About This Past Event:
Gregory Agid and Evan Christopher shared the stage for a celebration of the clarinet in New Orleans, past, present and future. Hosted at the intimate George & Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage center, they presented "From Bechet to Batiste" as part of a free concert series.
WHEN:
Saturday, May 4, 2019 @9:30pm
WHERE:
George and Joyce Wein
Jazz & Heritage Center
1225 N. Rampart Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
WHO:
Evan Christopher, clarinet
Gregory Agid, clarinet
Paul Longstreth, piano
Kerry Lewis, bass
Joe Dyson, drums
Map:
RESERVATION INFO:
This Event is Free. Doors at 9pm
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Yes!! This Tuesday evening, my one-year ban from Mona's Bar N.Y.C. ends and I will perform in Dennis Lichtman’s absence! No, it was never proven that the clarinet-coup last November was “planned” by me (it was *not*!), but witness accounts and cellphone video evidence showed that I instigated and incited a takeover by no less than seven additional clarinetists (six pictured here). ![]()
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Related charges included weaponization of the altissimo register, gratuitous use of Eb7, nearly a full octave above where the clarinet can or should be played safely (think 90s Mariah Carey… not good), discrimination against saxophonists in attendance, and aggressive use of background riffs to harass players into taking longer solos. ![]()
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It has been a long year, I have learned from my mistakes and I promise to try to be on my best behavior. I thank the musicians in advance for giving me another chance.
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![To be precise: No, I never “won” a Grammy. It’s a misunderstanding that I suppose I should correct when it appears in marketing such as this weekend's Charlotte shows.
What actually occurred? The year was 2006... [cue harp sweeps with whole-tone scale]
I was exiled in Paris after Federal Levees failed and flooded New Orleans in August, 2005. My first return home was a show with a New Orleans-based big band as their clarinet soloist. I appeared with them often through 2011, and also played alto saxophone in the ensemble. In the group at that time, there were many stellar musicians whose camaraderie I enjoyed including Edward Peterson, Derek Douget, David Pulphus and Victor Atkins.
Anyway… For a 2006 tour, the group’s leader conceived a clarinet feature for me and presented his idea in a rehearsal at Jazz at Lincoln Center. He had mapped out a chord progression for a funky minor section that went into a sort of shout-chorus in major. On a subway en route to the second rehearsal, I scrawled actual melodies for the two sections. My arrangement re-worked harmonies of his original sketch and incorporated his shout-riff with some small rhythmic improvements.
In 2009, the band recorded its debut CD in New Orleans in the cafeteria of Warren Easton High School. My clarinet feature was included, and the year the CD was released, 2010, it received the Grammy award from NARAS for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album”. Somewhere, I still have a certificate acknowledging my participation.
Did it annoy me that I wasn’t credited? Not much. The composer/arranger credit would have only been for that one song. And the arrangement, like the tune itself, was naively simple and, frankly, rather unremarkable. However… It had its place in the group's program and I was always proud to showcase the New Orleans clarinet tradition in a contemporary context. Performances included a now infamous Carnegie Hall concert in 2012, as pictured here.
[Photo credit unknown. Ashlin? And, no, I haven’t a clue what I am doing in this pic. 80's shuffle? Or perhaps I had just played the solo?]](https://www.clarinetroad.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
