Sunday Summary - Well shortly after 5:30, I met backstage with Cyril Neville. I had my friend Greg Aiello shoot stills and Arthur Shim work the Canon HD camera. The interview went well. Cyril gave me a lot of insight into the Mardi Gras Indians, New Orleans neighborhoods and the relationship the community has to music. Cyril and I talked after the interview for some time and we agreed to stay in contact to continue our conversation.

Photo courtesy of Arthur Shim

Immediately after that I met up with Dr. John and we walked and talked our way over to his bus. Once inside we sat down and talked about Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. His insight into the status of Monk within his community and his influence amongst Mardi Gras Indians was revealing. Mac expressed a sense of urgency about the steady decline of New Orleans' link to the Mardi Gras Indian past, worried that large parts of their history are being threatened and destroyed.

Photo courtesy of Greg Aiello

After that interview, I ran back to the sound board to set up my camera for the Neville Brothers. Unfortunately for me there were far to many people to get a clear shot. However, there must have been close to if not more than 3000 people there. The combination of the weather and the music brought so many people to the park. I did manage to get some amazing audio from the first three songs, but shortly after that I was out their dancing and having a good time.

The Neville Brothers set was spectacular. They opened with "Fire On The Bayou" as the sun was beginning to set on the south side of the canyon. They ran through all the classic as Cyril Neville took a commanding lead on the vocals. Aaron and Cyril are an amazing combination of passion and soul. Aaron delighted the crowd with "Tell It Like It Is", and brought tears to people's eyes with "Amazing Grace" for the encore before playing "One Love" by Bob Marley. Charles was as always destroying the Saxophone, I love his stage presence and the way he leans into his solos. Mean Willie Green of course was rocking on the drums and had an amazing percussion duet with Cyril. The brothers are truly living legends and I highly recommend that you see their tour if you have a chance.

Photo courtesy of Greg Aiello


After the show, the party was backstage. I met and talked with Papa Funk and Charles, as the entourage of people began lining of for autographs I took a step back to take it all in. In the unique experience that is Telluride, the raw beauty of the landscape is captivating and the people are truly special. Here in this tiny town, you can see and hear world class music and then meet the musicians that make it happen.

So this ends the live blogging. In the days and weeks ahead we will be posting more videos and interviews. You can also find us online on Facebook, Myspace and YouTube. The blog will continue through out the year and will undergo changes in design along the way. Thanks for reading and check back soon.

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5:25pm - Time to get ready for Cyril. The bus just pulled in and the boys are looking good and rested. Papa Funk is signing autographs with a big smile. The rest of the boys headed backstage. Talk to you all soon.

5:15pm - Right Place Wrong Time, hell yeah!! I hope you are all listening to WWOZ right now.

Photo courtesy of Arthur Shim

4:50pm - The band is having fun and Mac is on the attack, I like the new stuff. I'm going to have to go and pick up the album.

4:38pm - The Dream Warrior has landed!

4:15pm - Time to work on my questions for Cyril, and set up the camera for the first few songs of Dr. John. I was able to get a feed from the board which is awesome with all the wind.

4:07pm - Wow, the closing song of Dave's set was "Favorite Things" by Coltrane. Amazing, he's so good, and his group was spectacular. Coming up next the Dream Warrior, the Night Tripper, the infamous Dr. John.

3:40pm - Back in the park after going home to change. It's a beautiful day, a bit chilly, but gorgeous. Dave is doing his thing. I can say that I appreciate his ability to take his time. He is very aware of time and space in his music, it traces back I would guess to his time with Miles in the early 70's. Such an amazing progression, I like the work that he is doing with Joe and Ravi for the Saxophone Summit. They just finished a cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman".

Photo courtesy of Greg Aiello

3:02pm - Dave Liebman's set has just started, with a great introduction by Herb Wong, one of the premiere Jazz Critics and DJ's from the late 50's to the early 90's. Herb was the artistic director for the Telluride Jazz Celebration from the beginning for five years and will always be remembered as a Jazz educator. It's great to have here today.

2:34 - Simone leaves the stage to a standing ovation after a blazing rendition of "Feeling Good". For those of you in NY, she has a show June 21st at the Village Gate. August 10th she'll be at Lincoln Center.

2:14 - Just met up with Dr. John's manager and the interview is set! Heard from the Neville camp and I'm going to meet up with Cyril around 5:30pm.

2:07 - Talking about her mother, she tells the audience a secret. She recalls that her mother never considered herself a singer, that instead she thought of herself as classical musician, and that is why her mother was shocked when she told her that she wanted to become a singer.

Photo courtesy of Arthur Shim.

1:37 - Simone breaks into "Keeper Of The Flame" after the band runs the opening number. After the song she speaks to the crowd that she is the keeper of her mother's legacy, and that the song reminds her of the wonder and beauty of her mother.

1:25 - Simone takes the stage and the sun is shinning, the wind is up and the air is cool. The last day of the festival is called New Orleans day, last night in town there was nice second line. Coming up later today of course will be Dr. John and The Neville Brothers. Yeah you right, we gonna have a good time!