As Ding Dong owner Bill Walsh will tell you, there are a lot of similarities between New Orleans and Melbourne. “I think New Orleans is the greatest musical town in the world,” he says. “I’ve just never been anywhere like it. It’s cultural, musical, food legacy is just unique. The intention always was to bring a bit of this to Melbourne. I think the key to Melbourne as a music city is our community radio. It’s inter-generational now, and it’s just created this amazing love of music and allowed people to hear stuff.”
Since the mid-20th century, New Orleans’ innovative spirit has given rise to leading artists in a wide range of genres, including rock’n’roll, funk, punk rock, metal, hip hop and bounce. However, New Orleans is best known as the birthplace of jazz. Fittingly, the lineup for February’s Fat Tuesday New Orleans Festival includes a number of fine local exponents of traditional New Orleans jazz.
Topping the list is Adam Rudegeair’s Bayou Tapestry with Henry Manetta. Rudegeair is a Melbourne jazz musician who frequently dabbles with funk, hip hop and contemporary R&B. In 2011 he released the album Bayou Tapestry, which saw him fully embrace his longstanding interest in New Orleans funk. Also on board are party-starting brass band the Horns of Leroy, whose existence was founded around a series of New Orleans inspired street parties. Then there’s the Always For Pleasure All Stars led by Kerri Simpson. Known for her tremendous adaptability into whatever genre she chooses, be it blues, R&B or gospel, Simpson’s well placed to match the theme of the day.
Bringing proceedings to a close is Jazz Party. Hot New Orleans jazz is their bread and butter, served with a dose of infectious energy that more than delivers on the party promise of their name. Over the last few years Jazz Party have been holding down month-long Monday Night residencies at a range of Melbourne venues, but they’ll break out of habit for a special Fat Tuesday performance.
“I thought they’d really finish the day off nicely,” says Walsh. “I’m just quite gobsmacked by their treatment of trad jazz and they have a Hank Williams connection as well. They are good and they will entertain people. Great piano player in that band, just fantastic. There’s a good sax player, then they’ve got an amazing woman who sings too, and a terrific horn section. So they’ve kind of got everything.”
There’ll be plenty of food to match the theme, notably gumbo, jambalaya and po’ boy offerings courtesy of Po’ Boy Quarter and Ding Dong’s Girl with the Gris Gris Louisiana kitchen. Bluebonnet BBQ will also be on hand with their Texas BBQ menu and Taco Truck are serving up their famous fresh tacos. “It’s a nice cross section of food. Plenty of good food offerings from experienced hands. It’ll be about eating, drinking, dancing and having fun.”
Indeed, despite happening early in the week, the organisers have faced no difficulty making Fat Tuesday a day of tremendous partying and celebration. “Last year was chaos. Seven thousand people came. It was a tsunami of people. We’re asking for some forgiveness from last year because it was so chaotic. The area’s fenced, it’s more central, there’ll be more order attached to it. People want this to work, they want it to be a nice day on the calendar. We can be the alternative Tuesday to the Melbourne Cup.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
