deep sounds and soils

Bass Lines

Tchefuncte (chuhFUNKtah) River drains into Lake Pontchartrain

hartrain Lake Pontc

Rolling thunder

DJ Mannie Fresh (1969 ) plays synth bass on bounce hit Buck Jump Time Chester Zardis (19001990), double bassist and tubist, grows up at the Colored Waifs Home St. Augustine Marching 100 high school band (1952), ten tubas sway together Bass thump from music festivals Allen Toussaint (1938) opens Sea-Saint Studio, 1973

1910 pipe organ, water-damaged in 2005; restoration underway Bass drummers play dundun drums at Congo Square, mid-1700s until the 1840s Wellman Braud (18911966) plays at the Arlington Annex, then becomes Duke Ellingtons longtime bassist George Porter Jr. (1947) learns bass from Benjamin Poppy Francis, becomes electric bass player extraordinaire and progenitor of funk

The Bass Parade, in which some 30 bassists play and parade every Lundi Gras, around 2 A.M. (1999) Richard Payne (19312000), session bass player for the stars, teaches music at Colton Junior High School James Singleton (1955) pushes boundaries on his upright at Snug Harbor Church bells Hart McNee (19432009) experiments on the bass ute and baritone saxophone Walter Payton (19422010) played tuba like a bass, taught generations of students at McDonogh 15 Anthony Tuba Fats Lacen (19502004) innovates, bringing funk electric bass lines into the brass band repertoire Allan Jaffe (19351987) creates Preservation Hall platform for many, becomes resident tuba player for more than 25 years; son Ben Jaffe (1971) continues Departure whistle of the steamboat Natchez Louis Moreau Gottschalk (18291869), raised on Rampart Street, leads an ensemble that includes a bowed bass-violin, St. Charles Hotel, 1840 Kirk Joseph (1961) evolves sousafunk with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Glass House

Philip Tuba Phil Frazier (1966), Rebirth Brass Band, holds court on Tuesdays at the Maple Leaf for more than 20 years

James Bookers (19391983) left hand plays tenths and his feet play organ pedals at the Maple Leaf

Paul Robeson (18981976), bass profundo, sings Old Man River to an integrated audience at Booker T. Washington School, 1942

Foghorn Downriver

Gertrude Ma Rainey (18861939) sings Black Bottom at the Lyric Theatre, 1925 Clarence Frogman Henry (1937) sings low at Club La Strada George Pops Foster (18921969) of Louis Armstrongs Hot 7s slaps his upright bass at home Birth of the Meters at the Nightcap, 1967 Streetcar rumble Lions roar at the Audubon Zoo Professor Longhairs (19181980) left hand wows at Tipitinas Train whistle Papa John Joseph (18771965) plays string bass with Buddy Bolden, runs a barbershop with the sign Musicians Headquarters

On the SS Capitol, a riverboat: Henry Kimball (18781931), early jazz string bass player, performs with Fate Marables band; Baby Dodds (18981959) who invented the bass drum pedal, keeps the beat

Sounds

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Rive

Fireworks boom, launched from river barges

Swamp (muck) Point bar deposits (sandy, drier clay) Streetcar tracks Train tracks

Natural levees (silty clay) Former distributaries (silty clay)