report on new orleans jazz band

Live Jazz Experience Report - Dag"They have a word down South to
describe the way you feel when your packed into a crowded dive at 1:00
AM, where the cigarette smoke is so thick it makes its own weather; and
the waitress is slinging bourbon and Fritos while some bad-ass Jazz Funk
band rocks the house as hard as Blue Ridge granite, and the sweat flows
down from the stage like the cloudy waters of Pamlico Sound. There's a
word for how you feel when you hear live Jazzy-funk music so sweet and
hot, you just gotta shout something. The word is: DAG!" - Columbia
Records There is only one place on earth where I though I could go
to experience the true meaning of Jazz and to try to place myself in the
shoes of all of the artists I have studied over the past semester. New
Orleans, Louisiana is just that place. On April 10, 1996, I boarded a
United Airlines plane bound, non-stop, for the "Home of Jazz." My
goal in New Orleans was to try and have a comparable experience to that
of one of the popular Jazz artists would have had upon his/her first visit to
New Orleans in the early 1900s. Bourbon Street, the French Quarter,
Jimmy Buffet's Maragaritaville, The Flamingo, the Garden District, and
Moolate's all helped me to get into the proper frame of mind of
experiencing true Jazz. The focus of this report will be on my life
changing experience at a little place known as The House of Blues. This
amazing combination of bar and stage created one of the most conducive
atmospheres to music listening that I have ever been involved with. The
stage, similar to the Fox, in Boulder and the bar/restaurant, similar to
nothing both had a character and charm unique to itself. The ceilings in
the bar area were covered by sculpted silhouettes of every major
Jazz/Blues artist that ever played there. Images such as Louis
Armstrong, Lester Young, Dizzie Gillespie, Buddy Bolden, Horace Silvers,
and Jelly Roll Morton adorned the walls and ceilings of the HOB (House
of Blues). Every beer on tap was a Louisiana original and the only kind of
cooking done there was absolutely Cajun. On Thursday, April 11,
1996, I and 5 friends ventured into the legendary house of Blues.

Headlining was a band entitled "Dag." This up and coming
Blues/Jazz/Rock band has been touted as New Orleans newest small
success story. With a label on Columbia Records and an album entitled
Righteous, Dag is certainly a force in the Jazz industry. The tickets cost
only 8 bucks and you could have come in mid-way through the show for
free. A far cry from Boulder expense. The band was comprised of four
members: vocal bassist Bobby Patterson, guitarist Brian Dennis,
keyboardist Doug Jervey and drummer Kenny Soule. The band,
originally from Raleigh North Carolina plays a particularly "groovy kind
Jazz" using primarily the Bass for a majority of rifts. The band played to a
packed house, consisting primarily of middle 20s ages people, with an
occasionally more "wise" audience member. The theater, again, much
like that of the Fox in Boulder had a dancing "pit" right below it, which was
full of college aged students who were dancing with a movement
comparable to mixing a 90s dance action with a 70s groovy rhythm.
The music was fast paced and full of energy. Many 32 measure
sets were played and I could definitely hear the influence of Bob, Cool
Jazz and Hard Bob. A lower tempo was definitely recognized, as well as
a mix of jazz and classical elements. The lack of a piano was obvious
and seemed to follow the trend of 90s Jazz-Blues rhythms. Additionally,
the first set had a heavy emphasis on percussion while the second set
focused primarily on the drums. It seems that a lot of their songs are
written around a drum rhythm. Dag played a set that included the
songs: Sweet Little Lass, Lovely Jane, Plow, Do Me Good, and Even So.
They then took a 15 minute break and came back playing: Righteous,
Your Mama's Eyes, You Can Lick It, Candy, and Saturday Morning. After
their second set, they played an encore of a song entitled: Home. One
thing worth mentioning about the song titles is their recognizable
simplicity. It is my belief that this was done intentionally to further
illustrate the complex messages being delivered through a very simplistic

musical institution. Reactions to the band were tremendous. I
personally, could not contain myself and was leading the second encore
after Home. Upon the completion of the show, I immediately bolted to the
bar and got the name and number of the booking agent for the House of
Blues so that I could contact her later regarding a possible show at the
Fox. ( I am an intern for the Fox theater.) My friends were instrumental in
my accurate recollection of the events that night as I was way too excited
after the show the think logically. Reviewers agree that Dag is an
incredible band:Raygun Magazine says, "DAG could stand for 'Dem Are
Grooves' they manage to take it to the bridge and beyond."Interview
Magazine: "the stunningly spongy debut by four of the funkiest unknown
kids ever to come out of North Carolina. Righteous Grooves."Pearl Jam's
Dave Abbruzzese: "Laying it down funky It's about time someone did."
Dag recorded their first album, "Righteous" in 1994 at the
famous Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama. Artists such as Wilson
Pickett, Arethra Franklin, and Rolling Stones made the mark there. "We
were making an R&B record, so going down there to record it was like
getting the Pope's blessing." The band claims inspiration from both Jazz
and R&B artists. Patterson unveils most of his inspiration to the song,
"What's Goin' On," by Marvin of course, while guitarist Dennis claims
allegiance to John Coltrane's Ballads, and Jimi Hendrix and Aretha
Franklin. James Brown and Frank Zappa also had influences on the
band. One of the most amazing things that I noticed about the
band was the tremendous depth and quality of the vocals. Patterson's
energy on stage was unsurpassed and definitely came through in the
overall performance. Jervey says of Patterson's intensity, "he's got a lot
of raw energy, but he really is a sweet guy. When he opens his mouth, a
lion comes out." Overall, my experience at the House of Blues was
amazing and it is an experience that I will never forget. I am currently in
the process of trying to book Dag to play at the Fox or Boulder Theater. It

is music like theirs that keeps Jazz alive and current to the trends and
markets in our modern society. It is my personal belief, that, because of
bands such as Dag, Jazz will never die, only change form to adapt to its
environment. The mold of Jazz, however, will never change.