Taste of Louisiana, Chef John Folse's Christmas Memories with Pete Fountain

Taste of Louisiana Show on PBS, 1995 Christmas Memories Show. Pete shares a couple of his family recipes and toots Jingle Bells with Louisiana Chef John Folse. 10 minutes duration. Courtesy of LPB.org.

The Basin Street Six - River Boat - Mercury Records

The Basin Street Six
River Boat
featuring Pete Fountain

1951 Mercury Records EP-1-3238 Mono 7" EP

Side A:
1. Lazy River
2. I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Side B:
1. Sunday
2. Panama

Liner Notes:

Personnel:
George Girard (trumpet,vocals)
Joe Rotis (trombone)
Pete Fountain (clarinet)
Roy Zimmerman (piano)
Bunny Franks (bass)
Charlie Duke (drums)

Recording Date: Chicago September 19, 1951

In this Extended Playing album Mercury presents a genuine treat for jazz lovers in a sampling of the Dixieland which has brought quick fame to the Basin Street Six, a group of young musicians which Mercury believes is destined to become a legend in the jazz field. Jazz connoisseurs of long standing aver that this brand of music has not been heard since the days of the fabulous New Orleans Rhythm Kings. who remain, after many years, the criterion for excellence.

It is not by accident that the Basin Street Six has been compared to the New
Orleans Rhythm Kings. Like their great predecessors, the Basin Street Six came from New Orleans to Chicago and immediately created a sensation at such spots as Jazz Ltd. and the Blue Note. Their youth, vigor and obvious joy and talent in the music they play has brought them a fanatical following. In 21 year old George Girard on trumpet they have one of the most promising jass musicians to come along since the immortal Biz. The others, Pete Fountain on clarinet, Joe Rotis on trombone, Roy Zimmerman on piano, Charlie Duke on drums and Bunny Frank on bass, form a combination with Gerard that is the talk of the jazz world.

The four selections offered here are among the choicest in the Basin Street Six's rapidly expanding repertoire. You'll enjoy "Lazy River," played as we doubt you've ever heard it played before. Then there's "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," played tenderly yet with amazing variations which will leave you breathless with awe at their musicianship. "Sunday" is a gay romp, played with all the buoyancy and bounce this jazz standard calls for. "Panama" is a delight to anyone who appreciates authentic Dixieland.

Here, then. is the Basin Street Six, a young but musically mature group which has been called "the reincarnation of one of the first great jazz bands, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings."

Pete Fountain Performing at Hollywood Casino Bay St Louis

Disappointing Visit to see Pete at

Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis

As usual, I make my yearly visit to see Pete play at the tiny Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis MS. Since he only plays once a month, I checked their website and it stated he now plays Tues and Wed. of the first FULL week of each month. So I checked the calender, then called them to Sunday before (9/6/09), spoke with a lady who assured me he was playing this Tues. (9/8 and 9/9). I even asked since the week before wasn't the first FULL week (a phrase that seems to escape understanding at this casino). When I got down there from Massachusetts, I was surprised to find out he played the previous Tues and Wed. (not the first FULL week of the month and apparently unknown to casino personnel who answer these sort of questions to people planning on travelling to their little casino) The best they could do is offer me a free buffet. That certainly is the poorest effort I've ever seen. Maybe I'm spoiled since I leave near the casinos Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, the two largest casinos in the world. These class acts would be embarrassed to offer a free buffet when they provided inaccurate information to a guest. Below are some excerpts from their website (which they now have changed the wording to cover themselves) and emails from the public relations person (who merely restated that Pete plays on Tues and Wed, ingnoring my concerns or their liablity).

Hollywood Casino Bay St Louis Website:

Old web page verbiage:

Pete Fountain Jazz it up with legendary Jazz Musician Pete Fountain LIVE in the Oak Royale Room. $20 cover includes 2 FREE drinks. Tickets sold in Token's Gift Shop. Shows are held the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the first full week of every month. See Tokens Gift Shop for show schedule.

