Celebrating the Birthday of Cosimo Matassa

Record producer Cosimo Matassa was born in New Orleans on April 13, 1926, and opened the J&M Recording Studio in 1945 at the age of 18, at the back of his family's shop on Rampart Street. In 1955, he moved to the larger Cosimo Recording Studio on Gov. Nichols Street, nearby in the French Quarter.

Matassa was crucial to the development of the sound of R&B, rock and soul of the 1950s and 1960s, often working as an engineer with producers Dave Bartholomew and Allen Toussaint. He recorded many hits, including Fats Domino’s "The Fat Man" (a contender for the first rock and roll record), Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", and records by Ray Charles, Dr. John and many others. He was responsible for developing what became known as the New Orleans sound, with strong drums, heavy guitar and bass, heavy piano, light horns and a strong vocal lead.

Matassa retired from the music business in the 1980s to manage the family's food store, Matassa's Market, in the French Quarter. In 2007, Matassa was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and was also given a Grammy Trustees Award that same year. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

Cosimo Matassa passed away on September 11, 2014, aged 88, in New Orleans, but his musical legacy lives on forever. Today we celebrate him and all he gave music fans worldwide.

Happy Birthday, Shannon Powell!

Jazz and ragtime drummer Shannon Powell was born in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans on April 8, 1962, and by age six he was playing drums regularly at church. While still in grammar school, Powell met legendary musician Danny Barker and eventually became a regular member of Danny Barker & His Original Jazz Hounds. His first paying gig was with that band at Jazz Fest, when Powell was just 14 years old. In high school, Powell became a member of New Orleans Finest, trumpeter Leroy Jones’ first band, and went on to study at the Black Academy of Arts, joining pianist Willie Metcalf, Jr.’s band, along with classmates Wynton and Branford Marsalis.

Powell toured with Harry Connick, Jr., from 1987 to 1992, and released two platinum albums with him. Powell has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Dr. John, Earl King, and the Preservation Hall Jazz.  He has also recorded with numerous prominent artists, including Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, Irvin Mayfield, Leroy Jones, Blind Boys of Alabama,  John Boutté, Kermit Ruffins, Charmaine Neville, Henry Butler, George Porter, Jr., and Snooks Eaglin.

Powell is a regular at Jazz Fest and has toured internationally, and now plays with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He leads his own quartet with Jason Marsalis, Steve Masakowski, and Roland Guerin, and has recorded "Powell's Place," a CD which features Powell’s vocals on a mix of traditional and original jazz songs. In addition to being a leader on the traditional jazz circuit, Powell also serves as an educator. If you don’t catch him at workshops presented at universities and jazz festivals all over the world, you can see more of him in Tradition is a Temple, the 2011 documentary film about New Orleans musical culture. No matter when you see him next, today let’s all wish this extraordinary musician a very happy birthday! 

Photo: Shannon Brinkman

Happy Birthday, Charmaine Neville!

Jazz singer Charmaine Neville was born in New Orleans on March 31, 1956, and is the daughter of Charles Neville of The Neville Brothers and the lead singer of the Charmaine Neville Band. As a young girl, she lived in Austin, Texas, and started performing there when she was 12 years old. She returned to New Orleans at age 16, and learned for the first time that she was Charles Neville’s daughter. She became acquainted with her father and began performing with him and his brothers. With her own band, consisting of Neville as lead singer, saxophonist Reggie Houston and pianist Amasa Miller, she has built a reputation of providing good jazz and good natured banter that entertains New Orleans audiences, as well as those in Europe and Japan. Their regular gigs at New Orleans’ premier jazz club, Snug Harbor is a must-see for tourists and locals alike. Today we wish this wonderful performer a very happy birthday!

Photo: Infrogmation

Happy Birthday, Germaine Bazzle!

