Category: Music Memory

Music Memory from Roger Lewis

Roger Lewis, a well-respected New Orleans baritone saxophonist, plays on the Confetti Park children’s CD.

New Orleans musician Roger Lewis shares a childhood music memory with Confetti Park about his first love, the saxophone.

Roger Lewis has had a wonderful career in music that keeps him traveling around the world to this day. The baritone saxophonist is a founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, which began in 1977! He is also a member of the Treme Brass Band, the Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s band, and several other bands around town.

Roger, who is still going strong at over 70 years of age, recalls how it all began:

“When I was a little guy, maybe around 8 years old, I was fascinated with the shape of the saxophone. I used to take newspapers and form them in the shape of a cone, and shape them into the shape of a saxophone….and I would be in the backyard [pretending to play musical notes].…. pretty much that was my toy as a kid! I got my first saxophone when I was 10 years old.”

He also talks a bit about his mechanical inclinations as a kid.

Thank you, Roger, for sharing this wonderful memory with Confetti Park.
Music Memory from Julieann Banks

Julieann Banks, singer-songwriter from Shreveport, with her friend Patterson Barrett at Renzi Center

Julieann Banks is an Americana artists from Shreveport, Louisiana. A wonderful singer-songwriter with a big soulful voice, Julieann has been playing music most of her life, and has performed extensively in the Austin, Texas area as well as Louisiana.

Julieann had a childhood rich with musical and cultural experiences. Her parents were supportive of the arts and frequently took her along to symphonies, operas, and classical piano recitals. The famous Shreveport-born pianist Van Cliburn and opera star Beverly Sills were even guests at their home. But it was a live musical performance of Jesus Christ Superstar (Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice) that truly captivated Julieann’s soul:

“The hair on my arms and my neck was just standing on end, and it was just like the whole room was full of electricity. And I knew that nothing was going to stop me or get in my way, that that was exactly what I would be doing…. I knew that I wasn’t ever going to be the same.”

Learn more about Julieann’s music at http://julieannbanks.com/

Thank you, Julieann, for sharing this powerful music memory from your childhood with Confetti Park!
Music Memory from Duane Pitre

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a formative childhood music memory from Duane Pitre, American composer, sound artist, and guitarist.

Photo of Duane Pitre by Sharon Pye.

Duane tends to focus on one thing at a time and learns it inside and out—whether that thing is skateboarding, composing experimental music, or playing guitar. (The former pro skateboarder says he has an “obsessive personality” in this 2012 ESPN article about his journey through the worlds of skateboarding and music.)

Currently, Duane is focusing on studying classical guitar.

Duane, who was born and raised in New Orleans, says his parents regularly attended rock and heavy metal concerts, and ensured that he was immersed in a healthy soundscape of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and the Allman Brothers. (In fact, Duane was named for Duane Allman.)

In Duane’s music memory, he reveals how a single note can emotionally affect a listener. Duane was only 5 or 6 when he put on a vinyl record of the self-titled Black Sabbath album. The mood was set by the thunderstorm, the church bells, and then the music came in…. with the tritone.

Little Duane was terrified, and immediately turned off the album, but the seeds of wonder were planted.

“It was an experience I will never forget,” says Duane. “It was the earliest musical experience of me hearing something and it really affecting me in some way…. It made me aware of the power of music.”

Thank you, Duane, for sharing this fascinating memory with Confetti Park!
Music Memory from Anthony Dopsie

Anthony Dopsie of the Zydeco Twisters. Photo by Sally Asher

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear from Anthony Dopsie, accordion player with Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters.

Anthony explains his role in the band (“I put the choo choo to the boogaloo!“) and he shares a childhood memory about growing up in a musical family. The Dopsies are Louisiana royalty—Anthony’s father was Rockin’ Dopsie, Sr., famed zydeco accordionist. (Check out this interview with Anthony’s brother, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr.)

Says Anthony: “What got me into music was I started knowing that my dad was famous. He was just my Daddy, you know…. But when I got older and started seeing my dad on TV, and all the kids would want to come by, I said, ‘Well, that’s my dad, and I want to be like him one day!’”

Anthony also offers some good advice to kids about how to carve out your own niche in this world. Take a look around, and think about who you are, where you come from…..what are the things you really love—that maybe you take for granted? Maybe the answer is right in front of you.

“I really love my music. I really love my culture,” says Anthony. “I advise all the kids today to never forget where you come from. It starts off as a kid…. we all started from a flower. You keep watering that flower, one day that flower is gonna grow.”

What colorful, beautiful flowers we grow in Louisiana!
Music Memory from Jayna Morgan

New Orleans jazz vocalist Jayna Morgan shares a music memory from her childhood in this episode of Confetti Park.

Jayna, who sings with the Sazerac Sunrise Jazz Band and the Swing Setters (among others), recalls the happiness of sharing music with her mother. When Jayna was a child, they would go fishing together, and whenever they would sit on the wharf, her mother would sing to her.

Sharing songs as a family can build a lifetime love of music, as we have seen with Jayna. She is a very active entertainer on the South Louisiana scene. In addition to performing with several bands, she is also a booking agent at 11th Commandment Records, owner of Fleur Decuers, and her in her spare time, a swing dancer and Lindy hopper.

Check out this interview with Jayna and the Swing Setters, a group that plays kids music jazz-style.
Guitarist David Rosser shares some early childhood musical memories

David Rosser on guitar. Photo by Sally Asher

In this episode of Confetti Park, we hear a childhood music memory from David Rosser, a talented guitarist and multi instrumentalist who lives in New Orleans. Dave shares about how his big brother was one of his greatest musical influences—and how they bonded and he learned from listening to records—especially the Beatles!

