[Dixielandjazz] Story about a visit to New Orleans I wrote for PRJC Tailgate Ramblings

[Stanley A. Klein]

I wrote this story for the March issue of the Potomac River Jazz Club
newsletter, Tailgate Ramblings, and thought the DJML might be interested
in it as well.  

Don Rouse, the editor of Tailgate, titled the story "A Cry From New
Orleans."

Although the story included a picture, I haven't included it here
because I think a jpg attachment might be a problem for the list.


Stan Klein

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In 1999 Roz and I were in New Orleans for a trade show. At a park bench
in Jackson Square we came across some traditional jazz musicians having
a jam session and asking listeners to donate money into a bucket. It was
some of the best jazz we ever heard. A clarinet player named Doreen
Ketchens was leading the group, and I bought one of her CD's.

After Katrina, as I sat watching television, I couldn't help thinking
that members of the very families who created America's jazz heritage
were sitting there crying for help in front of the New Orleans
Convention Center. Using the CD I had bought as a starting point, I
contacted Doreen and asked about her situation. She, her husband
Lawrence, their 3-year old daughter Dorian, and her mother (who is being
cared for at home with early stage Alzheimers) live in Harvey, LA across
the river from New Orleans in West Bank Jefferson Parish. Their house
came through with minimal damage, but the economic damage was severe.
Their work in the French Quarter playing for tourists was gone.

I tried, with no success, to find gigs in the DC area for her band.
Others were looking elsewhere. Among other things, Doreen teaches
university master classes in jazz clarinet. Luckily, some professors in
Iowa set up some classes and some public school performances (which she
has also done). A church in Iowa arranged to provide air tickets, and
the events were organized into a tour of about a week. Other people also
from Iowa had seen her playing in New Orleans, had bought a CD, and had
contacted her after Katrina. They were able to arrange a tour of another
part of Iowa for January. In late November her band also had a State
Department tour of Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. 

In January, before she was due to leave for Iowa, I attended a meeting
in New Orleans at a French Quarter hotel. I had some computer software
to provide Doreen, so she picked me up at my hotel and took me to her
home in Harvey. I installed the software to the sound of Lawrence
practicing on the tuba and Dorian “accompanying” him on drums. We then
went to lunch and Doreen and Lawrence took me on a tour of some areas of
New Orleans.

Our first stop was the house where Doreen grew up. They still own it. It
is in a neighborhood called Treme (pronounced Tre-MAY). If you looked at
the messages among New Orleans musicians after Katrina, the condition of
Treme was of great interest. The house, at 1515-1/2 St. Phillip Street,
is three blocks from North Rampart Street, which is the boundary of the
French Quarter. The house has two apartments and a commercial space
where Doreen's mother ran a sweet shop. Doreen and Lawrence have stayed
there when playing in the French Quarter. The house got 4 to 5 feet of
water. The exterior is beautiful, but they told me there was damage to
the interior and roof.

We then headed for Lawrence's mother's house in the Upper Ninth Ward. On
the way, Lawrence pointed out some empty houses – all with the familiar
flood rescue search “X” markings -- that belong to the family of Frog
Joseph. If you don't recognize the name, his picture and bio are among
those of New Orleans greats at the Jazz Museum in the French Market. 

I took a picture of Doreen and Lawrence in front of his mother's house.
You can see from the picture what it will take to rebuild.  [Note:  The
house structure was still standing, but the windows and doors were gone,
the roof was damaged, and there was debris all around.]

To survive economically, Doreen still needs to line up gigs and sell
CD's outside New Orleans. She is one of the few African American jazz
band leaders focused on traditional jazz. She has an extensive
discography and her in-print CD's can be found at her web site
http://www.doreensjazz.com. She and her band deserve our support.