CD REVIEWS
(english)
"In July 2008, the musical Joint’s Jumpin’ started its career at Harrah’s in New Orleans . The success was such that, in October 2009, it was on for the 4th time. At the end of every show, people in the audience were asking where they could buy a CD of the show. In the fall of 2009, they could get satisfied, at last. This too short (the show is much longer and introduces more songs) dive into New Orleans ’ 1950’s / 60’s musical universe is a real treat. You’ll hear the hits follow each other, from Crescent City ’s musical icons : Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Huey “Piano” Smith, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Chris Kenner, Ernie K-Doe, Smiley Lewis, Shirley & Lee, Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, the Dixie Cups, Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Jean Knight or Barbara George. All the vocalists, Luther Kent, Gina Brown, Tony Owens, Danon Smith, Johnny Vindigni, Tereasa Betts, hail from New Orleans, with a superb backing by Brian “Breeze” Cayolle (tenor sax), Alonzo Bowens (baritone sax), Rick Trolsen (trombone), Bobby Campo and Barney Floyd (trumpets), Bernard “Bunchy” Johnson (drums), Anthony Brown (guitar), Donald Ramsey (bass) and Lawrence Sieberth (piano, musical director). The best moments of that CD ? Sick and tired, Rockin! pneumonia & the boogie woogie flu, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Stagger Lee, Kiss tomorrow goodbye, Blueberry Hill (with a Tony Owens sounding very much like Fats) Chapel of love (which should be played at every wedding) and the Mardi Gras medley. As it’s likely such a musical will ever come to France , you’ll have to satisfy yourselves with the CD, and hope, why not, for a DVD.
(française)
"JOiNT’S JUMPiN’ : Joint’s Jumpin’, Classic New Orleans Rhythm’N’Blues En juillet 2008, démarra le spectacle musical Joint"s Jumpin" à la salle Harrah de la Nouvelle-Orléans. Le succès a été tel qu"en octobre 2009, il a repris pour la 4ème fois. A la fi n de chaque représentation les spectateurs demandaient où acheter le CD du concert. A l"automne 2009 il fut décidé de leur donner enfi n satisfaction. Quel régal que cette trop courte plongée (le spectacle est plus long et présente encore plus de chansons) dans l"univers de la musique néo-orléanaise des années 1950 et 1960. Les tubes défi lent, ceux des héros musicaux de la ville du croissant : Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Huey “Piano” Smith, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Chris Kenner, Ernie K-Doe, Smiley Lewis, Shirley & Lee, Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, les Dixie Cups, Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Jean Knight ou Barbara George. Les vocalistes sont tous néo-orléanais, Luther Kent, Gina Brown, Tony Owens, Danon Smith, Johnny Vindigni, Tereasa Betts, superbement soutenus par les Brian “Breeze” Cayolle (sax ténor) Alonzo Bowens (sax baryton) Rick Trolsen (tromb) Bobby Campo et Barney Floyd (tromp) Bernard “Bunchy” Johnson (batt) Anthony Brown (gtr) Donald Ramsey (bss) et Lawrence Sieberth (pno, directeur musical). Les meilleurs moments du CD ? Sick and tired, Rockin! pneumonia & the boogie woogie fl u, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Stagger Lee, Kiss tomorrow goodbye, Blueberry Hill (avec un Tony Owens aux intonations très Fats) Chapel of love (qui devrait être joué à tous les mariages)et le pot-pourri Mardi Gras. Comme il est peu probable qu"un tel spectacle vienne un jour en France on doit se contenter de ce CD, en attendant, pourquoi pas un DVD ?"
Bernard Boyat
Le Cri du Coyote, FRANCE, Feb-March 2010
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Berbard Boyat was a high school teacher at St Mary's, Lyons, France for 40 years before retiring in his hometown of Bourg-en-Bresse in 2005. Bernard was raised on rock'n'roll... when he heard Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (recorded in New Orleans) in 1958, at the age of 13, it was THE musical shock in his life! Later, he developped an increased interest in the music coming from South Louisiana (New Orleans rhythm'n'blues and rock'n'roll, swamp pop, cajun, zydeco, swamp blues) and he visited the area on several occasions, which led him to write some booklets about them and recently writing the liner notes for a US zydeco band.
