May 1, 2008

Dew Drop Dance Hall Lecture/Concert

I'll be flying to New Orleans in Mid-May to present a lecture and concert on the history and music of one of the only remaining and oldest of the New Orleans style dance halls. It was built in 1895 and has housed a who’s who of early New Orleans jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Buddy Petit, Papa Celestin and the local Mandeville band of the Fritz Brothers. Check out this Second Line File to read of the history of this historic building and its activities around the turn of the 20th Century (be patient, the file takes a long time to load).

A personal highlight of this trip for me, at the concert I will be conducting the members of my old band the “Musica Jazz Antiqua” that was active during my 20 year stay in the Mandeville area. I am delighted to have the honor of working with these fine musicians and seeing them once again. I have planned a program of music that was popular around the turn of the 20th Century that begins with a French quadrille, cakewalks, ragtime and the new jazz style that was evolving. The concert will be at 5:00 p.m. on May 17th at the historic Dew Drop Dance Hall. I will report on the activities in Mandeville once I return to my mountain home in California.

April 30, 2008

I found the below information and thought that jazz fans all over the world might be interested, especially if they enjoy cooking. One of my fond memories is having lunch with Al Rose. We both ordered red beans and rice. Try the recipe and let me know how it turns out. -Karl

LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S FAVORITE DISH
RED BEANS & RICE

1 lb. red kidney beans
1/4 lb. salt port - lean and fat
1 large onion - finely chopped
1/2 green pepper - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
salt, pepper, hot dried red peppers
Plus smoked meat ( ham hocks, ham or sausage) as much as desired.

Wash meat; then boil, using just enough water to cover the meat. When meat is tender, add washed kidney beans and garlic; also adding salt & pepper according to taste. Cook for one half hour; then add chopped onion & green pepper. Hot pepper may now be added at any tine, taste determining the amount used. Cook under moderate flame, adding water as the ingredients thicken. Keep in mind that red beans should be served about as thick as a stew; not too thick; not too thin. Beans should be cooked until they are thoroughly tender. If meat is done before the beans, the meat may be removed. If the temperature is correct, the beans should be done in about 31/2 hours. The above recipe will serve 6 persons.

Regarding the rice, there are many ways to prepare it. However, I find the best results by draining and steaming. For the above portion of red beans use 2 cups of long grain rice and 1 quart of salted water.

Clean and wash rice, add to salted water, and allow rice and water to come to a boil. Stir occasionally with a fork, to prevent rice grains from sticking. Continue to cook over a medium flame, until the rice is fully swollen. Then pour rice into a sieve, and allow to drain until all water is removed. Empty all but two cups of water from the pot in which rice was previously boiled, place sieve containing the drained rice within the pot, cover, and allow to steam. This is a sure way of securing fluffy rice. Remember, that the rice must be served separately; it should not be added, or mixed with the beans.

When ready to serve, red beans and meat may be placed in a deep dish. The rice, as I explained, should be served in a separate dish. Any salad may be served with this meal, and French bread will add the final touch.

Well, there you have it....Red Beans and Rice, and I hope you like it. Satchmo thinks that there is nothing like this Creole dish. If I can cook it successfully, I am sure that you can, too, for after all, cooking is only a matter of taste and imagination, don't you think? So try it out for yourself, and as you go along, you'll find yourself improving!

March 12, 2008

Dear readers, colleagues and jazz fans:

This Newsletter is going to be a monthly item (possibly more often) where I hope to present interesting information and inform the readers of this site to whats happening in my research. I have a number of current projects to tell you about. First; my book on the stories and history of popular music is now being edited. It is a rather large book. When I play piano at a club I usually tell a story about a song that I am going to play. Throughout the years I have collected a large number of these stories and put them together to use when I played. I have the music in one file and just the stories in another. The songs are divided into: standard songs (such as "As time Goes By"), Christmas songs, Patriotic songs, Irish/American songs, and TV Themes. The book is a large one and is about 1000 or more pages.

Other new Projects are:

ESSAYS IV, ESSAYS V, BASEBALL AND JAZZ, JAZZ IN PRINT 2 (FROM 1930 TO 1939), THE SAX IN EARLY JAZZ, IMPORTANT FIRSTS IN JAZZ, THE EVOLUTION OF SYNCOPATION, AND JAZZ'S USE OF CLASSICAL THEMES AND JAZZ IN CLASSICAL COMPOSITION.

I'll describe each of these in later newsletters.

Any question about the info on my site email me. Later, Karl Koenig