New web page verbiage as of 9/17/09:

Jazz it up with legendary Jazz Musician Pete Fountain LIVE in the Oak Royale Room. $20 cover includes 2 FREE drinks. Tickets sold in Token's Gift Shop. Shows are held on selected Tuesday and Wednesday of every month. See Tokens Gift Shop for show schedule. Hollywood Casino reserves the right to cancel or change show schedule at anytime.
--------------------------

From: David Mekalian
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 2:12 PM
To: 'Bob Davidge'
Subject: RE: Hollywood Casino St Louis Bay, MS Contact Request

I understand he used to play every Tue and Wed and only plays the first FULL week of each month now. My point was he didn't play the first FULL week of Sept and before I made the trip from Massachusetts I called your Casino and was told when I called the Casino on Sun he was playing the Tues of my visit (the first FULL week). This was a long trip for what turned out to be a disappointment. I know Pete Fountain, I run a website dedicated to him and report on my visit to see him each year.

http://petefountain.blogspot.com

If Pete is still performing next year, I'll look you up next Sept or Oct 2010.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bob Davidge [mailto:Bob.Davidge@pngaming.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 10:55 AM
To: David MekalianSubject: FW: Hollywood Casino St Louis Bay, MS Contact Request

Mr. Mekalian,

Thank you for contacting us about your recent visit to our property. We are pleased to be the only casino on the Coast to feature the legendary Jazz musician Pete Fountain. Until recently, he performed every Tuesday and Wednesday, and now typically performs the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the first full week of the month. There have been occasions when he has been unable to do that.

Unfortunately, you’re right he played on Tuesday, Sept. 1st and Wed., Sept. 2nd and is scheduled to play again, on Oct. 6 & 7th, the first full week of October. I’m sorry that you didn’t get to seem him during your visit. I promise you that I will see that I’ll address this issue and I will change that verbiage on our website.

Please feel free to call me during your next visit.
Thank you again,

Bob
Bob Davidge
Advertising & Public Relations Manager
Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis
711 Hollywood Blvd.
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
(228) 466-8047
www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com

Memorabilia - Pete Fountain's Half Fast Walking Club by Brad Thompson

Pete Fountain's Half Fast Walking Club Poster
by Brad Thompson

Poster features legendary New Orleans jazz clarinetist, Pete Fountain, a founder and one of the most prominent members of The Half Fast Walking Club, one of the best known marching Krewes that parades in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Foutain commissioned native New Orleans artist, Brad Thompson to paint "a collage of all that encompasses his part in starting 'the carnival' each year in New Orleans."

Size: 27" x 22" Unframed
Artist-Signed and Numbered Limited Edition Print

For more information or to purchase a poster:
http://www.usd.edu/smm/GiftShop/Posters/PeteFountainPoster.html

Memorabilia - Pete Fountain: The Duke of Dixieland - Jazz Times 2001

Pete Fountain: The Duke of Dixieland
Jazz Times Magazine, October 2001
by Geraldine Wyckoff

Pete Fountain appears a contented man as he sits in his homey office adjacent to his club in New Orleans’ Hilton Hotel. "Welcome to the inner sanctum," greets Fountain as he walks through a hall lined with photographs representing a lifetime in music.

A robust individual with shiny pink cheeks and a ready smile, Fountain, 71, glows with a sense of knowing just who he is, of being happy with his life and thankful for his many successes. He’s come a long way from the skinny asthmatic kid who, at the age of nine, took up the clarinet on the recommendation of a doctor. Because of his health problems, the physician advised Fountain’s mother to get her son a wind instrument to improve his respiratory system.

"Years ago they called it weak lungs," explains Fountain, who never again suffered with breathing difficulties. "It built up my lungs; in fact, they became over sized through the years."

The prescription, of course, not only cured the young boy but eventually led to a career spanning some six decades, over 90 albums and international acclaim. Music drew Fountain even before he ever put a clarinet to his lips. As a kid, he used to pass a club called the Top Hat on his way to the movies at the nearby Arcade Theater. He would stop to listen through the fence to bands with musicians like trumpeters Sharkey Bonano and Louis Prima.

"My sister would have to drag me along saying ‘Come on, we have to go to the show,’" remembers Fountain, who really preferred peeking through the slats and listening to the music. "I found out I really enjoyed jazz," he continues. "It was just the feeling of listening to the jazz like that, it just brings you up, even as a little kid. Something was there."

Fountain grew up in a mid-city New Orleans neighborhood. About a block and a half away was Peterson’s Music Store, a spot where Fountain would often hang out. The proprietor, Harold Peterson, encouraged the clarinetist in his endeavors and would have the boy get his horn and play for patrons of the store who he thought would enjoy hearing him.

