Today Lashon is pursuing a PHD in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. But for a while, she lived in New Orleans, and was inspired to write her sweet book about our favorite produce vendor.
In this interview Lashon talks about the first time she ever saw Mr. Okra, and how she went about creating a children’s book featuring his life’s calling.
Says Lashon: “It was an early Sunday morning, and I remember hearing the truck coming down my street and I thought, is that an ice cream man? And he was calling out these fruits and vegetables, saying there were strawberries and mangoes and bananas, and I thought to myself What kind of ice cream truck man is this?… I found out how well loved he is by the city.”
Lashon Daley and Mr. Okra
Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables was published by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. It is available in bookstores in New Orleans, Berkeley, and on Amazon.
Here’s what Mr. Okra has to say about the book (from the back cover): “I love selling fruits and veggies to the people of New Orleans because there are people who can’t get to the big stores and people who don’t really like to go to the big stores. . . . They depend on me and I depend on them. We are all family; even if they don’t buy nothing, they still come out and we talk. The fact that this young lady has put me in her children’s book means a whole lot to me. I’m very thankful.”
Listen to Lashon narrating Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
It’s Confetti Park Storytime! In this episode, we hear a wonderful New Orleans tale based on our favorite contemporary street vendor, Mr. Okra. The story was written in collaboration with Mr. Okra by Lashon Daley, and illustrated by Emile Henriquez. We are so lucky to have the story narrated for us by the author!
And who is Mr. Okra? He is Arthur Robinson, a real life man who lives in New Orleans today! He a street vendor who sells produce from a truck. We New Orleanians love to hear his recognizable call.
“Up and down the streets of New Orleans, Mr. Okra drives his brightly painted truck. All over the city, you can hear his call: ‘I got oranges and bananas! I got tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocadoes!’ His fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables are as colorful as Mardi Gras floats, as green as the St. Charles Streetcar, and as different as the animals at the Audubon Zoo. Taste and tour New Orleans in this colorful story.”
Lashon Daley and Mr. Okra
Lashon Daley came to New Orleans to work with a nonprofit rebuilding organization as an AmeriCorps member. During that time, Daley discovered the joys of performing as a storyteller, sparking her interest in New Orleans folklore and the stories residents tell. Today she is in Berkeley, California, where she is pursuing her PhD in performance studies.
The colorful illustrations in the book were created by Emile Henriquez, a native New Orleanian who was born in the French Quarter. An art teacher, he also illustrated The Oklahoma Land Run, Toby Belfer Learns about Heroes and Martyrs, The Battle of New Orleans: The Drummer’s Story, D.J. and the Debutante Ball,D.J. and the Jazz Fest, and D.J. and the Zulu Parade.
Thank you, Lashon, for sharing your lovely book on Confetti Park! It is for sale on Amazon.
The Confetti Park Players appeared on the WWL-TV Morning News on May 11, 2016! The band played five songs throughout the morning hour from 8-9 a.m., and Sally-Ann Roberts interviewed director Katy Hobgood Ray. She asked Katy questions about the band’s new CD, We’re Going to Confetti Park!,which recently won a Parents’ Choice Approved Award. We had such a wonderful time at the station—what a treat for us to see a news station from the inside, and to perform for our city on live television. We are also so honored to have met Sally Ann and Eric Paulsen, who are famous and beloved icons of the New Orleans community.
Enjoy this clip of the group playing “Buttermilk Drop,” followed by the interview.
The Confetti Park Players had their New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival debut on Saturday, April 23, 2016. And it was wonderful. But there were a few curve balls….
The Confetti Park Players is a children’s chorus based in Algiers Point. We like to do fun, interesting collaborations with New Orleans musicians. We have been doing live performances since October 2014—our first public performance was at Charles Gillam’s Folk Art Fest in Algiers. Since then, we have performed at churches, nursing homes, parties, Euclid Records and Louisiana Music Factory, and French Quarter Festival! We’ve recorded at real recording studios (Marigny Recording Studio and Word of Mouth) and filmed music videos with pirates. Our debut CD came out in November 2015 (and won a Parents’ Choice Award!). Playing Jazz Fest is our latest exciting milestone.
