Dumpstaphunk celebrated 50 years of Rejuvenation by The Meters with members of the original band at the Civic Theatre on the second Thursday of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Though the entire Fest late-night was filled 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 too-soon passing was a severe blow, but Daniels, ever the consummate professional and showman at heart, would surely have wanted the show to go on. Logistically, Dumpstaphunk guitarist Ian Neville slid over to give the upcoming guests plenty of space center stage. Multi-instrumentalist Tony Hall served as the band’s sole bassist while Cyril Neville, percussionist and vocalist with later iterations of The Meters as well as The Neville Brothers, 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 venerated bassist to the stage. As Porter got himself and his bass situated, organist and founder of Dumpstaphunk, Ivan Neville, testified 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. Porter, now finished plugging in, looked visibly touched.
The final of the three participating Meters, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, came out next and readied himself to join in on this celebration of The Meters with (some of) The Meters. With Leo flanking Cyril 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 Nocentelli and Porter took a short break, Ivan Neville introduced the powerhouse lineup, with Ian, Hall, and Ivan joined by Deven Trusclair on drums, Brad Walker on saxophone, Ashlin Parker and John Michael Bradford on trumpet, and Alex Wasily on slide trombone. Joining this band of music-making men on backing vocals were two of three members of ’90s R&B trio Mahogany Blue, who brought 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 beloved 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 Cyril front and center, and the entire sold-out Civic Theatre through a spirited call-and-response sing-along 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, Nocentelli 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 Nocentelli 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’s suggested remedies 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 WWOZ, 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 Nocentelli, 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.
Before the encore, George made a moving dedication to Dumpstaphunk for keeping the music alive. His speech seemed to catch Ivan Neville off guard and unprepared for the 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.
Dumpstaphunk w/ George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Cyril Neville – “Just Kissed My Baby” (The Meters) – 5/2/24
[Video: sgibson818]