Dumpstaphunk‘s Rejuvenation 50! A Celebration Of The Meters, a one-night-only showcase at the Civic Theatre on the second Thursday of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was a funk-tacular success. Though the entire late-night Fest after-party was permeated with ear-to-ear grins and joyful sounds, it’s tragically impossible to write about this show without mentioning it was one of the first for Dumpstaphunk after losing their rubbery toned bassist, Nick Daniels III, to an unfortunate health crisis.
Spiritually, Nick’s much-too-soon passing was a severe blow, but Daniels, ever the consummate professional and showman at heart, would obviously have wanted the show to go on. Logistically, Dumpstaphunk guitarist Ian Nevelle slid over to give the upcoming guests plenty of space center stage. Multi-instrumentalist Tony Hall served as the band’s sole bassist while Cyrille Neville, percussionist with later iterations of The Meters, took center stage.
Mind you, it didn’t take long to bring out living legend George Porter Jr. After “Goin To The Country”, Dumpstaphunk welcomed the much venerated bassist to the stage. As Porter got himself and his bass situated, organist and founder of Dumpstaphunk, Ivan Neville, made personal testimonial to how much the music of The Meters meant to those packing the stage.
Neville explained how The Meters and the soul-infused funk they laid down not only helped Dumpstaphunk become what they are now, but also aided them through the tough times that hit us all. To Neville, this evening was a chance to pay respect for what The Meters inspired him to become, and the passion in his voice made the truth he was speaking ring true. The now plugged in and ready to go Porter was legitimately, visibly, touched.
The final of the three Meters who were participating, guitarist Leo Nocetelli, came out next and readied himself to join in on this celebration OF The Meters WITH The Meters. With Leo flanking Cyrille to his right while Porter sat to his left, the three formed a formidable frontline of funk icons. The trio now properly ensconced, it was time to collectively get together and get down. The emotion that filled Hall’s eyes might not have been visible to those towards the back, but his joy was plain to anyone in ear shot as he helped the legends once again send “A Message From The Meters”.
While Nocetelli and Porter took a short break, Ivan Neville introduced the powerhouse lineup, with Ian, Hall, and Ivan joined by Devon Trusclair on drums, Brad Walker on saxophone, Ashlin Parker and Lorne Michael Bradford on trumpet and Alex Wasily on slide trombone. Joining this band of merry music making men was Yodonna Wise and Doreen Carter on backing vocals from the ’90s trio girl group sisters act Mahogany Blue to bring some much appreciated feminine energy. Hall took special note to shout out Mahogany Blue as, “Like…One of the three artists from New Orleans” that had been on the late, lamented music television masterpiece Soul Train.
Ivan then expounded on the night’s central theme, celebrating The Meters and making the songs from their classic 1974 release, Rejuvenation, come to life. Message of the moment made, Neville led the band, still with Cyrille front and center, and the entire sold-out Civic Theatre through a spirited call-and-response singalong on “Hey Pocky A-Way”.
Hall turned “Love Is For Me” into one of his standout moments of the evening with his back and forth vocal sparring with the Wise sisters. When that dance-inspiring display ended, Ivan again took to the mic to explain that they weren’t going track-by-track from the album for basic logistical reasons before Hall again took lead vocal duties, this time on a simply beastly “Jungle Man”.
Returning to the stage, Nocetelli addressed the emotions he felt seeing the gentlemen and ladies sharing the stage with him play the music of The Meters. The instantly recognizable organ swell, originally crafted by late Meters organist Art Neville, that heralded a trip to “Africa” then echoed off the Civic Theatre’s walls. The tune gave Leo sonic space to rip and riff with the fierce and agile backing band.
As Nocetelli finished his solo crescendos for “Africa”, Ivan couldn’t resist the chance to slip in a few decidedly pointed bars throwing shade at the U.S. Army’s corps of engineers for its failure to protect New Orleans from the devastation of hurricane Katrina. The keyboardist sang suggestions that the remedies needed were both practical, in the form of financial aid for infrastructure renovations, and whimsical—for the wounds of the city’s soul, a fresh Super Bowl title for his beloved hometown NFL franchise, the New Orleans Saints, in the coming season.
George Porter Jr. popped back out for a buoyant and bubbling “What’cha Say” that stayed true to the original track. Ivan gave some contextual thoughts in regards to the disc’s musical bona fides. Neville then spoke of first hearing Rejuvenation on local radio station WYOZ, which, at the time, had a program that played new records in their entirety. He asserted that not only did he and the boys on the porch love it, but in the decades that followed, the funk masterpiece has made become a favorite of many critics and fans alike. Fifty years after its release, it’s certainly in the running for one of the top funk albums of all time.
To support that bold claim, Neville turned the mic over to Nocetteli, who told the tale of the creation of, as Neville put it, one of the top funk tunes of all time, “Just Kissed My Baby”. Apparently, as the guitarist noodled in the studio during rehearsals for Rejuvination‘s recording sessions, drummer Zigaboo Modeliste jumped in with the lyrics. Deven Trusclair and Porter deployed the beloved tune’s legendary pocket while Neville came correct with the song’s funk-based ode to infatuation and love itself.
Leo then shared the sad story of “It Ain’t No Use” and the woman who inspired it. The guitarist then gave his tune a happy ending, contrasting the pain and frustration he felt back in the day to the eventual joy he found with his spouse. He brought his loving bride out for a round of applause after much cajoling and crowd assistance and noted how any pain can eventually be worth making it through if you just keep going. truly, wisdom from the elders.
Before the encore, George made a moving dedication to the band for keeping the music alive. His speech seemed to catch Ivan Neville off guard and unprepared for that emotional moment of gratitude from his friend and literal funk institution seated to his right.
From there, it was the highlight of the night, the encore “Fire on the Bayou”. As the bass line and guitar chords began, Ivan reminded the crowd, “Whenever y’all want you can start singing this one!” The entire audience responded, as if waiting for their cue, with a thunderous, rafter-shaking singalong of the classic’s refrain and title. To the delight of everyone present, the chant grew louder and clearer with each go round. Between the shared vocal duties and the electric energy in the room, the show finished with a profoundly inspirational zeal.
Few single records can support entire tribute shows, much less sell out large-scale venues in a city jam-packed with other stellar late-night musical options 50 years after their release. Hearing the tracks from Rejuvenation played by musicians literally raised on the sounds was a chance to see pure love passed down through generations, with many a decade still to come.
Check out footage from Dumpstaphunk’s Rejuvenation 50! Celebration of the Meters at New Orleans’ Civic Theatre below. The entire show is available to stream via nugs.net.
Rejuvenation 50! Celebration of the Meters 5/2/24 New Orleans, LA
The post Dumpstaphunk Celebrates 50 Years Of The Meters’ ‘Rejuvenation’ With George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, More [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
