I'm visiting my brother in New Orleans for Thanksgiving. The next couple of posts will feature people I've met and things I've seen during this week in the Crescent City.
Lionel Batiste, known to most folks down here simply as Uncle Lionel, has been an integral part of the Tremé brass band scene for over 50 years. Bass drummer, band leader, and all around NOLA booster, Uncle has been at every single bar I've visited this week, often outlasting revelers several decades his junior. I watched him sing with Kermit Ruffins one night, dance to the music of his own band the next, and then hop onstage at 2:30 AM to sing and sway along to the music of Walter "Wolfman" Washington. New Orleans is full of characters, but Uncle Lionel is a singular presence.
1 comment:
THAT FIRST PICTURE IS BADASS
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