"Mr. Peterson put together a little brass band, it was called the Broad Street Social and Pleasure Club. He would get everybody in the neighborhood who played. They’d stop by my house and pick me up. It was a school night and my mother used to scream about it. They wouldn’t walk too long. it would last as long as a barrel of beer lasted."

By the time Fountain was 14 he was already playing some dancehall jobs. "We had a little band and we’d get $5 a night," recalls Fountain. "There were four of us so we’d get $1.25. One of the guys, Jack Delaney, a great trombone player, would borrow his brother’s car to take us to the job."

Serious about music, Fountain listened to the clarinetists of the era like New Orleanians George Lewis, Raymond Burke and Irving Fazola as well as Benny Goodman. "I’m glad I did because I didn’t copy one particular clarinet player," says Fountain. "I put those four together and came up with a sound."

He developed his craft in ensembles like Phil Zito’s International Dixieland Express, The Dukes of Dixieland and the Basin Street Six. It was while with the Six, standing alongside childhood friend and music mate trumpeter George Girard, that Fountain realized his life’s work would be in music. "I went directly from high school to the Conservatory of Bourbon Street," says Fountain with a laugh.

With the Basin Street Six, Fountain played what he calls "swingin’ Dixie" and it’s a style he’s stuck with throughout his career. During the late 1940s, trumpeter Al Hirt would often sit in with the Six, and he and Fountain developed a life-long personal and musical relationship.

"From then on we got to be friends and we worked together a lot of times," says Fountain. "It was one of those things that whoever got the job wore the bow tie. If Al got the job he wore the bow tie; if I got the job I wore the bow tie. To work with Al, he was such a technician; he really helped me with my technique. Because to keep up with him, you’ve got to play because he’s not going to wait for you. He would kick off a tune and it was gone."

A glitch in Fountain and Hirt’s musical careers occurred in 1956, when the two musicians, who by then had family responsibilities, faced a scarcity of jobs. Blame it on the rise of rock ’n’ roll and rhythm ’n’ blues in their hometown; for the first time Fountain abandoned music as his main source of income. The two stuck together, however, and went to work for a pest-control company.

"He was in the roach division and I was in the termite division," says Fountain with a chuckle. "I was small and skinny at that time so I could get under a house. We didn’t last! I think we lasted about two months there. That was it."

Soon thereafter Fountain and Hirt both got the breaks that would completely change their fortunes. Hirt went with vocalist Dinah Shore and Fountain got the call from bandleader Lawrence Welk.

"She really made him and Welk really made me," says Fountain, who joined Welk’s band in 1957 and performed weekly on the bandleader’s popular television show. Fountain gained particular recognition on the program as he stepped out of the orchestra to lead a featured Dixieland combo that played classics like Muskrat Ramble.

Fountain initially went to Los Angeles to play with Welk for a couple of weeks but ended up staying two years.

"He kept me sober, and it damn near killed me," recalls Fountain, laughing. "He was pretty hard on drinking."

While Fountain was getting only union scale with Welk, he was gaining a strong following of fans and a reputation for his Dixieland style. He recorded an album with Welk and then debuted as leader on Pete Fountain’s New Orleans on the Coral label. (Re-released by MCA, Fountain says the album is still selling.) Now a household name and recording artist, Fountain felt his career was flourishing enough that he and his family could return home.

"I wanted my kids to grow up in New Orleans like I did," says Fountain. "Los Angeles didn’t have the heart and the warmth that you have down here. Even though my wife could cook red beans and rice, you miss the seasonings, you miss the crawfish and all of that."

Fountain, who has now been in the club business over 40 years, bought his first nightspot at 800 Bourbon Street. Playing three shows a night, five days a week wasn’t easy work, but was necessary because of the club’s limited capacity. Several years later, the clarinetist moved the action up the street to a larger spot at 231 Bourbon. Now Fountain had the luxury of having to play only two sets a night. In 1977, the clarinetist finally moved Pete Fountain’s to its present location on the third floor of the Hilton Hotel. Seating 400 patrons and designed by Fountain to resemble the Blue Room club in Las Vegas’ Tropicana hotel, the clarinetist and his band began packing them in for a single show a night.