Jazz vocalist Germaine Potter Bazzle was born in New Orleans on March 28, 1932, and grew up in a musical family, playing the piano by ear at a young age. Raised in the Seventh Ward, at 12 she started her formal musical education at the Xavier Junior School of Music. After graduating from the Xavier University of Louisiana Bazzle worked as a teacher, instructing mostly young girls in choir and music appreciation at Xavier Prep. In addition to teaching, she has been a sought after musician, performing in New Orleans night clubs for over 20 years. Influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billy Ecksteine, her voice has been described as sweet, soulful and distinctive. She retired from teaching in 2008, and she is a supporter and faculty member of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp. Today let’s celebrate in honor of this talented singer and educator! Happy Birthday, Germaine!

Photo: Derek Bridges

Happy Birthday, Joe Krown!

Keyboardist Joe Krown was born on March 26, in Long Island, New York, and started playing piano in his childhood. He discovered the Hammond organ while in college, which he left to pursue career as a professional musician. In the 1980s, he joined Chuck Berry's back up band and toured with him on the East Coast. In 1991, Krown moved to New Orleans to join legendary Louisiana blues musician Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown's band, Gate's Express, recording four albums with him and touring across the U.S. and overseas, including as an opening act for Eric Clapton’s world tour in 1995. In 1998, he released the solo album Just the Piano...Just the Blues. 

The Joe Krown Organ Combo was formed in 1999 and performed every week at one of the many New Orleans nightclubs, as well as making regular appearances at the French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Krown also played with guitarist John Fohl and harmonica/accordion player Johnny Sansone in 2000, releasing a self-titled album in 2004. Krown has been a headline performer at WWOZ's Piano Night during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every year since 1997, producing it for the first time in 2017, and then every year since, with great success. 

Krown’s trio with Johnny Sansone & John Fohl won a 2004 New Orleans Big Easy Award in the Blues category. In 2005, he formed the Joe Krown Trio, featuring Joe on the Hammond B-3 organ, legendary Louisiana guitarist Walter Wolfman Washington on guitar & vocals, and Russell Batiste, Jr. on drums. In the spring of 2007, the trio started playing every Sunday night at the Maple Leaf Bar. The Sunday nights were so successful that the trio released a live CD, Live at the Maple Leaf, in Oct. 2008. They won a 2009 New Orleans Big Easy Award in the Blues Category and a 2009 Offbeat Award for Best R&B/Funk Album. In April 2014, Joe was honored with a Piano Legacy Award, presented by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and for being a "Master of Piano".

In June 2017, Krown joined the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, and tours all over the U.S. and the world as the organ/piano player for this multi award winning, chart topping band. Krown continues to perform solo and with his trio, and he has played the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as a featured artist every year since 2001 and the French Quarter Festival every year since 1998. Today we wish this supremely talented musician a very happy birthday! 

Photo: Masahiro Sumori

Celebrating the Birthday of Marva Wright

Vocalist Marva Wright was born in New Orleans on March 20, 1948, and started singing in church at age 9, with her gospel singer, piano player mother accompanying her. The world-renowned “Queen of Gospel” Mahalia Jackson was an early friend of the family. Wright turned professional in 1987, at nearly 40 years old, after she was discovered while working as a secretary. She began singing as a second job to support her family. While Wright sang traditional jazz and gospel, she was better known for sultry, sometimes bawdy blues songs.

During a live set at Tipitina's in 1989, Wright made her first recording, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean., and in 1991, she made her national television debut and met the late CBS news anchorman Ed Bradley, who encouraged her career and introduced her at every JazzFest. Wright's first full-length release, Heartbreakin' Woman, appeared later that year, and was named blues album of the year by the Louisiana Music Critics Association. Her album Born With The Blues was released in France in 1993, and worldwide in 1996. Her 2007 effort, After The Levees Broke, addressed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed her house and all her belongings. In August 2008, she performed with the Louisiana Wetlands All Stars at both the Democratic National Convention in Colorado and the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

Wright also sang backup for such artists as Allen Toussaint, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Cyril Neville, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Fats Domino, Lou Rawls, and Marcia Ball. Sadly, she passed away on March 23, 2010. On this day, we celebrate the life of the Blues Queen of New Orleans, Marva Wright.