Category: Music Memory

Music Memory from Daniele Spadavecchia

Daniele Spadavecchia. Photo courtesy of http://www.dsjazz.com/

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear some memories of a musical childhood from New Orleans-based gypsy guitarist Daniele Spadavecchia, who grew up in Italy.

Daniele loves to play acoustic gypsy jazz guitar, and when he first came to New Orleans (around 2003) he hooked up with Tony Green, another musician who shares sensibility and appreciation of gypsy jazz, swing, Mediterranean Flamenco, and European ethnic music.

Daniele has performed at dozens of festivals and venues in Italy and the United States, especially around New Orleans and San Diego (where he lived after Hurricane Katrina for a time). Today, you can catch him at the Tasting Room on Magazine Street, where he has weekly gigs.

In this interview, Daniele describes his childhood as freewheeling and adventurous, and his parents—”an Italian version of hippies”—shared their musical tastes with Daniele and his brother.

“Of course as kids, we were always traveling with my parents, and we would always have a tape player in the car. We didn’t even have a working stereo in the car so we would carry this predecessor of a boom box. So we would play all these tapes. My mama would play some music, and she would play every kind of thing…. all these fantastic rock ‘n roll or prog rock bands or psychedelic rock. And that thing really twisted my brain, in a good way. It taught me freedom of expression and the beauty of music, the power of music.”

Daniele has recorded various gypsy jazz CDs and also plays on the Confetti Park Player’s children’s CD. he is the featured guitarist on the song “Buttermilk Drop.”

Listen to Daniele’s beautiful music:
Music Memory from Randy Guynes

Photo of Randy Guynes by Barbara Beaird Photography

Randy Guynes is a drummer and percussionist from Shreveport, Louisiana. He’s played in bands such as the Killer Bees, the Lightnin’ Bugs, and the Fiddlin’ Tim Trio.

In this episode of Confetti Park, Randy shares a few music memories from his childhood that show how powerful the influence of song can be. In one example, the great fun he shared with his sister while dancing the Twist was probably the first time he started thinking about playing music himself. “I think somehow it was on from there!” says Randy.

Songs shaped Randy and spurred him onward, and also created emotional experiences. In one humorous anecdote, Randy recalls how terrifying the new psychedelic sounds created by the Beatles were to his innocent ears.

Says Randy: “KEEL played some music at night, during the late night hours, that they didn’t play during the daytime. I remember hearing for the first time, ‘A Day in the Life,’ by the Beatles. And it just scared me. It was almost like having a nightmare…..I’d never heard anything like that before, in music. It was mind-blowing.”
Music Memory from Cameron Meshell

In this episode of Confetti Park, Shreveport native son Cameron Meshell shares a childhood music memory.

Cameron is a talented singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who was born and raised in north Louisiana. Today, he and his family live in Los Angeles, but his roots in Shreveport are still strong (as are his ongoing partnerships with musical collaborators). Among Cameron’s various musical projects are Forever Like Red and Alarm Science.

Cameron plays drums, guitar, and piano, but it’s his beautiful and acrobatic singing that is so arresting. It’s no surprise that when Cameron thinks back on his earliest musical influences, he recalls another musician known for his amazing vocal pipes: Freddie Mercury of the band Queen.

Says Cameron: “My first musical memory that had an impact on me as an artist was of an album called Queen, self-titled. It was given to me by my uncle, when I was eleven years old. I just remember being so consumed by the album and that was the moment that made me want to be a singer.”
Music Memory from clarinetist Doreen Ketchens

Doreen Ketchens wails on clarinet on a street in New Orleans. Photo used with permission from http://doreensjazz.com/

Walking down Royal Street on a sunny afternoon, you are very likely to find Doreen Ketchens wailing on her clarinet, leading an enthusiastic band and delighting passersby with her vibrant personality and bold, joyful sound.

Doreen has been called “Queen Clarinet,” “the female Louis Armstrong,” and “Lady Louie.” She has a quick smile, an easygoing laugh and is always ready to entertain. She also has a dedication to promoting New Orleans culture and music.

Doreen and her family (including husband Lawrence, a tuba, trombone and piano player) have traveled the world and performed for numerous U.S. presidents. Their daughter Dorian is only thirteen but is already a world-traveled jazz drummer.

Music is part of this family.

In this episode of Confetti Park, Doreen shares a childhood memory… one about how music changed her life one unforgettable day at school.

“The teacher would ask one question. If you knew it, you passed, if you didn’t you failed…. I was destined for failure. I looked to the sky and said, ‘Oh God, if you get me out of this, I will do anything.’