SHOW REVIEWS
WOW, TALK ABOUT GOOD!!! Joint’s Jumpin’ was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time! This is a show that you don’t want to end. The band, the vocals, the energy, the excitement of the audience, all made this one the of best musical shows EVER! Everyone knows that there is a whole lot of great music that has come out of New Orleans but this will make you a true believer in New Orleans as the greatest music city in the world. This is a show that I would see over and over again. Thanks for a jumpin’ good time!
Cyndi Kehoe
Dallas, Texas
Thanks so much for bringing Joint’s Jumpin to The Venue. We have got nothing but positive feedback from the show….I heard one customer say, “Thank you so much for bringing this show to us.” It sure is cold up here in Chicago, and for you guys to come up here and give us a little New Orleans heat was a tremendous impact. I’d say you’ve named the show right, as by the end of the show, the whole place was having a blast….napkins waving in the air, and a full parade. What a great atmosphere for an event. We look forward to bringing this show back in the future.
Mike Hodin, Entertainment Manager
The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana
777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond, IN 46320
20 minutes outside of Chicago
The Joint was Jumpin' at Harrah's
by Dean M Shapiro, NewOlreans.com, May 06, 2009
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, when rhythm and blues and rock and roll were in their infancy, New Orleans rose to the occasion and made some priceless contributions to the budding new genres. Such now-legendary artists as Fats Domino, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Smiley Lewis, Huey “Piano” Smith, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Chris Kenner and many others – including a number of one-hit wonders – made their impacts and entertained a generation of teens in the booming post-World War II years.
Those great years were brought back to life again at Harrah’s Casino Theater in “Joint’s Jumpin’” a musical celebration of old New Orleans R&B/R&R. For two nights, May 1 and 2, sellout crowds came to hear an ensemble of local singers belting out standards from that era until they could sit still no longer. Before the end of the show they were dancing in the aisles, waving handkerchiefs and napkins, doing traditional New Orleans second lines and having a great, fun time. The joint was truly jumpin’, which was precisely the show’s intent.
Bill Johnston, Harrah's New Orleans Entertainment Manager and the show's Executive Producer, deserves plaudits for teaming with Larry Sieberth, “Joint's Jumpin’” musical director and pianist, to bring this show to the stage. Sieberth was also responsible for assembling the talented cast of musicians and vocalists as well as writing all the musical arrangements for the live show.
Under Sieberth’s leadership, the band and singers performed roughly thirty songs ranging from classics like Domino’s “Blue Monday,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m Walkin’” and “Blueberry Hill” to local standards that didn’t make the national charts like Oliver Morgan’s “Who Shot the La La,” the Art Neville/Uniques sweet paean to love, “All These Things” and the catchy Mardi Gras Indian sing-alongs – “Iko Iko” and “Hey Pocky Way.”
The singers for the show included Luther Kent, Johnny Vindigni, Tony Owens, Gina Brown, Tereasa Betts and Danon Smith, while the band consisted of, in addition to Sieberth, Anthony Brown on lead guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass, Bernard “Bunchy” Johnson on drums, Barney Floyd and Bobby Campo on trumpet, Rick Trolsen on trombone, Brian “Breeze” Cayole on tenor sax and Tony Dagradi filling in for Alonzo Bowens on baritone sax during the May 1 show.
An especially nice touch was added to the show’s visuals when the three young women singers came onstage in wedding dresses with bouquets to sing the Dixie Cups’ standard, “Chapel of Love.” The Lloyd Price songbook came in for an extensive airing with Owens singing “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” with the women backing him, and Vindigni belting out “Stagger Lee” and “Personality,” again with female backups. And our internationally renowned Mardi Gras celebration, which merits its own unique genre, had its night out as well, with Cayolle coming to the mike for Professor Longhair’s “Go to the Mardi Gras” and Owens covering Al Johnson’s quintessential Mardi Gras anthem, “Carnival Time.” It was at this point that the audience began getting dance fever and the second lining began.
“Joint’s Jumpin’” was a wonderful treat for those fortunate enough to catch the show and hopefully those who didn’t will get their chances as well. The show is slated to return to Harrah’s Theater this fall (more details to come later).
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