Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24 October 2007

Andy is a friend who goes way back to the late 1970's.
He came to Paris from New Orleans in 1977 and was playing on the streets when I first crossed his harps.
He played a mean harmonica even then and I gave him his first taste of a recording session when he sucked and blew a solo on Irv Mowrey's "Continental Drift" album that I was producing.
Andy drifted on down to Italy soon after that and because quite a star over the alps.
Not only through his music but also on the silver screen - for a while he was the '80s version of Clint Eastwood
living the "Dolce Vita" up and down the via Veneto.
But music was his first love and before long he was back in the van gigging around Europe and playing an even meaner harp than he did back in Paris. We had some fun times in Bologna, Milano and even Los Angeles.
Our paths just semed to keep crossing I'd stay with him when I was in Italy
and he'd stay with me when he was in Paris.
He once told me he was going to write a novel and a most unusual thing happened...
he actually did write a novel.
"Letter from hell"
It was published and even got translated and put on the bookshelves in France by Gallimard!
Then he moved back to New Orleans continued to play the clubs in the Crescent City and started to paint.
He had a bunch of exhibitions one of which was here in the Sound Gallery.
Actor, author, painter, musician (hey he even studied ballet) Andy is a bona-fide renaissance man.
Yet oddly over all the years I never got to organise a proper concert with him.
We did do an ad-hoc evening with Andy and friends (Chris Kenna, Sal Bernardi, Rene Miller)
at the Hotel du Nord some years ago and he sat in with Kim Richey here in the Sound Gallery where in 2004 he that memorable juiced jam with Corey Harris and Jamil Williams.

Now some 30 years after we first met he's coming to town with his band
for a couple of compelling nights at La Java.
A lot of bon temps are going to rouler - he's got a new CD with a catchy title
"Real stories about love, labour and other man-made catastopes"

Listen to a track by clicking on the microphone.

click on the photo to hear what went down when andy got together with
corey harris & jamil williams late one night in the sound gallery.