It’s a long way from Bourbon Street, and its heavy foot traffic, to the third floor of a downtown hotel. Realizing the problem from the onset, Fountain knew he had to let his fans across the country know where to find him when they came to New Orleans. He got in contact with The Tonight Show, then hosted by Johnny Carson, and asked to be a guest. The resulting performance served its initial purpose of advertising Fountain’s new locale and also became the first of 58 appearances on the popular late night television show.

With the release of 2001’s Big Band Blues (Ranwood), two of the most influential aspects of Fountain’s career appearances on Welk’s and Carson’s television shows came together. On the album, Fountain performs with the New Lawrence Welk Orchestra on arrangements by former Tonight Show guitarist Bob Bain. Through the years, Bain wrote these charts specifically for the clarinetist’s many appearances with the Tonight Show band, then led by Doc Severinsen.

In New Orleans, Fountain is renowned not only as a clarinetist and club owner, but also for his annual Mardi Gras appearances with his Half-Fast Marching Club. Since childhood, Fountain enjoyed watching and listening to Carnival organizations the Jefferson City Buzzards and the Corner Club. So in 1961, he and a group of friends formed their own marching club. The group of costumed revelers makes an annual trek from uptown New Orleans to the French Quarter, heading out on Carnival morning to walk in front of the famous Zulu parade. In Half-Fast’s early years, the Onward Brass Band accompanied it, led by drummer Paul Barbarin and later by clarinetist Louis Cottrell. For Carnival 2001, almost 200 people marched with the Half-Fast, which boasted two bands and, of course, Fountain’s clarinet.

"It’s New Orleans," says Fountain of this Mardi Gras experience. "It’s part of me; it’s part of my life."

As Fountain sits comfortably in his office, the walls full of photographs tell his story. Autographed pictures of stars like Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson hang next to those of Fountain and his father costumed as Indians during one of the Half-Fast’s notorious marches. Fountain is at once the famed musician who played with trumpet legend Louis Armstrong and at the White House, and the guy who can’t resist hitting the streets for a second-line parade.

"I’m still here tootin’," says Fountain with a smile. "What you see is what you get."



About Geraldine Wyckoff

Geraldine Wyckoff has been a freelance music journalist in New Orleans for more than 22 years. She writes regularly for Louisiana Weekly and New Orleans Magazine. Geraldine has been contributing to JT since 1986.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/20111-pete-fountain-the-duke-of-dixieland

Review: The Roosevelt's Blue Room July 31, 2009 Show

The Roosevelt's reborn Blue Room
swings with Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin

by Keith Spera, Music writer, The Times-Picayune
Saturday August 01, 2009, 2:33 PM

Reprint Courtesy of Nola.com © 2009 New Orleans Net LLC.

Water glasses reflected blue stage lights. A massive chandelier sparkled. Elegantly attired guests dined on lobster and filet mignon and danced to a jazz big band fronted by the clarinets of Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin.

Take away the iPhones deployed by some and Friday could have passed for a scene from the Blue Room's heyday as one of the South's premier supper clubs.

Instead, Friday marked the rebirth of the Blue Room in The Roosevelt New Orleans, the sumptuously restored former Fairmont hotel on Baronne Street.

Photo right: Fountain "toots" at the opening of the reborn Blue Room on Friday, July 31, 2009. Kevin Zansler / The Times-Picayune

Back in the day, the Blue Room hosted all manner of marquee entertainers: Louis Armstrong. Frank Sinatra. Sonny & Cher. Tony Bennett. Ella Fitzgerald. Marlene Dietrich. Jimmy Durante. Bette Midler. For decades, until supper clubs fell out of favor, it was the place to see and be seen. Many New Orleanians harbor fond memories of special occasions spent there.

In its new incarnation, the room's layout is altered only slightly. Tables are set on two tiers, per tradition. But the low stage on which performers once ventured out among tables has been replaced by a herringbone-patterned dance floor. Musicians now occupy a raised stage set into the room's back wall.

On the Blue Room's opening night, guests dined on lobster, caviar, filet mignon and baked Alaska. Kevin Zansler / The Times-Picayune

But the elegance of the old days is in evidence. Many in attendance Friday could have frequented the Blue Room in the 1960s or earlier. With a $195 ticket, they passed through massive gold doors gift-wrapped with blue ribbons. Inside awaited memories and executive chef Stefan Kauth's menu of lobster and choupique caviar symphony, petit filet mignon, Louisiana crab cakes, truffle mashed potatoes and baked Alaska flambe.

