Photos by Vito Ingerto
A Second Line is a uniquely New Orleans phenomenon. The Second Line is a group of people celebrating behind a brass band as it marches through the French Quarter. The celebrations vary, it may be a wedding or a funeral. The formal ceremony is over, and good or bad, it’s time to come together as a community, dance and enjoy the company of others. Celebrate the good. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, a lot to be anxious about. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue gave us a couple of hours to celebrate the good on Sunday night at the Hilde Performance Center in Plymouth.
Opening the show was local legend L.A. Buckner and BiG HOMiE. There isn’t enough room here to list all of the people and bands that have been lucky enough to have collaborated with L.A. Nor does his music fit neatly into any genre. He is a teaching artist, and he put on a master class in percussion on Sunday night. A gumbo of styles poured from the stage, hip hop, R&B, jazz and good old rock and roll. Sitting at his kit, hitting the drums Bonham-esque, hard, like they owe him money, he is a flurry of arms and drumsticks. L.A. kicked an incredible amount of ass. But close your eyes, and the beats are tight, thoughtful, his voice sensitive and soulful. The set featured songs from his release Big Homie.
Trombone Shorty, aka Troy Andrews has been performing since he was a kid. He’s played with the Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz and Green Day. All of these associations have had the cumulative effect of creating a sound equal parts jazz, rock and funk. Sunday nights performance had all of these elements, but was also steeped in New Orleans.
The set opened with “Where It At?”, a cut off of Parking Lot Symphony. A funked up version of “Buckjump” followed, and there wasn’t a butt in a seat. Andrews was the ultimate frontman, veering from trombone to trumpet to vocals all over the set. He also shared the spotlight with both of his guitar players and his vocalist. There were covers by The Meters, Ernie K-Doe and Allen Toussaint thrown in for good measure.
The music and culture of New Orleans was on full display Sunday night, and everyone left with a little bit of the Big Easy in their heart.