Pianist Ellis Marsalis was a New Orleans legend. His 1963 album Monkey Puzzle, released on the Nola-based AFO Records, has had a lasting impact, as has his work as a teacher at the University of New Orleans and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He is also, of course, the patriarch of one of jazz’s great families. His sons include the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, the saxophonist Branford Marsalis, the drummer Jason Marsalis, and the trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. Read more about Ellis Marsalis here.
Percussionist Alfred “Uganda” Roberts spent nearly a decade with Professor Longhair. But his congas can also be heard on albums by Irma Thomas, the Wild Magnolias, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint. If an important New Orleans musician needed a conguero, they called Uganda. Read more about Alfred “Uganda” Roberts here.
DJ Jesse Hathorne—known as “Midnight Creeper” due to his radio shows that started at 12am—came to WWOZ in the ’90s and never left. He was also the voice behind a gospel show, where he was “Brother Jess.” He fell in love with music as a child in Mississippi, and brought that passion with him when his family moved to New Orleans. Read more about Jesse Hathorne here.
Big Al Carson had a one-of-a-kind voice, full of soul and joy. HIs long-standing residency at the Funky Pirate Bar on Bourbon Street was a New Orleans institution. Carson was also a tuba player, with Dr. Michael White and Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band. Read more about Big Al Carson here.
What city did you grow up in? How did you make it to New Orleans? I was born and raised here, but I lived in SC from 2003-2006 and got so home sick that I had to come back.
Whats does Mardi Gras mean to you? Mardi Gras reminds me of my grandma! We called her "Mamagran". She was a diehard parade goer and collected doubloons.
What inspired you to become an artist? I've always loved art growing up and took art in High school (Ursuline Academy, NOLA) but haven't done much up until a few years ago when I rediscovered my passion for it. I had moved into my old family home (3rd generation) and started painting on canvas to decorate my walls. I found painting very therapeutic and fell in love with it all over again.
Did you learn anything worth while working on this project? How a pandemic can bring a community together. There's no place like New Orleans, which we already knew.
Did any of the musician's work/music affect the composition of your painting? What kind of feelings came up during the process? We love to listen to jazz, especially live, but also when we're sitting out on our back patio. M youngest son, Paul (20), plays the flute and I'd sometimes imagine the places he may go. He took band in his first 2yrs of HS and he had just gotten his very own flute for Christmas. My oldest son, Ryan (22), plays around with acoustics on his guitar and I think he's very talented, especially when he makes up lyrics as he goes. He's not a fan of performing in front of people but I wish he would.
What was the most fun part of this project? The combination/collaboration of different artists with different styles to represent the tribute to the jazz musicians and creating these unique pieces. It was also very exciting for us to be chosen as one of the artists to participate.
How do you know when your work is complete? (when to stop painting) That's a hard one for me sometimes, but I usually have to stop and sit back from a distance and just look at it and not touch it. If by the next day I see some things that I think it needs, I'll add it then. Then I'll sit back to admire it again and that's when I decide it's complete. (Sometimes I'll send pictures of it to my parents & brother for their thoughts, and of course they always love it, before deciding I'm done.)
What is your dream gig? Our dream is to have our business successful with our own studio so we can both retire from our current day jobs and just focus on DVus fulltime. I am a Registered Nurse, I not only want DVus to be successful, but I dream of it being a legacy and passed down to our children to run. (I have 2 sons 20&22 and Jared has a daughter 12 & son 8)
What city did you grow up in? How did you make it to New Orleans? I grew up mostly in France, however I have lived in various other countries too and have currently been in the US for ten years, including five in New Orleans after having lived in Oakland CA, Blue Hill ME, and San Juan Puerto Rico.
Whats does Mardi Gras mean to you? Mardi Gras for me means artistry, the mixing of costumes, sculpture and painting brought together for an eccentric celebration. I do not agree though with the massive amounts of useless plastic that is thrown during the parades.
What inspired you to become an artist? Its in my soul I can't help it.
Did you learn anything worth while working on this project? New Orleans weather is even more unpredictable than I thought and deco mesh is pretty fun.
Did any of the musician's work/music affect the composition of your painting? What kind of feelings came up during the process? Not any in particular but the tragedy of loosing so many musicians in one year, made me want to put a lot of color and movement to carry their souls.
What was the most fun part of this project? Working on the mural
How do you know when your work is complete? (when to stop painting) When its better than the sketch
What is your dream gig? To paint giant murals all around the world, I guess that's multiple gigs.
For more information visite Sanguine Skills website here.
