NOLa music, as stylistically diverse as the musicians who play it

9th July 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

Mark Braud
Living the Tradition
(Independent)

As a member of the musical Brunious family, trumpeter, vocalist and composer Mark Braud defines the title of his latest album, Living the Tradition. Growing up, music filled his world. Yes, classic New Orleans jazz was a big part of it though he soon realized that the artists who were providing those sounds were stylistically fluent in whatever genre was called for. He simple calls their – and his – style New Orleans music.

For the first time, Braud has released an album that includes his own compositions with pianist Meghan Swartz penning only one of the dozen cuts and teaming with Braud on another. The material, as well as Braud’s playing and the musicians heard on the disc – Swartz, clarinetist Tim Laughlin, trombonist Lucien Barbarin, drummer Herlin Riley and bassist Mark Brooks – represents the trumpeter’s influences through the decades as well as his view of what New Orleans music means to him.

Living the Tradition begins where Braud began, with a lively classic jazz number, “You’re the One.” Everyone in the joyful ensemble gets a chance to strut their stuff on a solo starting with Laughlin who makes a rare and well-matched appearance with Braud on the frontline.

What Jelly Roll Morton coined the “Latin tinge” plays a large role on the disc starting with Swartz’s swaying “La Tomate” on which Braud displays his finesse with a mute. The trumpeter kicks up the Latin tempo on his own “At the Carnival” and then offers romance on the lovely “The Last Lullaby.”

Braud’s musical experiences and appreciation for New Orleans classic rhythm and blues is also expressed on the album. His tune, “Trouble,” is a ton of fun and rhythmically and stylistically true to the era. He calls upon Gerald French to provide vocals with tuba man Ronell Johnson and saxophonist Roderick Paulin in for the romp.

Also up the R&B alley is Braud’s and Swartz’s “Mary Jane” that has Allen Toussaint’s influence all over it. Here the leader steps up to the microphone.

Living the Tradition breathes the continuum of New Orleans music and the love and respect that Braud and his fellow artists have for this musical gift that keeps on giving.

Kyle Roussel
Returns to His Roots on Organ

Kyle Roussel digs that he’s getting to step out as a leader, especially heading his organ trio for its performance on Saturday, July 14, at North Rampart Street’s Jazz & Heritage Foundation Center.

“It’s good that I get to do that,” declares Roussel, a very talented and versatile artist who is most often heard on acoustic piano or electric keyboards.

“I’m the type of musician who plays a lot of different styles, a lot of different applications in a lot of different bands. So it’s good that I can showcase the organ – I grew up playing organ – and not just be a keyboard player or just being a jazz piano player.

“You can do so much more on organ – it’s closer to the human voice,” Roussel says of his love of the instrument. “You can kind of get to the soul. On piano, the notes die out, on the organ the notes sustain. And then you’ve got vibrato and you’ve got the pedals and you have all these different sounds to work with.”

A native of Hahnville, Louisiana and graduate of the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA) and the University of New Orleans, Roussel’s resumé includes tours with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a recording with the nationally renowned Headhunters as well as playing on saxophonist Roderick Paulin’s brilliant Slow But Steady, and even recording with hill country blues go-getter Cedric Burnside. On Roussel’s 2014 release, Rookie of the Year, the keyboardist mixed up genres as so many New Orleans musicians tend to do. (See above when Mark Braud describes what he and others play as simply New Orleans music.)

Roussel plans to enjoy a stylistically open program at the date with his trio. It includes strong up-and-comers though not new to the game musicians, bassist Kenaniah Turner and drummer Jermal Watson. He promises a lot of New Orleans music, some originals, tunes from the Rookie album and church songs that he grew up playing. An admirer of great organists like Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff, Roussel could slide some of that solid jazz stuff in the set too.

Roussel’s early musical journey first took a classical route though by the age of 12 and through the urging of his mother and grandfather, he began playing organ in church. “I grew up playing in all types of churches. I played pipe organ in Catholic churches and I played in Baptist churches and Pentecostal churches,” explains Roussel, who presently is behind the organ at the Household of Faith Church. “When I was about 16, I was playing in three or four churches every Sunday. Around the same time I was learning jazz at NOCCA, I was learning gospel in church.”

“I think just playing in church in general is the best musical education one can get,” he continues. “It’s like the most ear-training, it’s picking up things on the side, it’s listening to other musicians and it’s the best hands-on training. I think it brings another perspective in understanding music. So often, especially if you go to a college for music, it’s so educational – learning about notes and chord changes and how to play scales. Playing in church, it’s based on feeling, it’s based on spirituality. I lot of the musicians who play in the church can’t read music or don’t have a formal education but they’re great musicians because it comes from the heart.”

That heart beats in whatever styles Roussel plays and from whatever instrument – organ, keyboards, piano – on which he applies his talent. Hearing him live on organ, one of his first and lasting loves, makes this gig special.

Showtimes for this free concert at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Foundation Center, 1205 N. Rampart Street, are 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

This article originally published in the July 9, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.