Photo right: Tim Laughlin joined his friend and mentor Pete Fountain on stage for the reopening of the Blue Room. Kevin Zansler / The Times-Picayune

Laughlin and an expanded version of his band eased into a program of jazz standards and original material. The latter included "For Pete's Sake," a song Laughlin wrote in honor of Fountain, his friend, mentor and the night's special guest.

All musicians but Fountain wore tuxedos; he opted for a dark suit and tie. Bassist Matt Perrine, his long hair pulled back in a discrete ponytail, worked an upright bass furiously as he soloed in "When the Saints Go Marching In."

Men in suits and women in cocktail dresses crowded the dance floor. They kept dancing through the spiritual "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." "It's done in a tempo where you can get away with it," Laughlin said later.

After a final "Struttin' With Some Barbecue," fans pressed against the stage to shake Fountain's hand or collect an autograph on the blue souvenir menus. "The whole city loves you," one man said to Fountain.

Laughlin and Fountain return on Saturday, Aug. 1, for a second sold-out show. For the next few weeks at least, the Blue Room will open only for weddings and other private events. Starting in October, the room will feature a Sunday brunch, the restoration of another tradition.

The 504-room Roosevelt, now part of the Hilton Hotel Corp.'s upscale Waldorf-Astoria portfolio, welcomed its first guests since Hurricane Katrina in early July. Laughlin has performed frequently in the hotel's refurbished Sazerac Bar. When a regular schedule of entertainment will return to the Blue Room itself is uncertain.

Fans new and old will likely embrace it.

Fountain first played the room in the 1940s, and appeared dozens of times over the years. Laughlin attended a handful of shows at the old Blue Room, including the Mills Brothers and Mel Torme. But Friday was the first time he ever graced the stage himself.

"It was almost spiritual in a way," Laughlin said soon after the show's conclusion. "One of the biggest honors I've ever had. And to do it with Pete is a notch above that."

The Blue Room's new herringbone-patterned dance floor, sparsely populated early on, filled up by the end of Friday's show. Kevin Zansler / The Times-Picayune

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reprint and content courtesy of Nola.com © 2009 New Orleans Net LLC.

http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2009/08/the_roosevelts_reborn_blue_roo.html

Return of Entertainment to the Sazerac Bar and Blue Room

Roosevelt's Blue Room to open July 31 with Pete Fountain

After nearly 50 years, The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel is again claiming its spot as a top music destination in the city and around the world.

On July 31, legendary clarinetist Pete Fountain will take the stage at The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel's Blue Room, sharing the stage with fellow clarinetist Tim Laughlin. Together they will bring back the kind of star entertainment that once made the Blue Room one of America’s premier night clubs and supper clubs. The event will include a champagne reception and dinner starting at 7 p.m., with music to follow.

Once one of America's premier night clubs and supper clubs, The Blue Room will feature live music each Friday evening. The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel will be opening its various attractions throughout the next month or so.

100 CD Box Set Japanese Remasters - 2009

The Complete "Pete"

100 CD Box Set Mini LP OBI - Japanese Remasters

Volume One - The Early Years

Columbia Years with Phil Zito, Santo Pecora

The Mercury Years with Santo Pecora, Basin Street Six

The 1950'S with Al Hirt, Santo Pecora, Basin Street Six, Tony Almerico
and The Dukes of Dixeland

Matt Litchliter Artwork - Teri Galleries, LTD. - Fine Art in Metairie, Louisiana

Matt Litchliter

Louisiana Artist
Pete Fountain Artwork

Pete Fountain Original on Canvas
Co-signed by Matt Litchliter and Pete Fountain

Matt Litchliter & Jazz Legend Pete Fountain

Autographing the original appropriately titled "Pete Fountain".

It was an exciting day at Teri Galleries when Jazz Legend Pete Fountain visited to give his 'signature of approval' to New Orleans' artist Matt Litchliter's original painting of the internationally famous clarinetist! A collection of jazz fans and fine art investors were on hand to witness Pete Fountain and Matt Litchliter's meeting and autograph session. Although the original of Pete Fountain has sold, a limited edition run of giclee's on canvas are available.

