How Much About New Orleans Can You All Stand?

I was determined to go to Sound:Print:Record:Symposium, well Vaquero was determined I go, up to the last moment. I even packed, though since it's only overnight, that wasn't much. But in the end, I just couldn't face the dry air and rotten seats, feeling like I do. My back and legs and heels are so messed up too, all I want is to rest (no rest yesterday, doing laundry and cleaning up the mess in here, getting groceries, etc., while Vaquero struggled with his keynote presentation for this evening at 5 -- he's just not the sort who finds a 35 minute limit natural, particularly with graphics and music too -- at which he'll be introduced by the Prez of the University of Delaware) and get down on my floor mat. I need to begin repairing myself. There are more conferences and symposia in the future, including a very cool one that got officially confirmed while we were in NO, Congo Square mini-conference, that will become an annual meeting, in conjunction with Tulane and the Jazz and Heritage Festival -- this was worked on all summer, and the funding was confirmed last week. This will happen in November too.

So Tuesday was "Jazz From the Market" and Dr. John's phone call. We all got such a thrill from that phone call.


Wednesday was a busy day, starting with the interview and reading taped for the October "Book Forum," at the Loyola radio station. We raced to meet TR's and get to his class re Kate Chopin's The Awakening. This was followed immediately by a reading and signing at the Garden District Bookshop, which was far off, then the oral history of the Dirty Dozen at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. We made new friends and / or met old ones at each event.

At the radio station, I saw many books edited by Ellen Datlow. They also subscribe to Asimov's, The SF & F Magazine and Analog.

TR said, after conferences with students re their papers on Monday, the women were particularly pleased with how The Awakening class went. They didn't want it to end. TR, Vaquero and I discussed this novel with enthusiasm the entire time -- who would have guessed?

Among the attendees, the Garden District event brought in Tulane people, including a friend who runs the George Mason University dance dept., down to do a Cuban dance workshop with our Tulane Dance Dept. chairperson amiga. There were a lot of Cuban connection people at the Garden District event. Susan Larson, the Times-Picayune book editor was also present. We had a fascinating conversation about her daughter's experience with bells (companas, or also, cow bells), percussion and rhythm in Ghana. Her daughter wanted to get as far away, to somewhere as different as possible, on the anniversary of her father's death. So she chose a dance seminar in Ghana. She called her mom to tell her of being spiritually transported via that compana, and healed of her grief. Susan was then, most particularly struck by the account of what happened with me in Cobre, at Madelina's Spiritism center, and the companas. Then, dancing the first weeks in NO in 2004, to The Wild Magnolias, and Bo Dollis Jr.'s playing of the compana (it's the Mardi Gras Indians who utilize the compana in their Indian music and calls). This was Susan's favorite part of The Year Before the Flood. I responded to Susan with, "I was prepared for the Indians and so much about New Orleans because of what I learned and experienced in Cuba." Susan said, "And for my daughter it was the reverse -- she was ready, she told me in that phone call, because of what she knew from being a New Orleanian. Africa made her love New Orleans even more."

The GD booksellers were pleased.  They had all three of the books (an advantage of a single publisher of your books), cartons of them, and they all had to be signed.  One of the booksellers said to me with quiet approval, "He's a very hard worker."  She meant all the publicity, and how much effort he puts into the presentations, readings and signings.  She was aware that this isn't about ego boost, or getting attention -- it is work, and it is hard work too.

Quite a few of the GD people were also at the Dirty Dozen oral history, several of the DD were present themselves, of course. In response to a question from the audience as to how they managed to stay together as a band, "It's like a marriage. A hard marriage -- with seven wives." One of the members observed that because of the Katrina levee catastrophe, New Orleans musicians can be found everywhere -- there's been a diaspora, where generally, before, most New Orleans musicians tended to stay locally. Also there are many New Orleanians dispersed everywhere, who turn out when New Orleans music is played. "New Orleanians are the most difficult audienc -- the best audience." I would add this is the Cuban experience since the early 90's. You find Cuban bands all over the world -- playing in a little hotel in Djarkta. Cubans are the toughest audiences. New Orleans musicians, playing for New Orleanians, in New Orleans, outside -- it's like Cuban musicians, playing for Cubans, in Cuba, outdoors -- you will be transported.