Preparing for stage performance in a blue box
The kids are amazing, and have been working so hard learning all the songs, choreographing dances, and brainstorming fun props. For months, we have been prepping for stage performance by practicing inside a box created by blue painters tape. The adult musicians started practicing with us throughout the month of April. We were ready—and as a special treat, I had (months ago) reserved a party bus to carry us from the West Bank to the Jazz Fest gates for the big day. Everything was ready to go….
Friday—the day before the festival—I get a call from our dear bass player. He’s just been diagnosed with pneumonia! Oh no! We love our bass player, who’s a talented resident of Algiers. But time to scramble. Swooping in to save the day was Greg Schatz—a real pro and a friend to the Confetti Park Players. Greg plays all over our CD and even wrote one of our biggest crowd-pleasers, “Watch Out for the Pirates.” So the night before the fest, Greg and I learned all the songs together. Whew! Crisis averted.
On Saturday, all the kids, parent chaperones, and West Bank musicians were to meet at 9 a.m. at a local church, where the party bus would pick us up. At 8:30 a.m, I get a phone call from the bus driver. His bus is broken down on Claiborne Avenue.
Nothing to do but call all the parents (of 20 kids!) and tell them to find their own way to Jazz Fest. No point in wringing hands. I will admit that my heart was beating very hard and fast for long periods of time that morning, as I made all the necessary phone calls. But I really have some cool, laid-back and adaptive parents. They quickly coordinated among themselves to form carpools and hail cabs to the fest. We all met outside the gates and walked in as a mob. Thank you to those gatekeepers for being so flexible with us, as we were supposed to be on a bus, not on foot!
Confetti Park Players are a staff pick at the Jazz Fest CD tent
All that stress made the performance itself a breeze. The sound guys at the kids’ tent were great. The staff were kind and helpful and supportive. Everyone at Jazz Fest was truly excellent to work with. We had a terrific band in David Rosser (guitar), Dylan Field Turner (drums), Greg Schatz (bass), Mike Kaufmann (piano), Jim Thornton (trumpet), and Dr. Sick (musical saw, fiddle, toy piano and more toys). The most stressful thing about the show was making sure that every single kid in the audience got a pirate tattoo and a feufollet light…Our parents helped pass out the goodies.
Bonus surprise: the staff at the Right Place Rhythmporium made us a Staff Pick that day!
The fest would have been unforgettable no matter what. Now, we have a fun story to tell about it, too. We sure hope we get asked back to Jazz Fest next year—it was a blast!
Next up, the Confetti Park Players are playing at Bayou Boogaloo on May 22 and the Creole Tomato Festival on June 11. More events at https://confettipark.com/events/
Anyone ordering a pizza in the city of New Orleans on April 15 got a bit of lagniappe with their pie… they got a poem written by a New Orleans school kid ages 6-18 included in the box! (Participating restaurants included Reginelli’s, Theo’s Pizza, Pizza Delicious, Louisiana Pizza Kitchen (French Quarter location), Dolce Vita Wood Fired Pizzeria, Garage Pizza and G’s Pizza.)
It was all part of the 3rd Annual Pizza Poetry Project by Big Class, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating and supporting the voices of New Orleans’ writers ages 6-18 through creative collaborations with schools and communities. The project as always help in April—National Poetry Month. Read more about the Pizza Poetry Project in this article written for NOLA.com by Christy Lorio.
As a final celebration and reward for the kids, the Big Class hosted a Pizza Poet Laureate party at the Ashe Cultural Center on OC Haley. Confetti Park was there to capture the celebration and some of the poems in the kids’ voices. Enjoy these poems and this slideshow of photos!
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!”
Enjoy this music video for “Watch Out for the Pirates” featuring the Confetti Park Players and the NOLA Pyrates, filmed on location in Pirates Alley in the French Quarter, New Orleans, La. (Additional footage from Mardi Gras 2016.) This catchy pirate tune was written by Greg Schatz, a fabulous and prolific songwriter living in New Orleans, ‘specially for the Confetti Park Players. He’s one of our favorites!
