Category: New Orleans Jazz Festival

Unearthed live AUDIO of The Meters & The Metrics from 1980 and 1983

Zigaboo Modeliste by Henry Heikkinen

Happy 50th Jazz Fest everyone! Here are some very rare audio recordings of The Meters that I have cleaned up and corrected the speed on. Years ago I traded for 2 CDRs marked as “The Meters 11/28/80”, and it turned out to be 2 different recordings that seem to be incomplete. Also, both recordings were running fast, probably from a bad cassette transfer. I’ve slowed them down and cleaned them up as best I can. Enjoy this rare funk as you get your mind right for the 50th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this year!

Download the recordings here and here.

The Metrics
1983 or 1984
New Orleans, LA @ ???

SBD > ??? > cassette > ??? > CDR > EAC > FLAC > WAV > Cool Edit Pro (pitch slowed down 0.9 semitones) > CD Wave Editor (tracking) > FLAC

01. People Say 7:27
02. Cissy Strut > 3:57
03. Love The One You’re With > 2:57
04. Hey Pocky A-Way 7:18
05. They All Ask’d For You 7:00
06. Big Chief 5:48
07. Standing In Your Stuff // 6:00

George Porter, Jr. – bass, vocals
Zigaboo Modeliste – drums, vocals
David Torkanowsky – keyboards, ?vocals?
Scott Goudeau – guitar, ?vocals?
Tony Dagradi and/or Fred Kemp – saxophone

We know that this group played at Jazz Fest in 1983 and 1984. There is an audience recording that exists of their 1984 Jazz Fest performance. I have not heard it, but I have seen the info file and it’s a totally different setlist with no Meters tunes really except Gossip. So this recording could be from Jazz Fest 1983 or at some other time from 1982 to 1984. I presume and assume this was recorded in New Orleans.

I found this as filler on the 11/28/80 Meters CDRs I traded for years ago. Upon closer inspection of my CDR’s, it was actually about 45 minutes of 11/28/80 and then this Metrics recording on the other side of the cassette.
The tape was also running too fast. This is my first attempt at shifting/fixing the pitch, so it may not be correct, but it sounds closer to reality than it did. It’s also an incomplete recording. I don’t know how much is missing from the end. 2019-01-19 – Funk It Blog

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The Meters (with Sam Henry subbing for Art Neville)
November 28th, 1980
New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas

FM/SBD (WTUL) > 3rd Gen (presumably a cassette) > DAT > ??? > FLAC > WAV > Cool Edit Pro (amplified) > CD Wave Editor (tracking) > WAV > FLAC

01. WTUL radio intro
02. Rigor Mortis
03. Fire on the Bayou >
04. Jungle Man
05. talk & tuning
06. Africa
07. Cissy Strut
08. Just Kissed My Baby
09. People Say >
10. “Try To Get Over” >
11. They All Ask’d For You

Sam Henry – organ & vocals (subbing for Art Neville)
George Porter, Jr. – bass & vocals
Leo Nocentelli – guitar
Zigaboo Modeliste – drums & vocals

They are announced as “The Funky Disgusting Meters”! It sounds like George Porter’s group, Joyride, was the opening act because Zig calls them out during the jam into Jungle Man.

Here’s a little more info on the history between Sam Henry and The Meters (courtesy of the Home Of The Groove blog):
https://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/08/gospel-bird-vs-soul-machine-updated.html

Johnny Vidacovich & John Medeski – 2018 – Three Nights of Jazz in New Orleans

John Medeski, Johnny Vidacovich, Chris Wood, Skerik, Maple Leaf

The New Orleans Jazz Festival is a 10 day marathon that fills the city with amazing musicians and music for 2 full weekends (and the daze between). I’ve found that there is a much more palpable energy on the first weekend, when you can feel the city coming alive and people aren’t yet worn down, hitting the wall, or already crashed and burned. Maybe you can’t separate the pros from the amateurs yet, but everyone is ready for magic to happen.

This year’s pleasure was hearing Johnny Vidacovich & John Medeski team up for 3 shows, on First Friday and then on Monday and Tuesday. Vidacovich’s playing on all 3 was fresh and invigorated, which you’re not guaranteed to get from him on second weekend gigs, whether he has his pre-show espresso or not.

These are once in a lifetime performances by musicians that are absolute masters of jazz, groove and intention in their playing. Much of it is improvisational, but at peak execution. It is extremely gratifying to capture these musical moments for posterity and help spread them far and wide, hopefully bringing attention and wider appreciation to this alluring city and it’s spectacular musical gumbo.

