May 5
As I am currently attending a solo show by Helen Gillet, vocals, cello and loops, tears jump in my eyes. It feels like I am finally opening up after a winter of numbness. Gillet truely is extra-ordinary.
Since my laptop died on me upon arrival, I haven't really been able to write reports about my trip to New Orleans, LA (NOLA) just yet. I am currently typing on my iPhone, which isn't all that. So it will be as brief as I can possibly make it, and I will fill in all the fun gaps later.
So, when I arrived and got picked up by Helen Gillet, I got caught in her killer schedule. My backpack was left behind at Chicago's O'Hare airport. It took them like twenty eight hours to get that sorted and delivered to Helen's house.
Since there were bunches of people staying over in NOLA because of Jazzfest, Helen had a hard time housing me. She got me in at various friends' places ranging from awesome huge squat-like houses on the brink of the French Quarter up to the cutest little cottage in Bywater. For which I am very grateful. I hereby extend my thanks to all that have had me over. I hope I wasn't too much of a nuisance.
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| Sam da Dawg |
However, getting to actual work took me ages. I always need a day to acclimatize, and when you unexpectedly move every other day, all the energy goes into silently settling with your new host trying to be of as little discomfort to them as possible.
After my initial stay at Helen's place, she moved me to her friend Ramona. She lives with her wonderful dog Sam and an amazing 6-piece drumkit on the edge of the French quarter, the most fun part of all of NOLA. Ramona works as a nurse in a IC unit at a hospital, working 13 hr shifts a day. It was here that I figured I'd get to work and arrange some meetings with theatre oriented organisations.
I opened my laptop and... NOTHING HAPPENED!!! Screen was completely dead. I had it in my hand
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| Idle attempt to fix my Macbook |
luggage so no throwing had been involved at any airport. It took me two days to open up my computer and turn it inside out, disconnect and reconnect everything that I could find, only to find out that nothing had changed. Wat a jip.
So there I was. The weekend kicked in and I had only had one scheduled appointment, at the Contemporary Art Center (more about that wonderful organization later).
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| Pizza Speak easy |
I did, however, have a lot of nighttime fun with Helen playing gigs, we went to this pizza speak easy (was it Luke's place?), where people had built a genuine Italian pizza oven and were serving to anyone that liked to attend. They had a traditional jazzband over (the name escapes me now; I will fill that in as I get back), penguin jokes, Helen playing drums as an encore, it was brilliant!
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| The New Orleans Bingo Show |
On friday night, we went into town with a bunch of Helen's friends to see her play at a awesome club namd One Eyed Jack's. The place looked like a 1900's whorehouse, with red velvet and woodwork everywhere, just awesome. The band Helen played with that night was called the New Orleans Bingo Show. Brilliant! Raw southern garage rock backed up by a horn section and a string section, topped off with three '20's cabaret figures visually adding to the show. Right in the middle of the set, they played bingo with the audience. The winner got put up on stage and squirted over with confetti and what not. Great show, despite the aweful sound.
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One of the stages at Festival
International @ Lafayette, LA |
Later that night, it was off to the Blue Moon club to see Mark Sutherland and friends perform this brilliant space jazz oddyssey. Also this name I will get back on asap.
The next day, it was off to Lafayette, a town some 2,5 hrs west of NOLA, for another Bingo Show gig.
Almost as good, again with terrible sound. We had hotel rooms there, so I enjoyed the local festival there. It's called Festival International and it is a street fest, much like the season opening festivals in the Netherlands (UITfestivals).
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| Wazozo, May 1st |
Back in NOLA, we're talking Sunday now, Helen had an all nighter at a theater club called the Allways Lounge. Kicking off with her chancon ensemble Wazozo, she followed up with two brilliant improvisational acts. One with cello, loops and two extra voices, also looped, and the other with a full band, with two brilliantly climaxing sax players (among which was Mark Sutherland. That man is amazing!!).
So much for all the fun.
My main reason to be in New Orleans was to see if I could find an internship. See previous entrys on that subject. I managed to get two appointments, one with the Fringe festival and the other with the Contemporary Arts Center (hereafter CAC). Due to a loss in the family of my contact with the Fringe, that appointment had to be postponed indefinately. The other meeting was with Glenn Gruber and
Christine Dunaway from the CAC.
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| Contemporary Arts Center |
The reason that I had looked up the CAC (mainly concidered a exhibition room) was because they also have a inbound theater hall seating two hundred people, but MORE IMPORTANTLY they have a financial department that covers more cultural institutions and activities than the CAC alone. And that appeals to me, since my mission is to learn to be inventive in implementing means of existence for cultural enterprizes on a greater scale and see my future self in a role as advisor in that direction.
On their part, the CAC were very pleased to learn that I have so far mastered production and technician roles and am familiar with marketing principles and crunching numbers. So there might both be a internship and a means of existence in there to sustain my stay. This means that my goal has been accomplished: I have found a place willing to collaborate in my mission by granting me a custom made internship.
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NOLA Voodoo doll
depicting Goddess to help
me get the upper hand |
Sadly, this is my last night in New Orleans. I have found what I am looking for in more than one way. I found rest after a jumpy, exciting but exhausting week. I opened up emotionally, and I have found an organization that is willing to coöperate with me, where I can fulfill my internship and get to know the American way of financing the Arts.
So there you have it. Thanks to all your donations, I have accomplished the first part of my dream to mould my future self.
It is comforting to know that I will probably be back in NOLA for a longer stay, next year.
This city really got to me.
Heb je facebook, neem je laptop of smartphone mee