Dave has toured the world several times with different musical groups. He also produces, records, and mixes at his studio, Chateau Daveaux. Among those who he has performed and/or recorded with are the Afghan Whigs, the Twilight Singers, Mark Broussard, Ani Di Franco, Gal Holiday, Terry McDermott, Mark Lanegan Band, and the Gutter Twins.

Lucky for us, Dave Rosser is a featured guitarist on the Confetti Park Players CD, featuring a children’s choir based in Algiers. Check out his work behind Mr. Okra and the kids on “Have You Seen the Okra Man?”
Music Memory from Tom Stagg

Tom Stagg experimenting with an iPod.

In this music memory for Confetti Park, jazz researcher and music promoter Tom Stagg shares how he became fascinated with New Orleans music in 1949, as a youngster growing up in England. Blame it on Louis Armstrong! He moved to New Orleans in the 1960s.

Tom Stagg is one of the owners of the New Orleans music label 504 Records, which he established in 1979. (Before that, his label was called NOLA Records.) The label specializes in traditional jazz music of New Orleans. For years, Tom was instrumental in organizing tours for New Orleans musicians such as Kid Thomas, John Handy, Emanuel Sayles, Andrew Morgan, Louis Nelson and Alton Purnell, and later, Fats Domino and Dr. John.

Tom himself was a musician for many years (bass, piano) as well as a professional wrestler! He is also from a musical family—his mother was a vocal soloist and his father was a dance band drummer.

Thank you, Tom!
Music Memory from Annie Hardy Calais

Annie Hardy Calais of Cecilia, La.

Annie Hardy Calais was born in 1927 in rural Southwest Louisiana. She recently shared many true stories of her childhood growing up in Cajun Country with Confetti Park. Here is a great music memory:

“When I was 8 or 9 years old, I loved music….my niece had a radio at her home, but we had no electricity, so I had no music in my home, except for mom, who had a beautiful voice, and we’d sing at night.

But still, I wanted some radio music…. I heard music coming from a potato shed where men worked, and they had a radio on…. and I remember studying in science that water helped sound. So we had an old hand pump nearby, and an old washtub….”

What a clever, creative student!
Music Memory from organist Louis Mayer

Louis Mayer playing a Golding and Woods pipe organ at First English Lutheran Church in Metairie.

Louis Mayer has been a church organist for over 45 years. From a very young age, Louis had a fascination and love for organs.

In this Music Memory for Confetti Park, Louis, who grew up in New Orleans, recalls taking piano lessons at Werlein’s Music Store at 605 Canal St. (today the site of Palace Cafe) and how happy he was whenever he got to view the organs. Says Louis:

“When I was eight years old, Saturday mornings my mother would take me to Werlein’s on Canal Street. A lot of times it was like dragging me…..but if I did well, my music teacher would take me up to the 5th floor of Werlein’s, where they had the organs. And that was the greatest thing for me, to be able to play on those organs. I wasn’t big enough to reach the pedals.”

Today, Louis is the organist and choir director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Slidell (his instrument there there is an electronic Allen organ). In the photo at left, he is playing a Golding and Woods pipe organ at First English Lutheran Church in Metairie.

Thank you, Louis, for sharing this childhood music memory!
Music Memory from Cynthia Girtley

Cynthia Girtley is a wonderful traditional gospel singer from New Orleans

Cynthia Girtley is a well-known gospel singer and music minister in New Orleans. Raised in a family with strong spiritual beliefs and church traditions, Cynthia started singing at age three and joined her church’s gospel choir when she was four.

In this music memory, Cynthia talks about how it was that she came to be a church singer at such a very young age!

If you’d like to listen to more of her music, check out A New Orleans Tribute to Mahalia Jackson and It’s In My Heart on CDBaby.

Confetti Park is a children’s media workshop, podcast, and weekly radio program based out of New Orleans. We gather and tell stories, through music, art, puppetry, animations, and more. We are particularly inspired by the unique culture of Louisiana.

The Confetti Park podcast, hosted by Katy Hobgood Ray, features music and stories spun in Louisiana. It showcases songs that kids love, songs created for kids, and songs created by kids. Sparkling interviews, in-studio performances, delightful music medleys, jokes, local author storytime, and a little surprise lagniappe make for an entertaining show.
Music Memory from Ted Lindsay

Ted Lindsay is a musician from Moorinsgport, Louisiana. A veteran, gold-record winning songwriter who spent several years in Nashville, Ted is a go-to bass player in north Louisiana today. He regularly performs with blues musicians Buddy Flett and Jerry Beach, and he has been a member of the core band at the legendary Monday Night Blues Jam in Shreveport for over 20 years. Ted is also a longtime member of the Friends of Lead Belly, a group of musicians dedicated to promoting the legacy of Huddie Ledbetter. And he is a teacher at the Renzi Education & Art Center in Shreveport.

Ted shares a music memory with Confetti Park about hearing the Beatles for the first time.
Music Memory from Charles Hudson

Charles Hudson on trumpet. Photo by Sally Asher

Charles Hudson is a trumpet player who plays mostly zydeco music(!). He is associated with the “royal family” of zydeco, as a regular band member of Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters. Being part of this act, Hudson not only has terrific musical chops, but high energy and dancing skills, too. (Rockin’ Dopsie is often compared to James Brown.)

Charles shares an early memory of how he got his start playing the horn as a kid. “I marched in every parade with the Stardusters Drum and Bugle Corps out of St. Bernard Parish,” says Charles.

Learn all about this storied drum and bugle corps that was based out of Arabi at http://www.louisianadrumcorps.org/stardusters/.