Dear Guardian of the Groove,
We've been busy here at 'OZ since last I wrote to you! Thanks to you and your fellow Guardians of the Groove, we completed another very successful Spring fund drive. Once again, you and your fellow listeners heeded the call and provided the resources the station needs to keep bringing you the music 24/7. For that we are ever so grateful!
Jazz Fest 2007 is now a fond memory. Another great Fest, and it was so nice to see all of our Brass Pass and Overpass members sipping iced coffee and savoring fresh fruit at the WWOZ Hospitality Tent. That is always a treat.
In the midst of it all, we managed to pull off a redesign of the WWOZ website to better serve you. The website is your gateway to everything 'OZ, and we're constantly working to make it the best experience possible. Be on the lookout soon for the online Swamp Shop filled with cool 'OZ merchandise for sale. When it's up and running, you'll be the first to know!
Sit back and enjoy this issue of The 'OZone, complete with our new 'OZone masthead. Thanks for staying in touch!
Sousaphonically yours,
David Freedman
General Manager
Father, Son and Students Honor the Memory of Alvin Batiste
by Jason Song
"Mr. Bat was a model musician. Every day we'd see him before class, always shedding, always practicing. He embodied the spirit of the ideal musician because even at the age he was, he was always trying to get better. You better yourself as a musician, at least I could see through him, you can better yourself as a person, because he was a wonderful person, and he expressed that through his music. His passing gave me a new spirit and made me wanna practice more and more. That was a gift from him, to have more willpower and to strive to be better."
So said Charles Burchell, Jr., son of WWOZ Show Host Charlie B and a former NOCCA student of Alvin Batiste, during Monday afternoon's "Jazz at the Market" program. Burchell and his fellow subgroup of NOCCANS (as Batiste would call them) named The Black Notes showed up on Charlie B's show to pay tribute to their teacher through performance of Batiste's compositions and through their own words about the legendary modern jazz educator and entertainer. Alvin Batiste died on Sunday, May 6th at the age of 74, just hours before he was to perform and be honored at Jazz Fest 2007.
"We wanted to do some kind of tribute since he had done so much for us," Burchell said over the phone Wednesday. "Playing at WWOZ was a great opportunity and an honor."
WWOZ.org Website Redesign
Why did we redesign the website? Over the last few years, the site has undergone a series of rapid changes. We wanted to put down a new foundation that can support new features and technologies. Help us plan the next steps for WWOZ.org by giving us your feedback.
After the flooding from Katrina, the website grew in many unexpected and positive ways. There are many new features that we want to incorporate into the website, but we needed a stronger platform before we could build these new features. The new look and the new organization of the site's content are the first steps towards building this stronger platform. We are in the process of making many changes to our backend system.
We plan to release new features and updates to the website 2-3 times a year. We will be launching a set of new features this summer including Community Forums (message boards), search, improved database searches of our playlists and music listings, community notebook calendar and others.
We want your feedback as we continue to improve all aspects of the website. Please email us at feedback@wwoz.org with your feedback for improvements or new features. This is your website!
Save Net Radio!
Weeks ago in Washington D.C., the Copyright Royalty Board passed a rule which could silence all internet radio music. On May 15th, this rule went into effect and the music we all love and listen to on the internet could go away. If you'd like to know more about this ruling and the impact it will have on the music we cherish, go to the Save Net Radio website.
National Acts to Play Benefit for Sweet Home New Orleans and New Orleans Musicians
Sunday, May 27 concert featuring Indigo Girls, OK GO's Damian Kulash to follow tour of city's damage from Katrina.
New Orleans created American music. Now a group of musicians including the Indigo Girls, OK GO's Damian Kulash, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, and San Francisco singer Matt Nathanson playing along side some legendary New Orleans artists such as Al "Carnival Time" Johnson and Bonearama will help recreate the devastated city by playing a benefit concert to fund housing for the city's struggling musicians and artists.
It will be a loose and fun show with each artist performing a few songs with many of them sitting in on each other's songs. The full billing will be released closer to the concert, which will take place at Tipitina's Uptown on Sunday, May 27, 2007.
Read more about Sweet Home New Orleans.
WWOZ Street Talk
WWOZ has long served as the voice of New Orleans' culture. In the months after hurricane Katrina hit, our listeners have rallied to support that voice, and we in turn have served as a source for information about the music community since the storm. We now expand that role with a new feature: Street Talk.
On the air and on the web, Street Talk addresses issues vital to rebuilding the culture of New Orleans. Hear voices from brass band players, city officials, gospel choir directors, bar owners and more. We address housing, jobs and schools through the lens of culture, and ask local political candidates about their specific plans for rebuilding.
Street Talk online includes interviews, commentary and more.
WWOZ Quick Links
Playlists Online
Are you interested in an artist we played on the air? You can search playlists by song title, band name, CD title or label.
WWOZ Swamp Shop
The 'OZ Swamp Shop is open and chock full of WWOZ gear.
New Orleans Music Calendar
There's live music in locations all around New Orleans. We've got a music calendar online.
