Rest in Peace, Poppa Funk

 

Recently we have had too many sad occasions to reflect on the lives and careers of legendary artists. Unique talents like Tom Petty, Dr. John, Prince, Scott Walker, Dick Dale, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Dave Bartholomew and now Art Neville have all left us in the last few years. What started as a collection of unfortunate deaths now feels like the the true end of an era. These are artists that went beyond the bounds of any individual genre and helped change the scope and feel of music as a whole. So much of what we think of as the New Orleans sound comes from the work of Art Neville, but his influence and that of The Meters extend so much further. The Meters remain the originators of that basic groove that has driven the evolution of funk, jam, disco, hip hop and beyond. They were and still are endlessly imitated and often sampled. As bandleader and organist, Art truly curated that sound. His absence from the scene will be symbolic as well as sonic. Where do we go from here? What does the future of New Orleans music sound like? And perhaps most importantly what avenues of innovation are young musicians opening for us right now? It will be exciting to see where groups like People Museum, Tank and The Bangas and Cha Wa will take us as our icons leave us to reflect on their legacies as the influence stretches on.

In 1975 Paul McCartney threw an album release party on the Queen Mary ship. In a stroke of genius he hired The Meters as the house band for the voyage. One recording from this trip has been pressed to vinyl as Uptown Rulers: The Meters Live on the Queen Mary. This is the only complete recording from the Meters at the height of their powers as musicians as well as their fame and influence. As a send off to Art check out 11 amazing minutes from one of his great performances below.

 

Going on this Week

Tonight you can catch the rapidly rising, Bogalusa born rapper JayDaYoungan at The Joy Theater while Soul Sister is at One Eyed Jacks and Trampa plays Republic. Also tonight, the Free Friday Show at Tipitina’s is The New Orleans Suspects. Tomorrow, excellent Australian dance ensemble RÜFÜS DU SOL is at The Joy while Seven Spires play Gasa Gasa. Saturday, you can also catch The Soul Rebels at The Blue Nile or Mia Borders at the Oak Wine Bar. Sunday, James Singleton Quintet plays two shows at Snug Harbor. Monday, The Bummers are at Gasa Gasa and George Porter Jr. is at The Maple Leaf with his Trio. Tuesday, Night Moves are at One Eyed Jacks and Carly Rae Jepsen is at the Fillmore while Gauche plays Gasa Gasa with Post Pink. Also Tuesday you can see Delfeayo Marsalis’ Quintet for two shows at The Prime Example while The Stanton Moore Trio is at Snug Harbor for two shows. Wednesday, the Retirement Party and The Obsessives are at Gasa Gasa and Meschiya Lake and Ben Polcer take the late show at Chickie Wah Wah. Thursday, Mahmoud Chouki + Christien Bold & Stuart Coles are at the SideBar while Anders Osborne and David Torkanowsky take two shows at Snug Harbor. Also Thursday, you can catch Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet at Vaughan’s Lounge.

 

To Listen This Week

 

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