Ever since my wife and I left New Orleans in 2000, I've wanted to come back to record some music with my friends there. I've had the incredible good fortune to get to work with some of the finest musical talent the Crescent City has produced and have wanted even just the smallest piece of that recorded as a tangible reminder of a truly magical time. Plus, the musicians and the music there just move me and I can never get enough!
In fact, it was the music of New Orleans that inspired my first--and last--solo album, Jes Grew, which I released in 1996. While that album featured a who's who of performers from the DMV (Maryland, DC, and Virginia to those who aren't familiar with the term), most of the songs on the album had clear roots in the rich musical soil of the Crescent City. Moreover, the minute I was done making the record, I made the move south to dig deeply in that very soil and experience firsthand how deeply intertwined life and music are in this special place.
Fast forward to the moment 2023 turned to 2024, and I finally had the songs and the time to make my dream of returning to New Orleans happen and decided this would be the year I bring this vision to life--and make my first new album in more than a quarter century. But I also recognized this vision was even bigger than just being about this one chapter in my life--it needed to also be about the community that birthed me as a musician: Annapolis, MD. In fact, I quickly landed on the title for the album, which would drive all subsequent decision making--it will be called Naptown to NOLA, and it will be a love letter to the two towns that were instrumental in my development as a musician and creative individual. It will celebrate the incredibly supportive communities that are at the heart of each of these port cities while making connections between the two. It will be built on love and it will serve to reciprocate and spread that love in as many ways as possible.
So, I began making plans, followed by calls to old friends to determine where I should record and who would participate. My old friend and bandmate Matt Hampsey--who I played with in multiple settings, including Cool Riddims & Sista Teedy and the Matt Hampsey Trio--turned me on to the studio I would eventually use in New Orleans. Marigny Studios was the perfect location, steeped in history yet with plenty of modern amenities and a world-class team of engineers. It used to be the Luthjen's Dance Hall and, while it doesn't look like much from the street, you can just feel the vibe when you step through those doors.
Studio-owner Rick Nelson, who plays in the band The Afghan Whigs, has really created something special here. He's also assembled a great collection of instruments and--most importantly--is really great to work with. If that wasn't enough, the studio is just three doors down from the guesthouse I like to use when I visit town (with The Friendly Bar positioned neatly betwixt the two). This was just the first of many serendipitous moments this project would uncover, with each passing day uncovering yet another one.
Now that I had a location to work with, it was time to start assembling the talent who could help me bring these songs to life… and that's where I'll pick up next time!