The old adage “Do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t apply in the case of these educators. The Professors of Pleasure: Tulane University Faculty Band, Volume Two, presented by John Doheny, a collaboration of Tulane University Jazz Performance Studies instructors (drummer Geoff Clapp, bassist Jim Markway, pianist Jesse McBride, guitarist John Dobry, trumpeter Andrew Baham and saxophonist John Doheny) covers a spectrum of styles, from funk to jazz to second-line.
History l Tulane University research professor Richard Campanella details an historical icon’s experience in The Big Easy with Lincoln in New Orleans: The 1828-1831 Flatboat Voyages and Their Place in History. The book recounts the time teenaged Lincoln spent guiding a flatboat to New Orleans and the subsequently eye-opening and sometimes-dangerous time he had here. His journeys to New Orleans were the longest of his life and his only visits to the “Deep South” – Campanella explores the significant effect they had on the man who would become the 16th president.
Children’s l The younger members of the Who Dat Nation can embrace their black and gold roots with this nod to both New Orleans and Dr. Seuss with One Dat, Who Dat, Are You A WHO DAT? by Cornell P. Landry. With lines such as “Did you Who Dat in your home? Did you Who Dat in the Dome?” and “I did dat Who Dat with anticipation, cheering those boys with jubilation,” as well as a dictionary (with terms such as brake tag, neutral ground and makin’ groceries), all the lessons for becoming a Who Dat are covered.
Memoir l Debra Shriver crafted a love letter to New Orleans with Stealing Magnolias, an amalgamation of photographs, memories, recipes, history and endless references to the idiosyncrasies, ingredients and intricacies that make New Orleans so unique. With a preface by George Rodrigue and accounts of “My New Orleans” by Ella Brennan, Emeril Lagasse and Wynton Marsalis, this book is teeming with voodoo, gris-gris, bon temps and lagniappe. Nothing is missed, from Mardi Gras to Hubig’s pies to the Vieux Carré. You will fall in love with New Orleans all over again.