The video debuts just in time for NOLA Pyrate Week, which comes around once a year. We are so thrilled to have such good friends in the NOLA Pyrates, who come to our city to do good deeds and have a good time. Thank you to Captain John Swallow, QM Seika Hellbound and their NOLA Pyrates crew for telling our kids stories, teaching us how to swashbuckle, sharing with us your pirate history lore, and for being in our music video.
Thank you to ‘Ween Dream! The kids were outfitted in loaned pirate costumes by ‘Ween Dream, a costume donation 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recycles donated Halloween costumes and gives them to kids in need.
And a very special thanks to Ava Santana-Cassano and Sally Asher for loving film footage, to Leighton Barrett Strong for assistance, and to Thais and company at Pirates Alley Cafe for all the support and goodies. And to John Haffner, for being sparkly and awesome on Mardi Gras day.
We’re Going to Confetti Park
“Watch Out for the Pirates” is from the album We’re Going to Confetti Park! by Katy Hobgood Ray & the Confetti Park Players. Available on CD & digitally.
“Watch Out for the Pirates” (Greg Schatz, Kathryn Hobgood Ray) features: Rick G. Nelson, bass; Beth Patterson, Irish bouzouki; Katy Ray, vocals; Tim Robertson, guitar; Greg Schatz, accordion; Dr. Sick, fiddle; Michael Skinkus, percussion. Pirates: Matt Aguiluz, Keller Clark, John Haffner, Chris Lane, Elisa McDonald, Charleston McLean, Millie Moffett, Beth Patterson, David Eugene Ray. Recorded at Marigny Recording Studio. Mastered by Bruce Barielle.
Spend my days on the Seven Seas Live my life just as I please Ride the waves, catch the breeze Watch out for the pirates
Chorus: Watch out, hey watch out! Watch out for the pirates! Watch out, hey watch out! Watch out for the pirates!
I don’t know but I’ve been told The pirate ships are strong and bold They come in the night and they steal your gold So watch out for the pirates
Doesn’t matter what your rank Keep your coin safe in the bank Don’t let them make you walk the plank Watch out for the pirates
We’ll dock at New Orleans at dawn Eat those beans until they’re gone Look out for that old man Jean, He was once a pirate
Doesn’t matter where you are Could be a boat could be a car They’ll sneak up on you and go “ARGH!” Watch out for the pirates
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
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.”
Down on Julia Street in New Orleans, fine artist Alex Beard has a gallery where his gorgeous nature-inspired paintings and drawings are on display.
Elephants, birds of paradise, and flowery fish are among the colorful creatures drawn out by Alex’s hand. Some are portraits, and some are whimsical landscapes of these exotic creatures interacting with the familiar street scenes of New Orleans. Imagine giraffes, tigers and peacocks strutting among streetcars, Mardi Gras floats and French Quarter balconies!
There are also fine art children’s books and jigsaw puzzles for sale at 608 Julia, geared toward the young and the young at heart, for Alex is an artist with a mission. He wants to educate children about the importance of preserving the Earth’s wilderness and saving endangered wildlife.
His first children’s book, The Jungle Grapevine, debuted in 2009. (Listen to Alex narrate this story.) It’s a comedic game of telephone between animals in the savannah….. “When Bird mixes up something Turtle says, he accidentally starts a rumor about the watering hole drying up. One misunderstanding leads to another, with animals making their own hilarious assumptions.” There are two more books in the Watering Hole Trilogy: Monkey See, Monkey Draw, and Crocodile’s Tears.
In 2012, Alex established The Watering Hole Foundation. The first project of the foundation was centered on protecting the Wild African Elephant in Northern Kenya. Today, the foundation funds conservation efforts locally in Louisiana, nationally, and internationally.
Enjoy this interview on Confetti Park, where Alex shares the secret of how he first landed a children’s book publishing deal. Other aspiring writers—and anyone with a dream, really—will enjoy his advice.
“There’s no single path,” admits Alex, “But I try to make it so that whatever meeting I go into, for whatever goal I have, I try to figure out…how do I make it that I have checked every box that they require to get it through the corporate structure? I’m trying to give ammunition to the people who would like to sign me up, so that they can sell it to the people they work with, who will have never met me.”
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.”
Question: What’s better than getting a hot pizza pie delivered to your front door?
