Laissez le Bonne Santé Roullez! Star-studded Mardi Gras party raises funds for N’awlins musicians
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 12 February 2012 16:17
- Written by Super User
By Matt Robinson
Though it has been a few years since Katrina and much of New Orleans is “back,” many who came home to the Crescent City not only had to rebuild their homes and schools and stores and such, but also their basic structures of support. Chief among these, for many, is health care. And until President Romney makes everything right again, it is still a big issue!
Fortunately, there are people who remember their friends and neighbors in the land of Jazz and use music to help them. One such person (and, in fact, a tireless charge-leader for the vital cause) is Boston’s own Shaun Wolf Wortis.
On February 18, Wortis and his talented crewe of musicians (collectively known as The Legendary Vudu Krewe All-Star Mardi Gras Band & Mutual Perseverance Benevolence Aid Association)will gather for the 19th annual Mardi Gras Ball to benefit The New Orleans Musicians Clinic(http://mardigrasballs.com).
“Shaun is a stalwart supporter,” says NOMC President Bethany Ewald Bultman.
iAdding to the fun at this revue of N’awlins-inspired R&B and Soul will be such local legends as Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents, Tim Gearan, Jordan Valentine, and Jesse Dee, plus the world-famous Boston Babydolls Burlesque troupe!
Ever eager to dress up and get down, Wortis had been performing in various musical celebrations for most of his career. Even back in the days of his beloved band Slide, the band would pick an event to mark and mark it with all their might. “We were doing a lot of random 'theme' nights,” Wortis recalls. “Mardi Gras was one of them that stuck.”
As Wortis and his band mates had been so heavily influenced by Delta music, it was a natural. “I remember the moment I became interested,” he explains, dropping a mess o’ musical heroes’ names. “I was watching the Clash's ‘Rude Boy’ movie and there's a scene where [Joe] Strummer is trying to play Junko Partner a la Professor Longhair. I remember thinking…I gotta’ find out what that's all about!” Thus began a musical adventure that continues to this day and that is celebrated every year at this show and at many of Wortis’ other popular appearances.
Though he has been in the Northaeast for most of his life, Wotis appears to have a very special affinity for New Orleans; one that even Katrina could not knock down. “Any musician or music fan—of any stripe—is wowed by New Orleans,” Wortis suggests. “New Orleans…feels like a different country and culture…which promotes and idolizes music almost above anything else.”
Despite the fact that he has put on the beads every year for nearly two decades, Wortis and his friends are always able to bring a fresh sense of the French Quarter to the TT’s stage.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about how the show progresses,” Wortis explains when asked how he shapes the revue year after year. “I like to think of it as a complete show.” This is why, in addition to the many musicians who will crowd the stage at various turns, Wortis is also involving the Babydolls (who Wortis calls his ”showstoppers”) and anyone else who wants to jump up onstage and join in.
“Over the years I've tried to include the best of all the 'scenes' around town,” Wortis says. “The stage has been graced by a wide range of Boston 'stars' from R&B, rock, goth, you name it.” Among past participants are the legendary likes of Tanya Donelly, Gary Cherone, Barrance Whitfield, Holly Brewer, Willie Alexander, Valerie Forgione, and Casey Desmond. This year, Wortis promises what he calls a “two-and venue” in which his Vudu Krewe and Dee’s Deelinquents will alternate, with other artists appearing in the interims. “We'll be doing back-to-back-to-back-to-back sets all in row,” he says.
While most fans come for the music, there are a few who return year after year to see the getup that Wortis dares to wear while on stage. Past pieces have ranged from a Mardi Gras king crown to a Napoleonic outfit complete with that famous hat. When asked if he has any new ideas for the show, Wortis simply replies, “Always!”
