LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Holidays -- Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans




The rain has stopped, though everything is drippy and it promises to resume.

I finished my shopping for today and tomorrow and am feeling rather more energetic.
I'm about to put the first disk on the cd player of that first volume of the Michael Cox Victorian trilogy, The Meaning of Night (I've read the second volume, The Glass of Time. I liked that novel quite a bit, though if I'd already read the first volume there wouldn't have been any suspense, so for once it was better to jump right into the middle, I guess.) and start cooking.
That will cheer me up.

We have a dvd of the 1947 New Orleans, from whence cometh the famous "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" which breaks your heart worse now than ever. But I think our friends will like watching this, even though, again, it appears to be movie that shows white men responsible for the creation of jazz. We attended an entire presentation about this movie at a seminar conference in New Orleans a couple years back. But we've never seen the movie.

18 comments:

Frank Partisan said...

Holiday Greetings

Ever see Pete Kelly's Blues?

Foxessa said...

We all loved New Orleans, when we'd expected to be offended by white pretension to jazz ownership. There is some of that, and some of the usual icky racist movie tropes.

The worst is that Billie Holliday MUST play a maid. You could tell she was displeased at this state affairs. But once we get out of the Big House, things improve for the White Blonde Girl, including Ms. Holliday, her, yes, maid. But a maid who is a brilliant singer-performer ....

We've had been to a seminar on this movie a couple years back in New Orleans, so this is why we expected what we did find. However, we weren't prepared for the rest of what we found.

The list of legendary jazz names performing in this movie is long. It includes both Louis Armstrongm as well as Billie Holiday. This is a young Louis Armstrong, who was -- woo -- hot, hot, hot! There a cheesy music revue scene where he's dressed up in faux leopard skins, fanned by Nubian Egyptian slaves, standing in -- why? -- bubbles. He could have been King of the Zulu Krewe in Mardi Gras.

Still, it provides a bogus Storyville and King of Basin Street. Syphillis is never mentioned. Though it does imply the story of the spread of jazz particularly through that African American diaspora, including musicians, to Chicago.

The point of the movie was that jazz was as much a great music as the european art music, against which it is pitted. As well, it has such great appeal that these highly trained white people are clandestinely enthralled by it. There is one scene that you know everyone thought was essential to include: it one that shows Armstrong READING a music score.

Love, c.

Frank Partisan said...

We were hit by a one two punch; Harold Pinter and Eartha Kitt.

I finally heard the score to the Paul Simon musical. Talk about underappreciated. I think today it would do better.

K. said...

No doubt the scene of the exodus from Storyville relates as much to reality as a George Bush press conference, but it is nonetheless quite moving. We'll put New Orleans in our queue.

Curious Curandera said...

Blessings

Foxessa said...

Ren -- Are you speaking of The Capeman? It is a wonderful show -- we saw it several times as so many people in the show and in the show orchestra are friends.

Marc Anthony and Blades were particularly good in it. We took Los Muñaequitos and their manager to see it once, in fact. Though the rumberos do not speak English they had no trouble following the story line.

But you know, you can't have Puerto Ricans on Broadway. The reviewers just sneered at it and killed it dead. It left Simon reeling -- he'd never failed at anything before. But the music is indeed more than excellent, as you say.

Love, C.

Foxessa said...

K -- I would bet money I don't have that you will find a great deal in New Orleans that you like seeing very much.

Are you all melting out from under yet?

Love, C.

Foxessa said...

Concha -- Thank you very much. The same to you and yours.

Love, C.

K. said...

I thought Capeman was pretty good, too. I've never quite understood the opprobrium directed at it. Even if it weren't your cup of tea, I don't see how it was as terrible as the reviews said it was.

Ren, is Pete Kelly's Blues the one where Jack Webb plays a jazz trumpeter?

C., as to whether we are out from under the snow, the answer is yes and no. The arterials and main roads are clear, but the neighborhoods in our area -- which took the brunt of the snowfall are still treacherous.

Frank Partisan said...

K: Pete kelly's Blues is the Jack Webb thing.

Foxessa: I took out of the library the Capeman soundtrack. I think it should be relaunched.

Foxessa said...

Paul had originally planned to put out a studio recording of the music with the band -- but not what you have, I think, which is a performance CD. But he was so disheartened by the box office and critical failure -- and he'd lost a significant amount of his own money on the production, and he couldn't find independent funding for an original recording -- he didn't do it.

Love, C.

K. said...

There are two releases: Songs From 'The Capeman' (1997) and the OBC soundtrack(2006).

He released the first as Paul Simon album, in part to promote the musical. It's better than the review above says. I haven't heard the OBC, but it sounds like that's what Ren has.

Foxessa said...

Is this OBC soundtrack a studio recording or an off-the-board performance recording?

Love, c.

K. said...

Turns out that the OBC version is available only on iTunes. It's thorough: 39 tracks in all. The cast includes Sara Ramirez, currently a regular on Grey's Anatomy!

Foxessa said...

So it's not a studio version.

I was pretty sure that never got made.

Love, C.

K. said...

I don't know if it's a studio version or not. Here's what Wikipedia says:

"A complete original cast recording of the show was produced, but never released on CD. (It was released in its entirety via iTunes.)"

K. said...

Here's more:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/100563.html

Foxessa said...

Vaquero says the 2006 iTunes only version isn't quite the studio album that was planned at the end of the 20th century.

Love, C.