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The House of Dance & Feathers, a small museum located behind director Ronald Lewis' house in the Lower Ninth Ward, celebrates the cultural traditions of New Orleans social aid and pleasure clubs, the Mardi Gras Indians and beyond. Now it is also the title of a colorful, photograph-filled book by Lewis and Rachel Breunlin that echoes the purpose and spirit of the Tupelo Street museum.
"For years, I had heard people label us 'poor Blacks' because our economics don't fit into the status quo," Lewis writes. "People come to New Orleans and the first thing they want to signify is our economics instead of looking at our creativity."
The book, which was supported by The Neighborhood Story Project and published by UNO Press, offers Lewis' personalized view of his Lower 9th Ward neighborhood, where he's resided his entire life, its people and the array of cultural activities in which he and his fellow citizens have been involved. As the Counsel Chief of the Choctaw Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, the president of the Big Nine Social Aid & Pleasure Club and the Gatekeeper of the North Side Skull and Bone skeleton gang, Lewis brings a deep understanding to these unique traditions and those who keep them vital.
The reader can feel Lewis' love and sense of pride when he speaks of the art of sewing and designing Indian suits and patches and particularly when sharing that knowledge with his family and friends. He tells his story of growing up in the Ninth Ward surrounded by working-class people, of the Black Indians he's known, watched and learned from, and the importance of the social aid and pleasure clubs in establishing cultural identity.
"For the Lower Ninth Ward, we were just known as the Ninth Ward, as fearless people," he writes referring to the time before clubs like the Big Nine, the CTC and Nine Times took hold.
Beyond Lewis' insightful narrative, "The House of Dance & Feathers: A Museum by Ronald W. Lewis" offers more academically oriented essays from Breunlin and Helen A. Regis. It also provides a wealth of extremely informative explanations of the photographs that become little histories in themselves. For instance, beneath a photograph of Walter Cook masking in an nontraditional leather suit, the Big Chief of the Creole Wild West is quoted saying: "For years I was using lace material over satin to make a brighter look on my suits. The year after Katrina, I took it to a different style - the Native American. My mom's people are Choctaw and she encouraged me to do it."
The number and diversity of the photographs - with many taken by Lewis and others contributed by numerous other photographers - in the 200-page, paperback book is impressive. With some being snapshots and others taken by professionals, including longtime parade and Indian follower Eric Waters, the images may vary in quality but remain significant in capturing the mood and spirit of the subjects and the events. The smile on Lewis face as he steps out the door of the Hi-Ho Lounge at the start of the Big Nine's 2008 parade radiates the exuberance of the day. The shot of proprietor Dorn "Pappy" Kemp standing on a chair in front of his bar, Kemp's, with beer in hand is just how most second liners remember him.
The House of Dance & Feathers stands as narrative that could benefit and be enjoyed by adults and their children alike. It tells of the museum's meager beginnings, its establishment in 2003 and the effort to rebuild it as a place of hope following Katrina and the levee breaks.
Like the House of Dance & Feathers Museum, the book shines with Lewis' nurturing love and care for the big picture and small details.
The House of Dance & Feathers: A Museum by Ronald W. Lewis is available at the museum by appointment, call 957-2578. It can also be purchased online at www.theneighborhoodstoryproject.org or at the Octavia Bookstore.
Branford Marsalis Quartet - Metamorphosen
At this point in the career of Grammy-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis we expect excellence, burn and beauty. He makes good on those expectations on his new album Metamorphosen (Marsalis Music), which derives its name from the Richard Strauss classical composition.
The album marks the 10th anniversary for the Branford Marsalis Quartet - a milestone in today's often mix-and-match world of jazz - with pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Long musical associations, like personal associations, can lead to certain understandings in language and comfort levels that result in often difficult to obtain but highly desirable freedom of expression. These musicians take advantage of their long-term relationships in both their mutual support and personal aggressiveness.
The opening track, written by the rhythmic Watts, sets the pace of jazz that simultaneously swings and burns. Dubbed "The Return of the Jitney Man," it's a tune that demands the full tone of Marsalis' tenor. Again, the dynamics of the ensemble rule as the musicians execute seamless transitions between solos and heads. There's no feeling of 'Okay, you take one, then I'll take one.'
Marsalis picks up his soprano for Calderazzo's beauty, "The Blossom of Parting." It is simply a stunningly elegant and emotional piece. After that, the whimsy of the saxophonist's - heard on alto here - single composition on the CD, "Jabberwocky" stands as a welcoming uplift.
It's uncommon for a leader to invite all of his fellow bandmates to contribute material so heavily on an album but, it can be pointed out, the CD is credited to the Branford Marsalis Quartet, not just Branford Marsalis. Bassist Revis's pen is particularly active - bringing in three tunes. The first two-"Abe Vigoda" and "Sphere" display his tendency for a certain staccato edginess. The last, "And Then, He was Gone" is a short, solo number that resounds with the inherent earthiness of a wooden instrument.
At the opening of Watt's "Samo" it might seem that the intention is for Metamorphosen to go out in a quiet mood but the underriding flurries and tensions forecast another direction. The tune becomes insistent and continues to rise until Marsalis steps in to break it all out.
It's an ending worthy of an album that with great élan musically honors democracy and individualism, personal expression and sharing.
This article was originally published in the April 6, 2009 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper |
