As Al Johnson sings, “It’s Carnival Time!” 2009, which, incidentally, marks the 50th anniversary of his song.
January 6 is Twelfth Night, the official day to start the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras on February 24. Normally the Krewe of Phunny Phorty Phellows kicks off the season with its streetcar parade (and they still do), but this year we will have an additional parade when the new Krewe of St. Joan of Arc take to the streets of the French Quarter. From here on, until Fat Tuesday, there will be parades, balls and many festivities associated with the Carnival Season.
Tonight is the Grand Opening Celebration of Blaine Kern Studios-East Bank Riverfront Complex at 1380 Port of New Orleans (formerly the Delta Queen Steamship Terminal.) The Blaine Kern Studio Complex is the new home for Mardi Gras Magic, the River City Ballroom and Plaza, the GrandOaksMansion and the one and only Mardi Gras World. The soiree, billed “A Twelfth Night Magic,” will be an evening of inspired food, spirited libations with music that only New Orleans can make and a party only Blaine Kern can put on, so you knowIam not going to miss it.
Before I go on to tell you about all the wonderful events that this exciting week will bring, I must express my condolences about our dear friend Harvey Hysell. With his recent passing the New Orleans performing arts community has lost one of its true giants and pioneers. Harvey was one of the founders of the New Orleans Ballet Company, forerunner of today’s New Orleans Ballet Association, and the founder of the company that bears his name. He trained many dancers over his long career and introduced many forms of ballet and modern dance to this region. Harvey was also one of the co-founders of the Big Easy Classical Arts Awards and he served on the award selection committee in its early years. He was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Big Easy Classical Arts for his many contributions to the local dance community and his presence on the scene will definitely be missed.
Tuesday, January 6
KREWE OF ST. JOAN OF ARC PARADE
A new parade honoring Joan of Arc, the “Maid of Orleans,” joins the Phunny Phorty Phellows to kick off Carnival. A procession will honor Joan of Arc's birthday, which falls on Twelfth Night, the traditional start of Carnival season. Throws will generally be religion- or birthday-themed, including hand-painted St. Joan medallions being created by Rob Clemenz of Saintsforsinners.com. The parade rolls on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m. Participants must arrive by 5 p.m. at the John Scott sculpture "Ocean Song" in WoldenbergPark. Bring cake, presents or flowers to share at the statue. Parade begins on Decatur Street at Conti Street and travels up Decatur to the statue at St. Philip Street. Information: visit stjoankrewe.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 6
PHUNNY PHORTY PHELLOWS STREETCAR PARADE
The Phunny Phorty Phellows, who have kicked off the Carnival season for the past 27 years will do so again on Twelfth Night. The krewe, which originally paraded from 1878 through 1898 and was revived in 1981, traditionally tosses the first beads of the season as its masked members party aboard a Regional Transit Authority streetcar.
Revelers are invited to join the Phellows as they gather for the start of the festivities at 6:30 p.m. at the Canal Street streetcar station at Canal and North White streets. At 7 p.m., the krewe and the Storyville Stompers will board the streetcar and begin the ride that they say "heralds the arrival of Carnival." Watch for the decorated streetcar as it rolls along the St. Charles Avenue line, turning at Lee Circle and ending up back where it started.
Tuesday 6- Saturday 10
Music at Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar, 5535 Tchoupitoulas ,891-8500.www.dosjefescigarbar.com. No cover charge!
TUE., 1/6 - TOM HOOK @ 9 30 WED., 1/7 - BOB ANDREWS @ 9 30
THU., 1/8 - THE COURTYARD KINGS @ 9 30
FRI., 1/9 - ERIC TRAUB TRIO @ 10 SAT., 1/10 - TONY GREEN & GYPSY JAZZ @ 10
Wednesday, January 7
NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM
The National World War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., will continue its highly successful General Raymond E. Mason, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series on World War II with a presentation by New York Times bestselling author Alex Kershaw. His presentation entitled "Liberators: Three Americans who helped free Europe from Nazism" will follow three ordinary Americans with an extraordinary mission to defend Europe against totalitarianism. 6:00 pm
Wednesday, January 7
The New OrleansMuseum of Art
NOMA will offer free admission to everyone through January 18. The dates of the free admittance offer coincide with both Prospect.1 New Orleans, the international contemporary art biennial which is free at all of its 25 venues throughout the city, and Objects of Desire: Fabergé from the Hodges Family Collection, an exhibition of 108 precious objects by famed master jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé. Museum hours are Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m., and Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Sydney and WaldaBesthoffSculptureGarden is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m..
Thursday, January 8
Tales of the Cocktail New Orleans 2009 KickOff
Sip Sazeracs and classic and contemporary concoctions from Hendrick’s Gin. Carousel Bar at The Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St, from 4-6 p.m. RSVP at rsvp@talesofthecocktail.com
Thursday, January 8,
EVENSONG with the Trinity Choir
Every Thursday at 6:30 pm, TrinityChurch - 1329 Jackson Avenue. Call Albinas Prizgintas at 670-2520 – aprizgintas@trinitynola.com
Ogden After Hours presents Packway Handle Band from 6-8 p.m. Lobby Atrium of The Ogden Museum of Southern Art's Stephen Goldring Hall,925 Camp Street. Additionally, the museum will host a booksigning for "Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans," edited by Judy Cooper and Marcelle Bienvenu.
January 8-10
MUSIC AT THE BOMBAY CLUB
Julie James and Luther Kent will be performing at the Bombay Club, 830 Conti Street, this Friday and Saturday respectively, starting at 9:30 p.m. During January on Sunday and on Thursday, local artist Philip Melancon entertains on the piano from 7–11 p.m. with R&B, original local melodies and a lot of fun. Phil is a great all-around entertainer who will make you laugh and feel good, so come on out and give him a good audience.
Friday January 9 The Obituary Cocktail Society will meet as always this Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. at this great New Orleans saloon: May Baily's Place, 421 Dauphine Street
Friday January 9 CELEBRATING ZULU 100 YEARS
LouisianaStateMuseum marks a Mardi Gras milestone with “From Tramps to Kings:100 Years of Zulu..” The Presbytere of the LouisianaStateMuseum presents this yearlong exhibit exploring the origins, unique Carnival traditions, and cultural and civic contributions of Zulu from 1909 to the present. The exhibit premieres Friday, January 9 with a gala benefit for the nonprofit Louisiana State Museum Foundation. Tickets are $6.00 for adults, and $5.00 for seniors and active military personnel, which includes admission to the Museum’s comprehensive permanent exhibit, Mardi Gras in Louisiana. Children under 12 are free. The Presbytere is located on Jackson Square, in the heart of the French Quarter. Patron Party at 6:30-8 p.m. and Gala from 8- 11 p.m. More info at 504-558-0493.The public opening is scheduled for Saturday, January 10 with Zulu.
January 10
RE-OPENING GALA OF THE LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA.
The evening celebrating the re-opening of Mahalia Jackson Theatre of Performing Art will begin at 7 p.m. with performances featuring world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, the LPO and guests from the San Francisco Ballet presented by the New Orleans Ballet Association, followed by a post-concert dinner at the Ritz Carlton. Call 523-6530.
January 11
MEAL ON WHEELS “A NIGHT ON THE RED CARPET”
The annual black-tie gala supporting New Orleans Council on Aging features food by legendary New Orleans Chefs and their restaurants will be held at the W New Orleans, 333 Poydras with a Patron Party preceding the gala at Zoe Lounge from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Deacon John and the Ivories will provide the entertaining while guests bid on great items in a silent and live auction. For additional information call 821-4121.
Monday, January 13
Cocktails with Bobby Gleason at the Museum of the American Cocktail
Join us for evening of Bourbon! Jim Beam's Master Distiller Freddie Noe, the great grandson of Jim Beam, will lead you on a journey of the histories of his family and the Bourbons they produce. Then enjoy Bourbon based cocktails prepared by Beam Globals. Presented by Bobby Gleason, $20 per person pre-register. 1 Poydras Street, Suite 169 (Julia Street entrance) 6:30 p.m.
Monday, January 12, 19, 26
DOS JEFES UPTOWN CIGAR BAR
John Fohl at 9:30 p.m. 5535 TCHOUPITOULAS ST. (504) 891 8500
Through January 18 Prospect1 New Orleans Installation by Rosângela Rennó, Wednesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Brulatour Courtyard, 520 Royal Street. Rennó’s installation is a video display that features four members of Louisiana’s French-speaking Creole communities. Rennó was motivated to create this piece upon viewing The Collection’s 2007 exhibition “What’s Cooking in New Orleans? Culinary Traditions of Louisiana” and has described her work as “a very humble homage to Louisiana.”
Through February 20 A Closer Look: The Antebellum Photographs of Jay Dearborn Edwards, 1858–1861 WilliamsGallery, 533 Royal Street. The Historic New Orleans Collection presents an exhibition of the earliest-known paper photographs of New Orleans. “A Closer Look” features three dozen images of a thriving southern city on the brink of the Civil War.
Through February 20 Cajun Document, 1974: Photographs by Charles H. Traub and DouglasBaz WilliamsResearchCenter, 410 Chartres Street. For six months in 1974, New Yorkers Charles H. Traub and Douglas Baz lived in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, and photographed the community and the surrounding countryside.. Their collective work encompassed hundreds of images that depict the land, people, and life patterns of Louisiana’s Cajuns. This exhibition is a selection of 30 images from that series.
Through March 1
NEW ORLEANSMUSEUM OF ART NOMA presents “Photography and Depression,” an examination of depression in all its forms, including mental and financial, through 82 works from the Museum's permanent collection. Featured artists represent a who's who of photography, including Ansel Adams, William Eggleston, Walker Evans, Andrew Feininger, Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Danny Lyon, Eadweard Muybridge, George Tice, Alfred Steiglitz, Weegee and many more.
The works are accompanied by text excerpted from Culture and Depression, a 1985 book by Dr. Arthur M. Kleinman, the distinguished professor, psychiatrist, medical and social anthropologist based at HarvardUniversity.
Weekly
“PLAYIN’ AT THE POLO” at the Windsor Court
The Polo Club Lounge, “Playin’ At The Polo,” featuring popular local musicians performing a repertoire of sophisticated jazz is presenting the following:
Friday: Vocalist Leah Chase, 9 p.m.-12 midnight
Saturday: Cabaret singer Anais St. John
Thursday, Friday & Saturday: Pianist Michael Pellera, 7-11 p.m. Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. Fridays, 6-9 p.m. Sunday –Wednesday: Pianist Zaza 7–11 p.m.
Dr. Jazz, Jim Harris-Solo Piano-January 6 & 7th
Sunday Brunch: Christopher Kohl Trio, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
EVENTS AT THE RITZ CARLTON
Performing musicians are, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: Early evening, George French; Later evening, Jeremy Davenport; Sunday Brunch: Armand St Martin..
Please save this date:
Our monthly Round Table Luncheon will be held Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at noon at Begue’s of the Royal Sonesta Hotel . The featured guests are writers Kit Wohl that will speak about her new book: “New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soup” , Errol Laborde who will speak about his new book: “KREWE The Early New Orleans Carnival Comus to Zulu” and as lagniappe Mr. Mardi Gras: Blaine Kern Sr.
The three-course gourmet luncheon is $35, all inclusive including complimentary parking and wine. For reservations, please contact Noel Scallan at 504-553-2220 or email her at nscallan@royalsonestano.com
Darling friends, 