Keith “Wolf” Anderson was an integral part of the New Orleans brass band scene, playing trombone with some of the greatest groups of his time, including Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Hot 8 Brass Band. He also appeared on albums by Robbie Robertson and Blind Boys of Alabama. Read more about Keith “Wolf” Anderson here.
Lucien Barbarin’s soulful trombone enhanced the music of Kermit Ruffins, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lastie Jr., and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, of which he was a member. A scion of one of most storied musical families in New Orleans, he also worked with Harry Connick Jr. for three decades. Read more about Lucien Barbarin here.
A pianist of uncommon strength and intensity, Tyner was a member of John Coltrane’s famed “classic quartet,” which also included bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones. With that group, the pianist appeared on timeless Coltrane albums like 1964’s Live at Birdland and 1965’s A Love Supreme. He also made dozens of beloved solo albums, ranging from 1967’s The Real McCoy to 1975’s Atlantis. Read more about McCoy Tyner here.
Drummer Jimmy Cobb is best known for keeping the beat on Miles Davis’s iconicl Kind of Blue. But his career spanned 70 years and included work with everyone from Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington to Roy Hargrove and Brad Mehldau. You can hear this NEA Jazz Master on dozens of other important albums, too, like Coltrane’s Coltrane Jazz and Wes Montgomery’s Smokin’ at the Half Note. Read more about Jimmy Cobb here.
Remembered by his colleagues as “a superb lawyer and a wonderful human being,” Steve Edwards was a devoted family man and generous philanthropist with a special connection to the music world, where he served for years on the boards of the Jazz Foundation of America and WBGO. As guitarist, Edwards played music throughout his life, starting out as a member of ’60s garage rock band the Stompers, which cut a cherished track entitled “I Know.” Read more about Steve Edwards here.
Louisiana native and blues musician Henry Gray spent about twenty years in Chicago, where he played piano for Howlin’ Wolf. But the rest of his life was spent in his home state, where he was a fixture at Jazz Fest and in Baton Rouge. He famously performed at Mick Jagger’s birthday party in 1998. Read more about Henry Gray here.
Saxophonist Jimmy Heath was one third of the Heath Brothers, with Percy Heath on bass and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums. Outside of that group, he worked with Nancy Wilson, Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, and Charles Earland. As an educator, he spent many years at Queens College. Read more about Jimmy Heath here.
Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli led an artistic life that dipped in and out of jazz. On one hand, he worked with Benny Goodman and Sarah Vaughan. But he was also a member of Johnny Carson’s house band, and he recorded on albums by Aretha Franklin and Carly Simon. His son, John Pizzarelli, is also a well-known guitarist. Read more about Bucky Pizzarelli here.
A protege of Miles Davis, trumpeter Wallace Roney was a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the ’80s and recorded with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Kenny Barron in the ’90s. He also worked with a number of Davis alumni, including Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. Read more about Wallace Roney here.
What city did you grow up in? How did you make it to New Orleans? I was born and raised here! Greatest city on the planet!
What does Mardi Gras mean to you? Mardi Gras is the glue that holds our city together...it's the biggest party/social that brings everyone of all ages and backgrounds together!
What inspired you to become an artist? It was when I started dating Shannon. She's the real artist! Honestly, I can't draw a straight line, lol. I learned my skills while growing up watching my Pawpaw doing woodwork in the garage. It was sorta my idea to combine our skills and make art as a team. DVus: D (Delatte) + V (Valence)=us
Did you learn anything worth while working on this project? Not that it isn't obvious, but that NOLA and it's community is awesome!
Did any of the musician's work/music affect the composition of your work? What kind of feelings came up during the process? We love live jazz of course and it was a real honor to be selected to be apart of this great project!
What was the most fun part of this project? Being selected to be apart of it! The combination/collaboration of different artists with different styles to represent the tribute to the jazz musicians and creating these unique pieces.
How do you know when your work is complete? (when to stop painting) I leave that part to the artist, Shannon! Ha
What is your dream gig? Our company, DVus to thrive and for it to become our full time job. I not only want us to be successful, but dream of us 2 doing it together and being able to work for ourselves so we can have more time with family and be able to travel.
What city did you grow up in? How did you make it to New Orleans? I grew up near the Candadian border of New York State, in the small city of Plattsburgh. My partner had lived in New Orleans before attending grad school in NY, where we met, and I moved back down with her here.
What inspired you to become an artist? I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil, but the constant encouragement and support of my parents really kept me on it ever since.
What does Mardi Gras mean to you? For me, Mardi Gras is a celebration of joy and life, a recognition of love and loss, and a preparation for spiritual journeys. Each year, I go to St. Anne's parade, which is a beautiful walking parade full of the amazing color and joy of home made costumes, music, and revelry. But it ends at the riverside, where people bring the ashes of those they've lost during the year to release them into the Mississippi. It's an indescribable moment of tears and song and color, a combination of mourning and celebration.
