New Orleans Moonshiners

Donna's Bar and Grill on Rampart Street is a magical place for brass band jazz in New Orleans. Established fifteen years ago as a venue for brass bands by Donna and Charlie Sims, Donna's is what its owners call "a real joint"—a fair-sized room lit mostly in strands of Christmas lights with a large bar, a small stage and a kitchen in the back where chef-owner Charlie Sims cooks up some great New Orleans and soul-food dishes learned on his many years as a railroad cook on the New Orleans-Chicago line. A coat of paint would only ruin its well-worn interior decorated with large photos of brass bands of days-gone-by.

Mondays are special at Donna's when Charlie brings out a batch of his red beans and rice and barbecue chicken served free during the first break. When Charlie comes out of the back, the place comes alive as the regulars pay homage to the beret-bearing chef, who gladly makes the rounds to talk to familiar faces and new patrons alike. Donna, a long-time science educator, is one of the friendliest people you might ever meet and is a great friend to the many brass bands in the city for her support of their swinging, upbeat music. Donna's is a raucous, entertaining place seven nights a week with a variety of bands playing and dancers dancing.

On this particular night, it was the New Orleans Moonshiners—a group of seven musicians led by banjo player Chris Edmunds. The band members are young—almost all are in their twenties—and students in the jazz program at the University of New Orleans. They are the type of group that takes away any worry about the future of traditional jazz in the city that created it. In the tradition of great bands in the many clubs of the city, they created an electric night. With Edmunds, drummer Bryan Besse, and bassist Greg Smith keeping rhythm, the band's horn section was talented, high-spirited, and quite capably brought the audience of 40 locals, tourist, and college students into a frenzy of applause at the end of each tune.

The Moonshiners are a band obviously enjoyed by old and young, but they also seem to have a college- age crowd following. Because of the large number of jazz clubs and players in New Orleans, a night out for many college students is going to clubs in the Marigny section of the city and to classic, only-in-New Orleans venues such as Rock n' Bowl to listen to jazz and dance—excellent news for the future of jazz as young people are exposed to, and fall in love with, this music. It was also obvious that they fell in love with the musicians. During the break, Edmunds was surrounded by young women who wanted to take a photo with him. Imagine that! That traditional jazz should become sexy again! With groups like The New Orleans Moonshiners and venues like Donna's, it may be more than a possibility.

- All About Jazz.com

On the Monday night between Jazz Fest weekends, traditional jazz pours out of Mimi’s in the Marigny. Inside, two jitterbuggers dance the Lindy Hop in between candlelit tables. This Monday happens to be the day Lindy Hop creator Frankie Manning died. The two twentysomethings might know this, but it’s equally possible they’ve never heard of Manning. They don’t pull any over-the-back moves, but there’s enough hip to hip action to show that the music and the moves are alive now as they were 60 years ago.

The couple is dancing to the New Orleans Moonshiners, and the band’s young enough to plow through four hours of standards including “Royal Garden Blues” and the well-known “You Are My Sunshine.” Swing and traditional spirituals including “I’ll Fly Away” make regular appearances, and the second line favorite appears on the band’s self-titled debut album. Original compositions seamlessly blend into the rest of the repertoire. They’re a trad jazz band with new souls. When they perform the 1950s nightclub hit “Kiss of Fire” the Moonshiners are accompanied by whistles, zings and kiss sounds. During Louis Armstrong’s “Struttin’ with some Barbecue,” each solo bursts through the rhythm but is matched in energy by the next. Who knew music could get so rowdy without electricity?

“I like to say I like playing music that people can dance to,” banjo player Chris Edmunds says.

And people dance. They Lindy Hop, they swing and they move in ways without names. At a recent gig at Mimi’s, two girls dance the Charleston, which came and went 50 years before they were born. The fringed flapper dresses have been replaced by black pants and cotton T-shirts, but wardrobe aside, you’d think you were in a speakeasy.

The Moonshiners could only work in New Orleans. Seven young, professionally trained transplants band together to explore and spread a love of traditional New Orleans jazz. “We knew we wanted to play traditional jazz, and we knew we wanted to be a young band,” Edmunds says.

They played the streets in the French Quarter, picking up band members along the way: trumpet, alto saxophone, clarinet, drums and bass.

But the Moonshiners were adopted by the music they play. Edmunds is a native New Orleanian, and he moved back to the city last year. “New Orleans makes it possible,” Edmunds says. “In most places you couldn’t play this style of music and make a living.”

In October they had their first gig at Donna’s Bar and Grill on Rampart Street and later became the Monday night regulars there. In the beginning, the band outnumbered the audience, but soon they collected a mixed crowd of regulars and strangers, college kids and middle-aged tourists. Combining youth with time-honored tunes has been key to a steady path of success.

“Older people know the songs, and I think younger people see young people playing and get excited,” Edmunds says.

They released The New Orleans Moonshiners in February, and they’ve played their way around the city: Frenchmen Street, Tipitina’s and the French Quarter and Jazz and Heritage festivals. The acoustic act enjoys playing the larger crowds that might be hearing traditional jazz for the first time, but it prefers the intimacy of playing on the street and in small venues.

On the night Frankie Manning died, Edmunds greets the five people in the audience, “Welcome to Mimi’s. We’re glad you could find a table.” Despite the turnout, the Moonshiners don’t hold back. By 10:30 p.m. the crowd has doubled, and after the second break, the room bustles with people who have made their way upstairs. Solos abound while the others in the band whistle or clap along.

On break, the Moonshiners get drinks and mull around the room, talking with old friends and meeting new ones.

Au sips water, looks around the room and smiles. “It works because we all love the music,” he says.
- Offbeat Magazine