Courtesy of http://www.terigalleries.com/litchliter.shtml

Jim Tweedy Artwork - Teri Galleries, LTD. - Fine Art in Metairie, Louisiana

Jim Tweedy

Louisiana Artist

Pete Fountain Artwork

Hot Head Pete

Little Pete Blue

Red Pete

All original oil paintings on Canvas signed by Jim Tweedy & Pete Fountain

Artist Jim Tweedy with Jazz Legend Pete Fountain,
autographing originals for art investors.

Courtesy of http://www.terigalleries.com/tweedy.shtml

Happy Birthday Pete Fountain! - Teri Galleries, LTD. - Fine Art in Metairie, Louisiana

Happy Birthday Pete Fountain!

Artwork by Jim Tweedy

Teri Galleries, LTD. - Fine Art in Metairie, Louisiana

Teri Galleries is celebrating the 79th birthday of their long time friend, Pete Fountain. Pete has been a huge part of what makes New Orleans so unique and his music has touched so many throughout his long career. Celebrate with us by purchasing one of the pieces that Pete's music inspired.

The embellished giclee' "Pete Fountain" by Louisiana artist Matt Litchliter captures that indelible spirit that is Pete Fountain as he plays during Mardi Gras and the during the procession of the Half Fast Walking Club. The series of original paintings done by another Louisiana artist, Jim Tweedy, have also been inspired by Pete Fountain. These pieces, both original and giclee's, show Pete's love of life and music in these fun representations.

These pieces as well as Litchliter's piece have been co-signed by Pete Fountain. If interested in either piece please contact Teri Galleries at 504-887-8588,1-800-533-8374 or via email at info@terigalleries.com

Courtesy of http://terigalleries.blogspot.com/2009/07/happy-birthday-pete-fountain.html

Some Blogs That Have Pete Fountain Downloads For Free.

Here are some blogs that have Pete Fountain LP's and CD's ripped to mp3 files. Click on the individual description to view the blogs. New ones added 6/17/09.

This blog has the LPs Let The Good Times Roll, Dixieland Classics, Pete Fountain's New Orleans, Something Misty, Farewell Blues and Pete's Beat listed.

This blog has the LPs Those Were the Days and I Love Paris listed.

This blog has the LPs Dr. Fountain's Magical Licorice Stick Remedy For The Blues, Those Were the Days and I Love Paris listed.

This blog has the LP Pete Fountain and Al Hirt Bourbon Street listed.

This blog also has the LP Pete Fountain and Al Hirt Bourbon Street listed.

This blog has the LP Candy Clarinet listed.

Note the download link for Candy Clarinet is here.

This blog has Licorice Stick, The Best of (1972 Coral), Licorice Stick and Candy Clarinet listed.

And this blog has the LP Taste of Honey.

Around the World for Lovers - Verve Records

Around the World for Lovers (Various Artists)
Featuring Pete Fountain

2007 - Verve Records

Track Listing:
1. A Foggy Day - Louis Armstrong
2. April In Paris - Sarah Vaughn
3. A Nightengale Sang In Berkeley Square - Anita O'day
4. Corcovado - Antonio Carlos Jobim
5. Dear Old Stockholm - Stan Getz
6. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? - Pete Fountain
7. I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Arthur Prysock
8. Isfahan - Joe Henderson
9. Non-Stop To Brazil - Astrud Gilberto
10. When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano - Carmen McRae
11. Manhattan - Blossom Dearie

Dr. John - Goin' Back To New Orleans - Warner Bros.

Dr. John - Goin' Back To New Orleans
featuring Pete Fountain

1992 - Warner Bros

Tracks:
01. Litanie des Saints
02. Careless Love
03. My Indian Red
04. Milenburg Joys
05. I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say
06. Basin Street Blues (featuring Pete Fountain)
07. Didn't He Ramble
08. Do You Call That a Buddy?
09. How Come My Dog Don't Bark When You Come 'Round
10. Good Night, Irene
11. Fess Up
12. Since I Fell For You
13. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You
14. Cabbage Head
15. Goin' Home Tomorrow
16. Blue Monday
17. Scald Dog
18. Goin' Back to New Orleans

Line Up:
Dr. John (vocals, guitar, piano, organ)
Danny Barker (guitar, banjo)
Tommy Moran (guitar)
Pete Fountain (clarinet)

Charles Neville, Herb Hardesty, Eric Traub, Amadee Castenell, Frederick Kemp (Tenor Saxophones)