About two minutes later the principal came on the loudspeaker and she said, ‘Anyone interested in joining the band, report to the band room immediately! And there I went!”

Check out all the CDs Doreen has created. You can order from her website directly.
Music Memory from Foots Quinn

Foots Quinn plays some train songs

Terry “Foots” Quinn is a singer-songwriter from Bogalusa, Louisiana. Foots plays guitar and harmonica, and considers his biggest influences to be the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Allman Brothers, and rural blues and country players such as Jimmie Davis and Jimmie Rodgers. Foots is the nephew of an important pioneer of early jazz guitar named Snoozer Quinn.

Foots writes songs true to life growing up in the piney woods of Washington Parish. His descriptive lyrics capture the feelings, scenery and problems of small-town life, yet Foots always manages to bring a chuckle and point out the good things. He’s also a railroad historian and afficionado, and has a large repertoire of train songs.

Here he shares a music memory with Confetti Park:

“My memory from way back is of a little drive-in chili bun stand called Floyd’s—had curb service,” says Foots. “They were playing ‘Maybelline’ over the loud speaker system, by Chuck Berry. It introduced me to some very fine rock n roll!”
Music Memory from Carole Gauthier Lancon

Carole Gauthier Lancon

Carole Gauthier Lancon is an artist, long-time arts educator and art therapist who lives in a small village called Parks, Louisiana on the banks of Bayou Teche. Originally from St. Martinville, Carole grew up in a family where art and art making were an everyday part of life.

She also had a musical childhood, and shares some wonderful and vivid memories of her piano teacher, Mrs. Evelyn.

Evenly was an interesting woman and quite a character—she was a performer with an all-girls orchestra in the 1940s and was known as “Evelyn and her magic violin.”

Carole says, “She was just one awesome little bitty old lady who helped me out during a time when I was pre-teen. I’d walk down the street to her house every Thursday afternoon, sit down at the piano and she would accompany me on her cello. She always made me feel very special.

“I remember one particular afternoon…. Little girls love to be bullies….On the way down the street to her house, all of my friends were playing in the front yard with another classmate, and when they saw me coming down the street, they ran and hid in the backyard. So, I had to pass in front of the house, knowing they were back there.

When I got to Miss Evelyn’s I broke down and started crying, and she comforted me. She was more than a piano teacher. She was a really fine lady.”

Thank you, Carole, for sharing your sweet memory and for introducing us to “Evelyn and her magic violin!” What a terrific story.
Music Memory from C.C. Adcock

C.C. Adcock. Photography by John Chiasson

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a childhood music memory from C.C. Adcock, Louisiana native and cultural champion, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.

C.C. recalls the positive memories of neighbors who shared their music with him when he was just a kid, in endless front porch jam sessions, and how early on, he realized that musicians are nice people.

“When I was a child we were living in Baton Rouge for a while…there were these hippie people with long hair living across the street from us. And they used to pick guitars every afternoon on the front porch. I remember being fascinated by them, all being able to play guitars together. My parents would let me cross the street and go around there, and I’d strum my chords that I knew with them. They were really sweet. That’s also where I learned how nice and genuine and sweet musicians can be.”

C.C. leads the Lafayette Marquis and is a member of the swamp pop supergroup Lil’ Band O’ Gold. He’s performed with Bo Diddley, Buckwheat Zydeco, Paul “Lil’ Buck” Sinegal, and others. He’s also a notable Grammy-nominated record producer who has worked with a wide range of musicians, such as Robert Plant, Florence + The Machine, Nick Cave and Neko Case, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Ani DiFranco, and Doyle Bramhall.

Check out C.C. Adcock’s sound from his self-titled album and with L’il Band of Gold.
Music Memory from Andrew Baham

Andrew Baham. Photo from http://www.andrewbahamonline.com/

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a childhood music memory from New Orleans-born trumpet player Andrew Baham.

Andrew has been playing the trumpet since the age of 11 years old. He studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and under the tutelage of players such as Ronald Benko, Clyde Kerr, Jr., and Nicholas Payton.

In this memory, Andrew reflects on his early exposure to some of the great players of early jazz, such as the Olympia Brass Band. Says Andrew: “As a young kid I had the privilege to watch some of the older guys, and one of my most fond memories is watching Papa and “Duke” Dejan play.”

