicians. Songs featured in this episode, in order:

  • Buttermilk Drop

    Buttermilk Drop

    In honor of National Donut Day we are sharing this track from the Confetti Park Players‘ upcoming CD! “Buttermilk Drop” – the BEST DONUT IN THE WORLD! ‪#‎nola‬ ‪#‎love‬ ‪#‎NationalDonutDay‬.

    This track features Rick G. Nelson, bass; Katy Ray, vocals; Greg Schatz, accordion; Daniele Spadavecchia, guitar; James G. Thornton, trumpet. (Snaps by Katy, Ted Lindsay and Jason Rhein.) Kids chorus: Keller Clark, Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, and Millie Moffett.

    More about the album We’re Going to Confetti Park….

    The first recorded music project from Confetti Park is almost complete! It’s in the mastering phase now, under the listening ears of Bruce Barielle. Engineered by Jason Rhein and Matt Aguiluz at Marigny Recording Studio.

    Created by Katy Hobgood Ray, the CD features a chorus of children (the Confetti Park Players) singing about pirates, frogs, snoballs, and Candy Land balls along with a star-studded lineup of musicians (Johnny Vidacovich, Jon-Erik Kellso, Evan Christopher, Matt Perrine, Patti Adams, Beth Patterson, Tom McDermott, Roger Lewis, David Rosser, Brian Coogan, Tim Robertson, and more).

    Expected release date of Summer 2015.

     

     

  • Ben Schenck wrote a song about a cockroach

    Panorama Jazz Band photo by Greg Miles
    Panorama Jazz Band photo by Greg Miles

    When facing off with a cockroach in the shower, what would you do?

    Some people would scream. Some people would hurl the shampoo bottle at the little sucker, and then run.

    But Ben Schenck? He wrote a song for the cockroach.

    “I was raised with a strong care module, so I cared deeply about this cockroach, but at the same time I didn’t want to touch it….  I set him free and then wrote him a song at the breakfast table.”

    Here’s Ben on clarinet and vocals, performing with the Panorama Jazz Band of New Orleans on the “Cockroach Song,” which he wrote when he was 17.

    Sing along, everyone: “Ya Ya Ya, Wally Wally Wah!”

  • Music Memory from Tommy Sancton

    Tommy Sancton. Photo by Sébastien Chaillot
    Tommy Sancton. Photo by Sébastien Chaillot

    In this episode of Confetti Park, Tommy Sancton shares one of his earliest music memories from Preservation Hall, a musical venue in the French Quarter founded in 1961 to protect, preserve, and perpetuate traditional New Orleans jazz. There, Tommy heard the sound that would guide the course of his life.

    Tommy Sancton has had an illustrious career as a journalist and musician. After studies at Harvard and Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar, he began a 22-year career with Time magazine as writer, editor, and Paris bureau chief. Music has always been part of Tommy’s life. As he traveled the world, he never stopped playing his clarinet.

    He also never stopped feeling the pull of home. In August 2007, Tommy left Paris for New Orleans. He now teaches at Tulane, continues to write, and plays and records frequently with numerous traditional jazz bands. Visit his website to learn more.

    Tommy has a beautiful memoir called Song for My Fathers: A New Orleans Story in Black and White, published in 2006, which recounts his experiences at Preservation Hall and explores his childhood apprenticeship with clarinetist George Lewis and other musicians, as well as his relationship with his own father.

     

     

     

     

  • Interview: How Jeremy Lyons started singing to kids

    In this episode of Confetti Park, Katy Ray interviews Jeremy Lyons about how he started playing for kids and what kinds of songs he plays. Jeremy also discusses how much he enjoys the curiosity and interest of little human beings in music.

    geeseandJeremyJeremy Lyons began his musical career playing in a washboard band on the streets of the French Quarter in the early 1990s. He played in several bands, most notably Jeremy Lyons and the Deltabilly Boys, a group that blended the sounds of rockabilly and New Orleans R&B with Piedmont-style fingerpicking and surf guitar.

    In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Jeremy and his family (who had evacuated to Baton Rouge to be with his grandparents) lost most of their possessions when their house flooded. He has since permanently relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

    That’s where Jeremy started playing kids music, using his style he dubs ‘DeltaSilly.’ He now has two CDs for children, Music for Kids and Silly Goose Music.

    As a music buff, Jeremy likes to draw from folk songs and the early popular music of America, and he shares fun music history with his little listeners. Jeremy offers a special in-studio performance for Confetti Park—he plays the Woody Guthrie song “Mail Myself to You.”

     

  • Storytime: Lousy Liver by Melinda Taliancich Falgoust

    Storytime: Lousy Liver by Melinda Taliancich Falgoust

    Lousy Liver coverCharlie is hungry. He simply can’t wait. What will his dear mother put on his plate? Charlie picks up his fork and stops in midair. Oh, no! On his plate! What is THAT sitting there?”

    Lousy Liver is an award-winning, deliciously whimsical tale that follows the imagination of a young boy as he devises one wild plan after another to help him avoid the “lousy liver” being served for dinner. Soon, Charlie discovers that something different isn’t always something bad. Buy on Amazon.com


    This cute story is narrated by the author, Melinda Taliancich Falgoust, of New Orleans. In addition to being a published author of several books for kids and adults, Melinda is a mom, a Navy veteran, a teacher of drama to young children, and an actor who performs on stage and screen. Learn more about her work on her website.

  • Music Medley “Cockroach Dance”

    American-cockroach
    Confetti Park is a community radio program out of New Orleans. We feature local storytellers and songs that kids love, songs created for kids, or created by kids, right here in Louisiana. This medley of kids music shows the diversity of Louisiana musicians. Songs featured in this episode, in order:

    • Manchac Chicken Shack – Louisiana Pollywogs
    • The Cockroach Song – Ben Schenk and the Panorama Jazz Band
    • Cockroach – Johnette Downing
    • Watermelon Man – Papillon
    • Watermelon Time – Confetti Park Players
    • I’ve Been Working On The Railroad – Buckwheat Zydeco
    • Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track – Confetti Park Players
    • Blue Tailed Fly (Jimmie, Crack Corn) – Leadbelly
    • Aiy-eee – Louisiana Pollywogs

  • Storytime: Why the Possum has a Large Grin by Johnette Downing

    Storytime: Why the Possum has a Large Grin by Johnette Downing

    Why the Possum has a Large Grin
    Why the Possum has a Large Grin

    Award-winning Louisiana children’s musician and author Johnette Downing shares with Confetti Park another marvelous trickster tale—this time about a possum! (Also listen to Why the Oyster Has the Pearl.)

    When hungry Deer asks Possum how he stays so plump during the long dry season, the sly marsupial gets an idea. It wouldn’t take much for Possum to help Deer; he could just climb that ol’ persimmon tree and knock down the fruit. But Possum is just plain lazy and he’d rather trick Deer into doing the work for both of them. Once Possum decides to take advantage of his starving neighbor they both become marked forever.

    This narration of Why the Possum has a Large Grin is available on Johnette Downing’s Reading Rocks CD, and in book form by Pelican Publishing. It is also available for purchase on Amazon.

    Audio used by permission.