Neville parades ’50s hits for Jazz Fest

• By JOHN WIRT
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: May 3, 2008 - Page: 12A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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NEW ORLEANS — Making his belated debut Friday as a solo act at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Art Neville brought more than 50 years of New Orleans music history to the stage.

Neville is the eldest brother in the Neville Brothers and a member of the city’s legendary funk outfit, the Meters. But long before the Meters and Neville Brothers, he was a solo recording artist during his hometown’s golden age of rhythm-and-blues.

Performing with a band including his guitar-playing son, Ian, as well as singer-guitarist Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Neville dipped into his 1950s recordings during his late afternoon show at the Acura Stage.

“Something we did a long time ago, but never got a chance to play,” he said before “Oooh-Whee Baby,” his first song. “We got a chance now.”

More music from Neville’s early recordings followed, including “Cha Dooky Doo” and the Mardi Gras perennial he recorded in 1954 with the Hawkettes, “Mardi Gras Mambo.”

Naturally, every song had that indigenous, irresistible New Orleans groove in it, as did Neville’s rendition of Fats Domino’s “I’m In Love Again.”

Neville’s brother in life and music, Aaron, made a few guest appearances during his older brother’s show, singing high-spirited harmony for “Mardi Gras Mambo,” “Honey Chile” and more.

“One more time for Mr. Artie Neville, Calliope projects, 13th Ward!” Aaron Neville said after “Honey Chile.”

Despite heavy cloud cover over the Fair Grounds Race Course, the rain spared Neville’s set. “I hope the rain holds up,” he said. “The Lord has been good to us today.”

Rain finally came shortly before 5 p.m. It stopped, started again and stopped again before Stevie Wonder, one of the day’s marquee names, performed his early evening show at the Acura Stage.

Despite the off-and-on rain, the massive crowd on the Acura Stage field spilled every way possible over the grass and race track. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the track and musical spectrum, singer-songwriter John Prine sang his story song at the festival’s second-largest venue, the Gentilly Stage.

Friday’s performances at the WWOZ Jazz Tent began with a tribute to Alvin Batiste, the late clarinetist, composer and jazz educator. Scheduled to perform on the final Sunday of Jazz Fest last year, Batiste died hours before he was to appear. He’d taught jazz at Southern University in Baton Rouge for decades before returning to his native New Orleans in recent years to teach at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.

The tribute featured Batiste’s final band, billed as the Legacy Students of Alvin Batiste, as well as poetry read by his widow, Edith.