Did you learn anything worth while working on this project? It really hit me seeing all the names of those who've passed on the wall, just from this one community. I'm so grateful to be a part of celebrating them, in a way that is so New Orleans.
Did any of the musician's work/music affect the composition of your painting? What kind of feelings came up during the process? When I was starting on Ellis' portrait, I was feeling the time crunch (it ended up being around 100 hours of work in one week.) I started listening to his music, and it just calmed me down so much, brought me into enjoying the work again. His music and his presence in the images just really gives me a sense of calm delight in creation.
What was the most fun part of this project? Seeing the pieces up on the house, and watching people slow down in their cars to enjoy it, to stop and take photos. Though I really enjoyed the painting marathon, working with these colors, and being challenged.
How do you know when your work is complete? (when to stop painting) There's a sense that's hard to describe, but it's clear when something has what it needs. Also in this case, I only had so much time to work!
What is your dream gig? I would love to create large murals in public spots like NYC and LA. I want to portray imagery that invites people to slow down in the midst of the bustle, even for a second, and remember our shared humanity, and the beauty of everyday moments we often take for granted.
What city did you grow up in? How did you make it to New Orleans? I was born and raised in Brasil, lived 10 years in Japan, then moved to Los Angeles in 2002. In my first visit to New Orleans in 2005, I founded that the city resembled Brasil. Now I split my time between the two when I can.
What does Mardi Gras mean to you? It means happy people, music, fun, dancing, many colors, costumes… As a kid in Brasil, I always participated in Carnaval. After moving to the USA, I never missed a Mardi Gras in Nola. I will say it is different than Carnaval in Brasil, but the feeling is the same. Happy People all around.
Did you learn anything worthwhile working on this project? It was quite sad to learn that 72 amazing souls are no longer with us. I feel very privileged to celebrate their lives with this project.
How did you get involved with this project? My friend Casey told me he wanted to participate in the KoHF and asked if I would like to be the Project Manager. I thought what a fantastic way to participate in Mardi Gras even though I am not in Nola. I had yet to manage a project remotely, but it was not much different than making a film. With a lot of coordinating and between texts, emails, coffee, phone calls, I was able to relay his vision to the artists and answer their questions… We discuss how to let the public know about each musician celebrated in the house and decided that a website would be the best option.
What was the most fun part of this project? To see everything coming together. I loved receiving pictures of everyone working together on the day of the installation. We did a video chat, and I felt like I was there with everyone.
What was challenging about this project? We had a short deadline on this project . But after the artwork was installed and the photographer sent me the photos, I gathered everything, and it all came together organically like your baby is being born”.
For more information, visit LKcreACTIVE website here.
In the early ’60s, saxophonist Ronald Bell started Kool and the Gang with his brother, bassist Robert “Kool” Bell. Kool and the Gang is best known for their songs “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” and “Celebration.” Read more about Ronald Bell here.
Like his brother Nat King Cole, Freddy Cole sang and played piano. He was nominated for a Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy in 2010. Read more about Freddy Cole here.
Stanley Crouch was a jazz critic and author. He wrote for the Village Voice in the ’80s and won a MacArthur grant in the ’90s. He was associated with Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he worked as a consultant. Read more about Stanley Crouch here.
Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz was a prolific maker of albums, and famously worked with Lennie Tristano. He appears on the Miles Davis albums Birth of the Cool and Miles Ahead. Read more about Lee Konitz here.
Pianist Mike Longo was best known for his long working relationship with Dizzy Gillespie. He also played with Lee Konitz and Roy Eldridge. Longo’s residency at the Baha’i Center was a fixture on the New York scene. Read more about Mike Longo here.
Junior Mance played piano for some of the greatest horn players in jazz: Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Johnny Griffin, and Gene Ammons. He released dozens of albums as a leader, including ones recorded at the Village Vanguard and the Village Gate. Read more about Junior Mance here.
To call Dr. Frank Minyard unique would be an understatement. He was a trumpeter, gynecologist, and coroner. His nickname was “Dr. Jazz.” Read more about Dr. Frank Minyard here.
Drummer Charli Persip worked with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He taught at the New School, and had a big band called SuperSound. Read more about Charli Persip here.
Joe Tullos was a member of New Orleans band Big Sun. Joe performed at Jazz Fest, and Big Sun opened for the Meters. Read more about Joe Tullos here.
