New Orleans transplant takes to city's musical heritage

By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:58 PM PDT ∞

It was his fascination with the legendary history of pianists the city produced that drew Long Island's Joe Krown to New Orleans more than a decade ago. It's his proficiency in following in the footsteps of players such as Professor Longhair, Tuts Washington and Dr. John that is taking Krown from his New Orleans home to dozens of cities around the country with the "Solid Blues" show (stopping at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, on Oct. 19).

If Krown doesn't have the name recognition of "Solid Blues" stars Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite (or even the North Mississippi All-Stars), he's just stoked that his name and picture are on the show's posters at all.

As he explained during a phone conversation made from the tour bus heading south to the next show in San Luis Obispo, Krown had an old roommate from college that he hadn't seen in 25 years come to a "Solid Blues" show a few weeks ago ---- simply because he'd seen Krown's face on the poster.

"I'd played in that town probably five times over the past 15 years," Krown said. "But it was always with Gatemouth (Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown), so he never knew I was there until he saw my picture on the poster."

Krown was raised on Long Island, attended the state university in Buffalo and then landed in Boston. In the mid-1980s, he saw the documentary film "Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together" by Stevenson J. Palfi, which explored the playing of Longhair, Washington and fellow Crescent City pianist Allen Toussaint.

"It was a life-changing experience," he said of the film. "To see those guys talking about it was a great experience for me."

It was an experience that led Krown to visit New Orleans for the first time, a development that would lead to his residence there.

"I started coming down here playing some gigs, then I started playing with Gate, and when Gate offered me the gig full time, I was like, 'What, move to New Orleans, work with Gate?' It was like asking, 'Do you want to breathe air?' ---- it was that easy to decide.' "

Krown was the pianist for Brown's band from 1991 until the legendary Texas bluesman died in 2005 at age 81.

"The last gig I played with him was about three weeks before Katrina, and he died about a week after," Krown recalled. "They literally had to carry him in, and he played two sets.

"We played all the small joints, all the blues clubs around the world, and then played all the big festivals."

Since Brown died, Krown has spent much of his time playing gigs around town as New Orleans rebuilds following Hurricane Katrina. That recovery remains a work in progress, he said.

"In ways it's coming back, in ways it's very slow. A lot of musicians are not back yet, a lot are. A lot of clubs are back open, a lot are not.

"It's getting better every month. I worked a lot before the storm, and I came back right away because I was in the 20 percent of the city that didn't flood. I went back to work in October.

"The clubs are not doing as well as they used to, because half the population is missing. Some of the more popular college-related bands like Galactic or the Radiators, they're doing strong. But the younger bands trying to get started are having more of a problem."

But he said it's hard for anyone not from New Orleans to fully understand what it's been like.

"Nothing is the same. That's the thing about the city: Nothing is the same. It will never be the same. It's very fragmented. Half your friends are gone. You get used to it, but it's not the same, and it's very very difficult to explain how it is."

As for the "Solid Blues" tour, Krown is loving the experience of sharing a stage with Staples, Musselwhite and the North Mississippi Allstars every night.

"We're doing six, seven weeks of this. It's the same lineup every night. ... The Allstars are the house band, pretty much. I play the entire Mavis set and then Charlie comes in and out throughout her set, and then we all play together at the end. So it's like a revue.

"You can't sit still for Mavis. She's got so much personality.

"We've been out eight days now with no egos, no attitude. Everybody's really been great. There's a really great vibe on the bus.

"Everyone is just really cool."

"Solid Blues" with Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, the North Mississippi Allstars and Joe Krown

When: 8 p.m. Oct. 19

Where: California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido

Admission: $25-$40

Info: (800) 988-4253

Web: artcenter.org or joekrown.com