Alvin "Red" Tyler, Roger Lewis (Baritone Saxophones)

Al Hirt, Jamil Sharif, Charlie Miller, Umar Sharif, Clyde Kerr,Jr. (Trumpets)

Bruce Hammond (trombone)
Kirk Joseph (tuba)
David Barard, Chris Severin (bass)
Freddy Staehle (drums)

Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, Chief "Smiley" Ricks, Cyril Neville, Charles Neville (Percussion)

Shirley Goodman, Stephanie Whitfield, Connie Fitch, Tara Janelle, Chuck Carbo (Background Vocals)

The Neville Brothers: Art Neville, Aaron Neville, Charles Neville, Cyril Neville (Vocals)

Liner Notes:
Goin' Back traces a century of Crescent City musical history, starting in the mid-19th century with Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a classical composer influenced by the African chants and slave dances he witnessed in New Orleans' Congo Square. With support from some of the city's most prominent musical pioneers (including Danny Barker, Pete Fountain, and the Neville Brothers), Dr. John breathes new life into the work of Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, James Booker, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, and Huey Piano Smith. From early jazz to junkie blues, Goin' Back covers it all, ranging from well-trod standards ("Basin Street Blues," "Careless Love") to otherwise forgotten jewels ("I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," "How Come My Dog Don't Bark"). What's most remarkable is how utterly alive and timeless it sounds. - Keith Moerer

That's A Plenty by Pete Fountain - K-Tel

That's A Plenty
by Pete Fountain

2009 - K-Tel Records

Tracks:
1. That's A Plenty
2. Sensation Rag (Live Version)
3. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree (Live Version)
4. Up A Lazy River
5. Sunset In Paradise
6. Bayou Blues
7. Margie
8. High Society
9. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
10. Mahogany Hall Stomp
11. Farewell Blues
12. When The Saints Go Marching In

Liner Notes:

This is another one of those download only release on Amazon, old tunes from the Phil Zito, Tony Almerico, Sharkey Bonano, Santo Pecora and George Girard days. These songs seem to get repackaged over and over, same songs.

Bugle Call Rag & Other Favorites (Digitally Remastered) - EMG

Bugle Call Rag & Other Favorites (Digitally Remastered)
by Pete Fountain

2009 - Essential Media Group LLC

Tracks:
1. Margie
2. Going Home
3. South Rampart Street Parade
4. That's A Plenty
5. Jazz Me Blues
6. Farewell Blues
7. Bugle Call Rag
8. High Society
9. When The Saints Go Marching In
10. Lazy River
11. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

Liner Notes:

This is one of those download only release on Amazon, old tunes from the Phil Zito, Tony Almerico, Sharkey Bonano, Santo Pecora and George Girard days. These songs seem to get repackaged over and over, same songs.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2009 - News

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2009
Pete Fountain Performs on Sat April 25, 2009

Visit the official The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2009 website.

Pete onstage doing what he does best!

Pete’s professional dancer and granddaughter, Danielle Harrell Scheib

Pete behind the Economy Hall Tent after his set, saying "Hello".

Report from our very own blog member, thanks John!

The first weekend of JazzFest in New Orleans just concluded. New Orleans is now settling into a week of abundant night time club activity all over the city with jam sessions into the wee small hours. But last Saturday afternoon on the Fairgrounds in the Peoples Health Economy Hall Tent, Pete played an hour long set from 4:25 to 5:25.

He opened with “Clarinet Marmalade” and was greeted with a standing ovation before he played his first note. Other tunes included “Lazy River”, “Muskrat Ramble”, “Tin Roof Blues” with Allyn Young delivering an humorous blues vocal poking fun at trombonist Mike Genevay, and “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” after which the audience rose out of their seats to give a deserved standing ovation.

However, Pete had not played his full hand yet. Pete’s manager, Benny Harrell, announced that Pete’s professional dancer and granddaughter, Danielle Harrell Scheib, would accompany Pete and Band on “St. Louis Blues” supplying rhythmical patterns with her energetic tap shoes. A crowd favorite, Ms. Scheib stayed through the final number “When the Saints Come Marching In”. The weather cooperated with a sunny, pleasantly breezy day accompanied by blue skies and low humidity. JazzFest has one more weekend of music beginning this Thursday and ending next Sunday.