– RandyB (October 13, 2018)

I also have to shout out the great audio tapers that really make these videos stand out with excellent and professional audio recordings. Jason “Picklemic” Loomis and Phil Harris (aka PH Balanced Recordings)!

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Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
Friday, April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET ONE: Hip Chops [Rahsaan Roland Kirk], Sham Time [Eddie Harris], Coffee [Vidacovich] > Improv > Improv > Improv (inc. Third Stone From The Sun [Jimi Hendrix] & A Love Supreme [John Coltrane]), Blues Improv Outro

Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET TWO: Buster Rides Again [Bud Powell] (inc. Caravan [Duke Ellington]) > Wiggly’s Way [Medeski] > Improv > Improv

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Jphnny Vidacovich, John Medeski, Chris Wood at dba New Orleans

Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood
Monday, April 30th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ d.b.a.
Set TWO: Chinoiserie [Duke Ellington], Bemsha Swing / Lively Up Yourself [Thelonious Monk / Bob Marley], Tootie Ma (Is A Big Fine Thing) [Danny Barker], You Haven’t Don’t Nothin’ [Stevie Wonder], Nostalgia In Times Square / Angel Race (I’ll Wait For You) [Charles Mingus / Sun Ra]

Unfortunately I didn’t arrive in time to capture video of the first set, as it was just too crowded. I did get in to see most of it though, and Picklemic has audio of both sets right here:

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John Vidacovich, John Medeski & Will Bernard
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Cafe Istanbul
Beatrice [Sam Rivers] > Y Todavia La Quiero [Joe Henderson], Mojet [Medeski], Improv > ?Improv? > Improv > Tubby [James Booker], Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise [Sigmund Romberg], Is It Nature’s Rock N’ Roll? [Vidacovich] > Coffee [Vidacovich] (coda)

Johnny Vidacovich, John Medeski, Will Bernard at Cafe Istanbul, New Orleans

AUDIO: Schoeps CCM5’s } Tascam DR-70D (onstage center 4′ high in ORTF/Cardioid Mode) by Phil Harris (aka PH Balanced Recordings)

Neon-Medeski – April 30, 2018 – late night New Orleans Jazz Fest Jam Session featuring Daru Jones, MonoNeon, John Medeski, Robert Walter, Skerik & DJ Logic plus guests

Neon Medeski - One Eyed Jack's 2018

Neon-Medeski
April 30, 2018 (actually 2am on 5/1/18)
New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s

01. Improv }
02. Improv }
03. Improv }
04. A Change Is Gonna Come [Sam Cooke cover] (with Jermaine Holmes) }
05. Improv (with Maurice Brown) }
06. Bitches Brew [Miles Davis cover] (with Maurice Brown) }
07. Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples [Parliament cover] } Improv (with Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander, Borahm Lee & Marcus Machado) }
08. If You Get Lonely (with Charles “Redd” Middleton, Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander & Marcus Machado) }
09. Do That Stuff [Parliament cover] (with ??? on sax, Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander & Marcus Machado) }
10. She’s Always In My Hair [Prince cover] (with Jermaine Holmes & Marcus Machado)
11. Improv }
12. Improv }
13. Improv (with Maurice Brown) }
14. Dynamite [J Dilla / The Roots cover] } Improv } Theme From A Symphony [Ornette Coleman cover] coda (last half with Borahm Lee & Wil Blades swaps out with Medeski)

Neon-Medeski:
John Medeski – keyboards
MonoNeon – bass
Daru Jones – drums
Skerik – saxophone
Robert Walter – keyboards
DJ Logic – turntables

Guests:
Maurice Brown – trumpet
Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander – keyboards
Borahm Lee – keyboards
Marcus Machado – guitar
Jermaine Holmes – vocals
Charles “Redd” Middleton – vocals
??? – saxophone
Wil Blades – organ

AUDIO: Schoeps CCM5’s } Tascam DR-70D (onstage center 4′ high in ORTF/Cardioid Mode) by Phil Harris / PH Balanced Recordings
VIDEO Recorded & Edited by Funk It Blog

Neon Medeski - One Eyed Jack's

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And here’s an extra treat:

DMD (Daru Jones, Marcus Machado & Doug Wimbish)
May 1, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s (opening for Dragon Smoke)

You’re Turning Me On (with Jermaine Holmes & Charles “Redd” Middleton)
Someone Like You (with Jermaine Holmes & Charles “Redd” Middleton)

DMD:
Daru Jones – drums
Marcus Machado – guitar
Doug Wimbish – bass

Guests:
Jermaine Holmes – vocals
Charles “Redd” Middleton – vocals

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