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Rifftides

Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

Archives for July 22, 2012

Uncle Lionel Goes Out In Style

Of the many places where I’ve lived, from Choteau, Montana, to Iwakuni, Japan, to San Francisco and New York (mentioning a few), New Orleans is the most unusual, the one most often on my mind. “This is really a banana republic, you know,” my friend Bill Corrington once told me. He loved the city as much as I do, and he wasn’t the only one to invoke that metaphor. Most people know about above-ground cemeteries, jazz funerals, streetcars, beignets and the madness of Mardi Gras, to mention obvious facets of Crescent City culture.

Unless you’ve lived there, perhaps it’s impossible to know the mixture of laissez faire, stubbornness and gaiety that characterizes Orleanians, regardless of background. All of that came flooding back when I read Keith Spera’s story in the Times-Picayune about the lying- —er—standing-in-state of Lionel Batiste (photo by Marc Pelletier). The bass drummer in the Treme Brass Band was one of the Batiste clan that has provided New Orleans so many fine musicians. He died on July 8 at the age of 80. To identify him as a New Orleans character would be to drastically under-describe his personality. Here’s a paragraph from Spera’s story.

In a send-off as unique as the man himself, Mr. Batiste wasn’t lying in his cypress casket. Instead, his body was propped against a faux street lamp, standing, decked out in his signature man-about-town finery.

Yes, his body. To read the whole thing, click here.

Now, for a taste of what made Uncle Lionel distinctive in a town packed with rare characters, here is a performance captured by videographer Beate Sandor in 2009. Uncle Lionel sits in at Snug Harbor with Charmaine Neville and the band led by Wendell Brunious. Lionel doesn’t appear until 6:36, but you don’t want to miss what comes before. Brunious makes the introduction. This makes me want to go “home.”

Lionel Batiste, RIP.

Commenting Restored

Well, actually, we were never gone. However, for several hours, the Rifftides comment mechanism was broken. If you tried to use the “Speak Your Mind” box at the end of an item, or found that it had disappeared, we would like you to know that the feedback function is back in business. Provided that they are pertinent and civil, reader comments are always welcome. They give us some of our best stuff.

Thanks to the artsjournal.com technical team for the restoration work.

LATER: No sooner had I posted this item (notice the part about pertinence) than the following “comment” on the Ravi And Igor item arrived.

If you don’t want to spend a fortune on a large, elaborate wedding then you probably are considering eloping. If this is the case, then finding the best places to elope should be on your agenda. You want to make this task as stress-free as possible so that it will be something that you truly look forward to. You want to keep all the “fuss” to a minimum and find something that is romantic but at the same time affordable.

Oh, I get it; the commenter thought that Ravi and Igor are a couple.

Doug Ramsey

Doug is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award of the Jazz Journalists Association. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he settled following a career in print and broadcast journalism in cities including New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Antonio, … [MORE]

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