Pete Fountain Golf Tournament and Christian Brothers School Benefit 2009 - News

Pete Fountain Golf Tournament

and Christian Brothers School Benefit 2009
reported by our very own blog member, thanks!

April 16, 2009 - New Orleans, LA

Tonight, Pete accompanied by his regular band that performs at the Hollywood Casino performed their annual benefit concert that coincides with the annual Pete Fountain Golf Tournament. A large tent was erected in the backyard where the 7:00 to 8:00 concert was held. The band opened with "Clarinet Marmalade" followed by such tunes as "Lazy River", "St Louis Blues", "Tin Roof Blues", and "When the Saints Go Marching In". Pete was in good spirits and constructed imaginative solos throughout. The weather was cool and the humidity was low, always a plus for New Orleans especially this time of year when summertime heat and humidity are beginning to settle in permanently.

Pete Fountain, Christian Brothers School

Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin

Pete Fountain and the Hollywood Casino Band

Pete Fountain Golf Tournament Cake

Pete Fountain

Pete and Tim

French Quarter Festival 2009 - News

French Quarter Festival 2009

reported by our very own blog member, thanks!

The Connie Jones Band opened the French Quarter Festival today, April 17, 2009 outdoors in Jackson Square at 11:00. As the "surprise" guest Pete greeted the crowd as he joined Connie and gang for a few opening numbers which included "Clarinet Marmalade", "Lazy River", "St. Louis Blues", and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee". Pete definitely enjoyed himself smiling and waving to people as the crowd enthusiastically cheered each number, crying for more after "A Closer Walk". Pete embraced Tim Laughlin and Connie Jones with heart-felt hugs at the conclusion of the set. Last year, Pete opened the French Quarter Festival with Connie’s band as the "surprise" guest. With any luck this will become an annual event.

Pete warming up before the show.

Pete Fountain and the Connie Jones Band

Otis Bazzon, Tim Laughlin, Pete Fountain and Connie Jones


Otis Bazzon, Tim Laughlin and Pete Fountain


Pete and Benny Harrell after the concert.

Pete Fountain and the Good Book - Coral Records

Pete Fountain and the Good Book

Coral Records - Catalog Number 94 603 - 7" EP

Country: France

Side A:
1. Yes indeed
2. Nobody knows the Trouble I've Seen

Side B:
1. Let Me Walk Closer to Thee
2. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child

Liner Notes:

French import, late 1960's. Four tracks. Rare, hard to find, unique cover.

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame - Pete Fountain's Induction 2008

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame

Pete Fountain's Induction 2008

Pete Fountain and Mike Shepherd at Hollywood Casino Induction

PETE FOUNTAN (b. July 3, 1930 – ): Born in the cradle of American jazz, Pete Fountain was a skinny boy who spent too much of his time hanging around the front door of the Top Hat Dance Hall, a stronghold of Dixieland Jazz in New Orleans.

In 1955, he was a member of the Dukes of Dixieland but until 1956, be-bop and rock and roll were the hottest sounds going and it was difficult making a living playing jazz, even in New Orleans, the home of jazz, so with a wife and three small children to support, he gave up music if only temporarily.

But the very next year, Lawrence Welk, host of the nation’s top-rated television show, hired Fountain and for the next two years, he was the most famous jazz musician on television, his name became a household word, and New Orleans Jazz made a comeback. After two years in Los Angeles, Fountain likewise made a comeback – to New Orleans to open his own jazz club in the heart of the French Quarter. Since its opening in 1959, it has expanded into the largest jazz club in the city.

He has performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as on Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Andy Williams specials and performed fifty-nine times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He also performed at four U.S. State Dinners, for four U.S. Presidents, for Pope John Paul II at the New Orleans Papal Mass with an audience of over 400,000.

He has recorded over ninety albums, three of which went gold. He also received a gold record for his single Just A Closer Walk With Thee. He was voted the number 1 Jazz Clarinetist for thirteen consecutive years in the Playboy Readers Poll.

He was King of Bacchus, and received an Emmy for the 1990 Super Bowl Pre-Game Music. He received the 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award in Music. Among those with whom he has performed are Louis Armstrong, Harry James, and Harry Connick, Jr.

On March 18, 2007 at Hollywood Casino in Bay St.Louis, MS, Pete Fountain was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.

Courtesy of the Lousiana Music Hall of Fame.