CAPE COD VIEW MAGAZINE

August 2010

Bridging the gulf

Jazz performers join to help other musicians survive tragedy

By JOHANNA CROSBY

Award-winning singer-songwriter Paul Sanchez of New Orleans was ready to bring a celebratory spirit to

his debut performance at the Provincetown Jazz Festival.

It’s been five years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged his city, “and things were starting to come along nicely,”

Sanchez says. “You could see neighborhood kids playing on the street.”

But then the gulf oil spill happened.

Now his performance can’t help but be “tinged with sadness….A much bigger battle is being waged. It’s such

a kick in the guts.”

Post-Kartrina “was a tragic time, but we bounced back,” Sanchez continues. The gulf spill “is not something

people can rebuild from. It will kill the wildlife and put thousands of people out of work. It will last.

Generations of fisherman and shrimpers have nothing left to stay for. They have to move and find a new way

to live.”

Born and raised in New Orleans, Sanchez, 50, and his wife lost their home and belongings, including most of his

written music, in the flood that Katrina brought. They thought of leaving the Treme section of New Orleans but

decided to remain “because this is home to both of us.”

Yet the tragedy was a turning point for Sanchez to make new music and forge a new life. For 15 years, he played

in the rock band Cowboy Mouth, spending most of that time on the road.

Sanchez always longed to connect with his roots and make music that was closer to his heart. He began studying

traditional and jazz guitar with guitar professor John Rankin at Loyola University. Some of his musician friends

thought his decision to take music lessons and relearn his craft was “humbling.” But Sanchez didn’t see it that

way.

“It took me back to the roots of my music. I learned to communicate in somebody else’s language.”

Sanchez processed the staggering losses of the hurricane by writing a post-Katrina tribute, “Home,” which was

featured on the Starz documentary “New Orleans Music in Exile.”

Threadhead Records, a fan-based, volunteer-run California record company, committed to helping New Orleans

musicians rebuild their lives, helped him get back on his feet and make music again. “It was life-saving,” he says.

When the record company asked him to perform at the Provincetown Jazz Festival, he was more than happy to oblige.

Partial proceeds of the festival will go to the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, a health clinic for uninsured musicians

founded and directed by Bethany & Johann Bultman of Provincetown and New Orleans.

The clinic is vital, considering that the average New Orleans musician makes $15,000 a year and has no health insurance.

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of Katrina, Bart Weisman, founder, executive producer and performer, decided to

dedicate this year’s festival to New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.

Besides showcasing “the best musicians,” the non-profit jazz festival also has a philanthropic thrust.

Sanchez is the ideal headliner for the festival. He is the winner of 2009 songwriter of the year by OffBeat Magazine.

His new CD, “Farewell to Storyville,” was recently released on Threadhead Records. Sanchez and his longtime friend, John

Boutte performed their song “Foot of Canal Street” in the fourth episode of HBO’s “Treme.” His music was used in the TV

series “Homicide: Life on the Street” and in films such as “The Accused,” starring Jodie Foster. He’s just finished the music

for a new musical, “Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans,” by Dan Baum. Sanchez has also written his first book,

a collection of essays, about life, music and love in New Orleans.

Friday night’s concert will feature jazz saxophonist Greg Abate, jazz vocalist Dane Vannatter, and New York pianist/vocalist

Janice Friedman, with Chris Rathbun on bass and Bart Weisman on drums.

Sanchez will perform in Saturday night’s “Tribute to New Orleans” with trumpeter Steve Ahern. Opening the concert will be

the Berklee Rising Stars featuring Clay Lyons on saxophone and Matt Joseph (from Cape Cod) on trumpet. They will be

accompanied by Berklee Faculty Musicians Suzanne Davis on piano, John Lockwood on bass and Bob Kaufman on drums.