234. Johnette Downing, part 1

234. Part 1 of our interview with Johnette Downing. Johnette is a New Orleans multi-award winning musician, singer and author presenting Louisiana Roots concerts and author visits for children, as well as keynotes and workshops for educators globally. Dedicated to celebrating childhood, nurturing cultural exchanges and fostering literacy through her music and books, Johnette has performed in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Central America, North America and the Caribbean. Johnette’s presentations speak to a child’s interests in an engaging, interactive, thought-provoking, educational, entertaining and culturally respectful way; earning her a reputation for being the “Musical Ambassador to Children” and the “Pied Piper of Louisiana Music Traditions.”

“Today is Monday.
Today is Monday.
Monday red beans
All you lucky children
Come and eat it up!”

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 12, 1977. Ernest Nathan Morial was elected the first black mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Actor Nicholas Cage's property, the LaLaurie house ("Most Haunted House in America") named for former owner Delphine LaLaurie who mistreated her slaves, was foreclosed and sold at auction on November 12, 2009.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Southern Soul Food Showdown
   November 11th, 2017
   Mon Ami
   7304 Hwy 90 E,
   Jeanerette, LA 70544
   337-365-8185
   Website
   Finger licking Southern Soul Food cook-off. Family-oriented food festival, fais-do-do, arts and crafts, refreshments and more. Held annually on the second Saturday in November.

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233. Jeroen Dewulf, part 2

233. Part 2 of our interview of Jeroen Dewulf. Jeroen has a new book about New Orleans, From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians. Jeroen presents a provocatively new interpretation of one of New Orleans’s most enigmatic traditions—the Mardi Gras Indians. By interpreting the tradition in an Atlantic context, Dewulf traces the “black Indians” back to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo and its war dance known as sangamento. Enslaved Kongolese brought the rhythm, dancing moves, and feathered headwear of sangamentos to the Americas in performances that came to be known as “Kongo dances.” By comparing Kongo dances on the African island of São Tomé with those in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Louisiana, Dewulf demonstrates that the dances in New Orleans’s Congo Square were part of a much broader Kongolese performance tradition. He links that to Afro-Catholic mutual-aid societies that honored their elected community leaders or “kings” with Kongo dances. While the public rituals of these brotherhoods originally thrived in the context of Catholic procession culture around Epiphany and Corpus Christi, they transitioned to carnival as a result of growing orthodoxy within the Church.

1. This week in Louisiana history. November 4, 1811. The Territory of Orleans met for the Constitution Convention preceeding statehood.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Buddy Bolden Dies. November 4, 1931. Regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of the New Orleans style of rag-time music which evolved into jazz, cornetist Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden's sound was never recorded but his horn was said to have been heard across the Mississippi River clear from Algiers.  Known for erratic behavior and as a heavy drinker, he was committed to Jackson State Asylum in 1907 after an altercation with his mother-in-law in their home.  He passed away on November 4, 1931.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   State Fair of Louisiana
   October 26th, 2017 - November 12th, 2017
   10:00 am - 10:00 pm
   State Fair of Louisiana
   3701 Hudson Ave.
   Shreveport, LA 71109
   318-635-1361
   Website | Email
   State Fair of Louisiana
   This is the official State Fair of Louisiana. It offers the largest livestock shows and carnival in the state. It boasts a large midway of rides, free daily circus shows, live entertainment and some of the most unique fair food in the nation. Carnival hours weekdays are 12 noon until close and weekends 10 a.m. until close.
4. Postcard from Louisiana.  Brian Hudson sings on the street in the French Quarter.

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232 Jeroen Dewulf, part 1

232. Part 1 of our interview of Jeroen Dewulf. Jeroen has a new book about New Orleans, From the Kingdom of Kongo to Congo Square: Kongo Dances and the Origins of the Mardi Gras Indians. Jeroen presents a provocatively new interpretation of one of New Orleans’s most enigmatic traditions—the Mardi Gras Indians. By interpreting the tradition in an Atlantic context, Dewulf traces the “black Indians” back to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo and its war dance known as sangamento. Enslaved Kongolese brought the rhythm, dancing moves, and feathered headwear of sangamentos to the Americas in performances that came to be known as “Kongo dances.” By comparing Kongo dances on the African island of São Tomé with those in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Louisiana, Dewulf demonstrates that the dances in New Orleans’s Congo Square were part of a much broader Kongolese performance tradition. He links that to Afro-Catholic mutual-aid societies that honored their elected community leaders or “kings” with Kongo dances. While the public rituals of these brotherhoods originally thrived in the context of Catholic procession culture around Epiphany and Corpus Christi, they transitioned to carnival as a result of growing orthodoxy within the Church.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 28, 1768. Joseph Villere led a band of French colonists to overthrow Spanish Gov. Ulloa.
2. This week in New Orleans history. John William Corrington (October 28, 1932 – November 24, 1988) was an American film and television writer, novelist, poet and lawyer. He received a B.A. degree from Centenary College, in 1956 and his M.A. from Rice University in 1960, the year he took on his first teaching position in the English Department at Louisiana State University. While on leave from LSU, Corrington obtained his D.Phil. in 1965, from the University of Sussex and then moved to Loyola University New Orleans in 1966, as an Associate Professor of English, where he also served as chair of the English Department. Corrington graduated from Tulane University Law School in 1975. With his wife, Joyce Hooper Corrington, Corrington wrote numerous screenplays.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Bayou Civic Club, Inc.
   French Food Festival
   October 27th, 2017 - October 29th, 2017
   Larose Regional Park
   307 East 5th St,
   Larose, LA 70373
   985-693-7355
   Website
   Google Directions
   Larose Regional Park
   Features more than 30 Food Booths with Traditional Cajun Classic Dishes.
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce talks to artist Jeanee Marie Hammett behind St. Louis Cathedral and buys some art. She'll be happy to sell you some, too! Write her at jeanee@gmail.com.

