On the guitar, Mr. Alex Schultz -
Gumbo is a traditional dish that originated in southern Louisiana. The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including West African, French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw. Just like the cuisine, the music of New Orleans borrowed from different traditions and assumes different styles. It is usually regarded as birthplace of jazz, but it is also famous for its rock’n’roll or New Orleans funk or R&B. Both, Raphael Wressnig and Craig Handy have just recorded albums that have that funky edge and present the groovy amalgam of jazz and blues the „Big Easy“ is renowned for. Johnny Vidacovich is a veteran of New Orleans jazz and R&B and Alex Schultz has been a featured guitarist on some of the Crescent City based Black-Top Records releases. This fine quartet will spice it up, just like some Louisiana hot-sauce!
The man behind (and sometimes on top of) the organ, Raphael Wressnig
Raphael Wressnig, based in Austria but frequently on the road, is not your ordinary B-3 organ player. He’s actually one of a kind: a young master of the imposing, large instrument who is expansive in his breadth of expertise. He’s technically fluent in the blues, in jazz, in soul, and in funk, and he concocts exciting mixed-genre music from his fervid imagination. Influenced by royal predecessors like Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, Booker T. Jones and Joe Zawinul. This self-effacing musician, a native of Graz in southeast Austria, has recorded at least 17 feature albums and appeared as a guest on about 35 others. In Spring 2013, he was honored with a nomination for best organ player of the year in Downbeat Magazine. In January 2014 Wressnig has recorded his upcoming album at Music Shed Studios in New Orleans featuring Craig Handy, Alex Schultz, legendary bass-player George Porter Jr. (The Meters), piano-man and soulful troubadour Jon Cleary, R&B icon Walter „Wolfman“ Washington, Nigel Hall and one of the funkiest drummers around, Stanton Moore.
Mr. Craig Handy on the Sax
Craig Handy just released his album „2nd Line Smith“ on the venerated OKeh label, a division of Sony Masterworks. Handy draws from his fondness for the music of New Orleans, smack attached to the groove-filled re-imaginings of originals and standards by the late, great organist Jimmy Smith. Handy was born in Oakland, CA, but later moved to New York and began several associations with formidable artists including master drummers Art Blakey and Roy Haynes, South African melodist Abdullah Ibrahim, the Mingus Dynasty Band and was the featured soloist in the music theme for the „Bill Cosby Show“. He also relished musical range by performing with veteran vocalist bandleaders such as the iconic Betty Carter and later the irrepressible Dee Dee Bridgewater. Handy was also a convincing and telegenic actor in Robert Altman’s film Kansas City, portraying saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. He was part of the band “Chartbusters”, featuring alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and drummer Idris Muhammad. Handy toured or recorded with Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, George Adams, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, Charles Tolliver, the John Hicks Legacy Band, Kirk Lightsey, the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra and most notably „The Cookers“ – a collective of stalwart leaders renowned for playing that simmers or surges to a boiling point – with brethren Billy Harper, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, and David Weiss.
An interview featurette with the band
Drawing on the musical heritage of New Orleans, Johnny Vidacovich has become one of the best drummers in a city known for its drummers. Born and bred in New Orleans, Vidacovich has the city’s unique, syncopated backbeat running in his veins. Many outsiders have sought to imitate that sound which comes so naturally to those who grew up exposed to the Big Easy’s street music traditions. One can hear the beat of the street in multifarious places, from the music of the Mardi Gras Indians to the Neville Brothers to Vidacovich himself. He is the quintessential New Orleans jazz drummer, with all the exuberance and skill befitting one who grew up in the birthplace of jazz. Since starting to play the drums at the age of ten, performing has been the passion of Johnny Vidacovich. From French Quarter clubs to the big stages, he has shared his talents with greats like New Orleans‘ „Tan Canary“ Johnny Adams, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John Charles Neville, Harry Connick and Mose Allison as well as many jazz and blues icons such as John Scofield, Rick Margitza, Willy DeVille and many others. He was leading „Astral Project“, the seminal New Orleans contemporary jazz group.
Alex Schultz belongs to the first-tier of American blues guitarists, possessing a natural affinity for jazz, funk, soul, r&b and gospel. Schultz has family roots in New Orleans but he was born in NYC, schooled at Berklee and moved to L.A. in 1979. He became one of the icons of West-Coast Blues. He has toured and recorded with Rod Piazza and William Clarke, Lester Butler, Hank Ballard and many more. Schultz worked with Jimmy Rogers, Lowell Fulson, Louis Myers, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton, Robert Ward, Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, Albert Collins, Larry Davis, etc. and supported the likes of Albert King, BB King, Al Green, Robert Cray, Dr. John, The Neville Bros., The Allman Bros. and more. In 2004 Schultz released his solo album “Think About It” that features Finis Tasby, Tad Robinson and Lynwood Slim. Lately Alex Schultz did a lot of freelance work with Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Big Pete and Raphael Wressnig. The team of Wressnig and Schultz blends blues with jazz, soul and funk in a tasteful way. They recorded two albums together „(Don’t Be) Afraid To Groove“ and „Soul Gift“ featuring Deitra Farr, Tad Robinson, Kirk Fletcher, „Sax“ Gordon.
You can find the rest of the article and more photos over on rockvideos.at
Camera Settings:
| Category | colourfulphotography |
| Settings | (ISO 800, 105mm f/4 1/100 |
| Camera | Canon 70D |
| Lens | 24-105mm f/4-5.6 |
| Location | Porgy & Bess, Vienna |
bonus pic!
About the Venue:
„Porgy & Bess“
The non-profit organisation Porgy & Bess defines itself as a Jazz & Music Club with a pluralistic and multifaceted programme. It serves as a site for musical encounters, interaction and confrontation both for artists and audience. The main focus lies on the implementation of a structure that takes into consideration Austria’s (jazz) scene’s wide range of ways to articulate itself as well as new development perspectives, such as collaborations with international guest musicians. Moreover, a club that serves as a meeting point for the creative local scene offers the possibility to exchange experience while transcending stylistic and aesthetic boundaries – a testing ground for different projects that do not need to present „ultimate statements“, a place for constant labouring and development. A basic intention of Porgy & Bess is to encourage cooperations between local musicians with different artistic backgrounds in order to prevent „musical ghettoisation“.
In the past decades Europe’s jazz scene has managed to definitely establish itself as an independent and innovative force in jazz. Defining itself as a European jazz club, it is understood that P&B presents creative European contemporary music. Cooperations with our partners in the European club scene (Moods/Zurich, Jazzhouse/Copenhagen, Stadtgarten/Cologne, Unterfahrt/Munich, AMR/Geneva, Bimhuis/Amsterdam ...) and the international festival scene (Le Mans, Moers, Berlin ...) highlight different categories of concepts of improvised music from other countries. Especially close contacts with promoters and musicians from the former Eastern bloc (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Russia, Estonia, Serbia-Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, ...) lead to international cultural exchanges (see also festival series „Step across the border“).
Historically, Jazz is defined as Afro-American music, and still the „motherland of jazz“ continues to provide innovational impulses – two good reasons for us to present renowed American solo artists as well as the „next generation“ of jazz.
from www.porgy.at
little compilation of our work together
Music and Video belongs to their respective owners. The photos you are free to use.
Thanks to 
As you may have noticed I like to combine my color challenges with concert reviews, hope you dig it!
-written by Mary, Nikki and Raphael, Video by Nikki and Ali, Photos by Nikki
for those about to jazz we salute you,
ZeroOoC