Certainly, the early influence of that traditional brass sound shaped Andrews’s musical approach. Widely respected as a player, Andrew can be found performing with contemporary New Orleans bands such as Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Soul Rebels Brass Band, and Lil’ Stooges Brass Band. He has even performed with Mystikal and Mannie Fresh. But Andrew feels right at home among the old-timer players of traditional New Orleans jazz. Full Biography

Check out Andrew’s own “Andrew Baham Quintet” and visit Andrew’s SoundCloud channel to hear the diversity of sounds he creates. https://soundcloud.com/daphessah/sets
Music Memory from Doctor Sick

Doctor Sick. Image provided by Doctor Sick.

Doctor Sick, who might have once been called an itinerant musician, is today a fixture in the New Orleans music scene. A “musical jack of all trades,” Doctor Sick is a virtuoso musician who sings and plays stringed instruments of all kinds. He’s also a whimsical, colorful songwriter and a witty director and producer of burlesque and other theatrical novelty shows. These days, catch Doctor Sick around New Orleans in one of many diverse projects such as the Rotten Cores, the Salt Wives, Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, and numerous burlesque companies.

Adding to his illustrious resume, Doctor Sick also play kids music! He wrote songs and performed on the Austin, Texas-based Asylum Street Spankers’ children’s CD Mommy Says No!. And New Orleans’ own Confetti Park Players were delighted to have Doctor Sick as a featured artist on their first CD, We’re Going to Confetti Park! You can hear his mysterious musical saw and soulful fiddle playing on songs “Feufollet,” “Polly Wolly Wee,” “Watch Out for the Pirates,” and “Louis Lafitte, the Pirate King.”

In this music memory shared with Confetti Park, Doctor Sick shares how his parents recognized his talent early on, and set him on the path to music.

“I’ve been playing violin since I was four years old,” says Doctor Sick. “When I was very young I was taking lessons all the time. My parents made me, but I thank them for it today, because music is such an important part of my every day life.”

Doctor Sick describes a sweet memory of singing along while his grandmother played piano, when he was only two or three—they were jamming on the alphabet song.

“Before I even knew my ABCs I was trying to sing along,” he recalls. “It was the first time I ever jammed with anybody, where you’re listening and contributing and making the music with somebody else. And that’s why my parents got me into playing music, because they realized that I was going to be playing music for the rest of my life anyway.”
Music Memory from Emily Estrella

Emily Estrella is a singer who has spent the last several years singing traditional jazz and original tunes around the French Quarter and Marigny music clubs. You can even catch her busking on the streets of New Orleans on occasion.

She “has an ‘old soul’ voice evoking the Dixie ghosts of a previous century. Charismatic & joyous, she heads in to share her contagious repertoire of traditional acoustic folk-jazz.” Visit her Band Camp page for some sound samples: http://emilyestrella.bandcamp.com

In this music memory shared with Confetti Park, Emily fondly discusses the impression her grandmother made on her when she was growing up.

“People ask me a lot, ‘What record did you learn those old songs from?’ My reply usually is, ‘A record, what do you mean a record? My grandma sang me these songs!’” laughs Emily. “She taught me to dance, she sang with me a lot, and she told me about this magical place called New Orleans.”
Music Memory from Leonard Service

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a childhood music memory from Leonard Service of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Leonard plays mandolin and guitar regularly with different groups such as Slydell and the Slippery Slope, the New Levee Serenaders, Trashcan Jinga and more. He’s also a member of the Friends of Lead Belly.

Leonard grew up in Lafayette and as a kid, he listened regularly to an evening radio show called “Night Rock” on KPEL. One night, he heard Jeff Beck’s cover of Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.”

“I was just amazed. I’d never heard anything so moving, so beautiful,” recalls Leonard. “I saved up my money, and jumped on my bicycle, and went across town to Raccoon Records as soon as I could to buy me a copy of Jeff Beck Wired. I still have it.”

Leonard also shares a fond memory of his grandmother’s singing in a little church in Vivian.

“She sang so awful that it was just wonderful…. She loved the singing, and I loved listening to her.”
Music Memory from Hazel Schlueter

Hazel Schlueter is well known for her old time country music and bluegrass show on WWOZ (90.7 FM in New Orleans) and for her musical performances as the band leader of Hazel & the Delta Ramblers.

In this episode of Confetti Park, Hazel shares a music memory from her early childhood. When she was just three years old, she knew wanted to play music, and asker her parents for a real piano. Much to her chagrin, the piano she received was a TOY!

“My parents bought me a toy piano,” she recalls. “I was only three years old, but I looked at the toy piano and the black notes were painted on to the white notes. I knew this was not a real piano, and I was very sad.”

But little Hazel persevered, and kept on asking for a piano. About a year and a half later, her parents finally gave in.

“So kids, don’t be fooled!” advises Hazel. “Just keep asking, keep after them, and maybe your parents will come around.”