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231. Lamar White

231. Lamar White joins us to discuss the fall elections in Louisiana. He also gives us an update on his new project, The Bayou Brief. For more than eleven years, Lamar White, Jr. published CenLamar, one of Louisiana’s most acclaimed and well-known progressive blogs, attracting more than two million readers and repeatedly receiving recognition from national and international news organizations. The Bayou Brief expands the original scope of CenLamar to cover the entire state. For news that's both factual and progressive, follow The Bayou Brief.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 22, 1971. 'Coozan' Dudley "Hadacol" LeBlanc died in Abbeville.
2. This week in New Orleans history. A letter from His Majesty, regarding the transfer of the Ursuline Nuns to Havana, was read at a meeting of the Cabildo on October 21, 1777, and it was agreed to comply with the agreement of August 22, 1777.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Dixie Maze Farms Fall Festival and Corn Maze
   September 23rd, 2017 - October 31st, 2017
   10:00 am - 12:00 am
   DixieMaze Farms
   9596 Sentell Rd.,
   Shreveport, LA 71107
   318-703-2870
   Website
   DixieMaze Farms
   Annual Fall Festival with pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay rides, pony rides, paintball games, arts and crafts and many other attractions.

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230. Andrei Codrescu

230. We interview poet Andrei Codrescu. He was born in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania, and emigrated to the United States in 1966. He is the author of numerous books: poems, novels, and essays. He founded Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books and Ideas. He was a regular commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered. He taught literature and poetry at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Baltimore, and Louisiana State University.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 15, 1802. Spanish king Charles IV ordered retrocession of Louisiana from Spain to France.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Beth Taylor (born October 14, 1954 in New Orleans, became Mississippi's first female television sportscaster when hired by WDAM-TV (an NBC affiliate) in Laurel-Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  Author of the book Bless Them Father, for They Have Sinned, which was published in the summer of 2012. As a child, Taylor experienced something so traumatic that her brain forced her to forget the events for more than 40 years. That event was clergy sexual abuse at the hands of member of the Catholic clergy. Taylor is also a  public relations practitioner and journalist.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Voodoo Fest 2017 will send high-octane music acts, interactive art installations and costumed revelers to City Park from Oct. 27 through Oct. 29.
       Here's your guide to all the nitty-gritty details, from how to score tickets to what to bring to the fest. The upcoming edition should continue to reflect updates made to the event in 2016 after Voodoo Fest was brought under the umbrella of major festival organizer C3 Presents. Among those changes were layout updates to prevent sound bleed and bathroom upgrades festival-wide.
   
4. Postcard from Louisiana. Carmen of Popup Jazz Band sings "House of the Rising Sun" on Royal St. in New Orleans.

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229. Richard Campanella

229. We talk to Richard Campanella about his book, Bourbon Street: A History. New Orleans is a city of many storied streets, but only one conjures up as much unbridled passion as it does fervent hatred, simultaneously polarizing the public while drawing millions of visitors a year. A fascinating investigation into the mile-long urban space that is Bourbon Street, Richard Campanella's comprehensive cultural history spans from the street's inception during the colonial period through three tumultuous centuries, arriving at the world-famous entertainment strip of today.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 7, 1829. Gov. Derbigny suffers fatal accident when thrown from carriage.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On October 7, 1816 the Washington, built by Henry M. Shreve, was the first double-decker. steamboat to arrive in New Orleans and became the model for the classic style of Mississippi river boats — flat-bottomed, two stories, steam-powered paddle wheel mounted on the stern, two smoke-stacks. First used to carry cargo it was soon open for passenger transportation. The Washington moved at lightning speed compared to other boats on the rivers — 16 mph upstream and downstream at as much as 25 mph.
        Shreve launched the boat earlier that year on the Monongahela River just above Pittsburgh. Shreve's cleverly designed Washington had all the features that would soon come to characterize the classic Mississippi riverboat: a two-story deck, a stern-mounted paddle wheel powered by a high-pressure steam engine, a shallow, flat-bottomed hull, and a pilothouse framed by two tall chimneys. Perfectly designed for the often-shallow western rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri, the Washington proved itself on its inaugural voyage the following spring. Steaming upriver against the current with full cargo, the Washington reached Louisville in only 25 days, demonstrating that the powerful new generation of steamboats could master the often-treacherous currents of the mighty western rivers. Soon the Washington began to offer regular passenger and cargo service between New Orleans and Louisville.
   
3. Postcard from Louisiana. Isis Lovestone reads Bruce's cards in Jackson Square.

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228. Chris Trew

228. We interview Chris Trew, New Orleans comedian. Chris is a nationally touring comedian, rapper, actor, improv teacher and professional wrestling manager. He’s performed at tons of comedy festivals and is a founding member of The New Movement, owners and operators of comedy training centers and theater in Austin and New Orleans.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 30, 1764. D'Abbadie acknowledges receipt of transfer of colony from French to Spanish.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Protest March. September 30, 1963. On September 30, 1963 more than 10,000 black New Orleanians, along with 300 white citizens, marched from Shakspeare Park to City Hall to protest the failure of city leaders to act against discrimination in the Crescent City.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Rebirth Brass Band
   Tuesday, October 3
   11:00 PM
   Venue information:
   Maple Leaf Bar
   8316 Oak St.
   New Orleans, LA 70118
   504.866.9359
4. Postcard from Louisiana. Buku Broux plays the Kora (the African harp) in Jackson Square. 

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