Elbert “Woody” Woodson was an R&B drummer, most notably for Otis Redding. He also worked with the Isley Brothers—that’s him on “It’s Your Thing”—and Marvin Gaye. Read more about Elbert “Woody” Woodson here.
Hailing from Cuba, Cándido Camero played percussion with Duke Ellington and was a major proponent of Afro-Cuban jazz. Specializing in congas, he notably recorded with drummers like Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. Read more about Cándido Camero here.
Drummer Percy Brice swung for Sarah Vaughan, Mary Lou Williams, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis. He appears on Harry Belafonte’s Streets I Have Walked and An Evening With Belafonte/Mouskouri. Read more about Percy Brice here.
Vocalist Pam Cornelius worked with Al Green and Cissy Houston. Music was her in blood; her father played bass with Arthur Prysock and her uncle was in R&B group the Main Ingredient. Read more about Pam Cornelius here.
Bassist Mike DuClos made his presence felt in the rock world, working with Tracy Bonham and David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears. He appears on TriBeCaStan’s 5 Star Cave. Read more about Mike DuClos here.
In the ’50s and ’60s, bassist Henry Grimes was everywhere, appearing on albums by Albert Ayler, Sonny Rollins, Roy Haynes, and Don Cherry. After a decades-long break from music, Grimes returned to the jazz world, often working with guitarist Marc Ribot. Read more about Henry Grimes here.
Onaje Allan Gumbs played piano for Bennie Maupin, Lenny White, Woody Shaw, and Ronald Shannon Jackson. He released his own albums starting in 1977. Sandra and Onaje had been married for more than four decades. Read more about Onaje Allan Gumbs here.
DeeDee Levant-Albert sang backup for Wilson Pickett, and appeared in musicals including Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. She taught at Touro College and led a group called Why Not Jazz. Read more about Dee Dee Michels here.
Saxophonist Giuseppi Logan was a key member of the 1960s free-jazz scene, releasing a pair of albums for the ESP label. After a long absence, he returned to performing and recording in the 2000s. His first album in almost fifty years, The Giuseppi Logan Quintet, was released in 2010. Read more about Giuseppi Logan here.
Percussionist Ray Mantilla was a member of Max Roach’s M’Boom and played with everyone from Cedar Walton to Charles Mingus. He led the groups Space Station and Jazz Tribe. Read more about Ray Mantilla here.
Percussionist Angel “Cachete” Maldonado played with the leading lights of salsa, from Larry Harlow to Eddie Palmieri. He appeared on albums by Airto Moreira, Gato Barbieri, and Mongo Santamaria. Read more about Angel “Cachete” Maldonado here.
Gospel singer Gary Samuels worked with Wynton Marsalis and appeared at prestigious venues including the Apollo. His releases include I Believe and Grace of God. Read more about Gary Samuels here.
Pianist Ed Stoute worked with Dakota Staton and Carlos Garnett. In the ’60s, he recorded on Ken McIntyre’s Year of the Iron Sheep and Illinois Jacquet’s Spectrum. On the latter album, he has a composition entitled “Blue Horizon.” Read more about Ed Stoute here.
Danny Ray Thompson started playing with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the late ’60s, making his solid-as-a-rock baritone sax an integral part of the group. Percussionist Babatunde Olatunji was another of his employers. Thompson can be heard on the Arkestra’s 2020 album Swirling. Read more about Danny Ray Thompson here.
Producer Hal Willner was best known for his star-studded tribute albums, which focused on the likes of Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk. He also worked on Saturday Night Live, where he was responsible for a sketch’s music. Read more about Hal Willner here.
Danny Ray Thompson started playing with the Sun Ra Arkestra in the late ’60s, making his solid-as-a-rock baritone sax an integral part of the group. Percussionist Babatunde Olatunji was another of his employers. Thompson can be heard on the Arkestra’s 2020 album Swirling. Read more about Danny Ray Thompson here.
The pianist and educator Wray Downes was considered an "elder jazz statesman" of Canada. Born in Toronto in 1931, he was classically trained in London and Paris before beginning a long career in jazz, performer alongside Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, and many more legends. During the final three decades of his career he was a fixture in his adopted home of Montreal and mentored countless young musicians as a professor at Concordia University. Read more about Wray Downes here.
Bassist Alex Layne studied with Ron Carter, and went on to work with Carmen McRae and Max Roach. He appears on Miriam Makeba’s In Concert. Read more about Alex Layne here.
There is no way to neatly sum up the career of piano virtuoso Chick Corea. He played keyboards in Return to Forever; appeared on Miles Davis's most important electric-period albums; worked in a duo with Herbie Hancock; and composed the jazz standard "Spain." Read more about Chick Corea here.
