Basin Street Records' Star-Studded 20th Anniversary Celebration

Jazz Fest closed out yesterday, and New Orleans will take a temporary and short-lived rest until its next festival while countless festival-goers return home with stories of legendary Jazz fest sets and post-Jazz Fest shows. Some were lucky enough to attend the Basin Street Records 20th Anniversary Kickoff at Little Gem Saloon on May 5th.

The evening began at 8:30 pm with the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet playing to a packed room with an electric energy on the first floor. A "prayer line" formed on the sidewalk outside the Poydras street club, for those hopeful attendees waiting for a spot to get in the full-capacity club.

After Marsalis packed up his vibes, none other than two of the biggest trumpet giants in the Big Easy took the stage-Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield. Backed by Ruffins' Barbecue Swingers, the two traded trills and flurries of notes in trumpet battles punctuated by Ruffins' carefree singing and lovable audience banter.

Next on the lineup was to be pianist Henry Butler in a solo performance upstairs, but a 6-hour flight delay made his appearance impossible. What does one do when a featured artist can't make it to your post-Jazz Fest show? With so many world class musicians in the building at one time, you ask them to do what they do best: improvise. In no time, Basin Street president, Mark Samuels organized an impromptu Basin Street Records super-group featuring Davell Crawford on piano and vocals, Irvin Mayfield on Trumpet & Percussion, Jason Marsalis on drums, Bill Summers on Percussion, Mark Brooks on bass, Ronald Markham on piano, and Munyungo Jackson (in town to play with Stevie Wonder at Jazz Fest) on percussion. This group would bring the trio of Irvin Mayfield, Bill Summers, and Jason Marsalis (the founding members of Los Hombres Calientes) together on stage for the first time in over 15 years. The impromptu group sizzled through some Latin jazz that left no one wanting in the absence of the missing Butler.

The crowd stuck with it and moved back downstairs for the one-of-a-kind Dr. Michael White and his usual polished traditional jazz show, which featured yet another cameo on drums from Jason Marsalis.

Pushing 1 AM, the show went on, and the crowd made one last trip upstairs for Davell Crawford and One Foot in the Blues playing his unique brand of Louisiana roots music. The theme of Basin Street artists collaborating continued, as percussionist Bill Summers sat in with the band for the duration of their set.

Photo by Erika Goldring/Basin Street Records

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