Americana In The Park, 9-10-23

Dr. Soundgood

The concert series Americana In The Park continued yesterday with some good blues, jazz and zydeco music. This series takes place Sundays in September at Gandara Park in Santa Monica, and is put on by the city of Santa Monica in partnership with McCabe’s. And they do a great job, not only in booking talented and interesting artists, but in the whole organization. Different food trucks are brought in each week, and parking lots have been reserved for those attending the concerts. And the parking is free. There are also, of course, merchandise booths for those who want to pick up CDs and records of the performers or McCabe’s T-shirts and other items.

Mara Kaye

Yesterday got off to an excellent start with a set by blues vocalist Mara Kaye, who was accompanied by Tim McNalley on guitar. She’s originally from Brooklyn, but based in Los Angeles now. Yesterday marked the first date on her current tour, which will take her up into Oregon and Washington. She kicked off her set with “Black Sheep Blues,” and followed that with “In Love Again,” “The New York Blues,” Mississippi John Hurt’s “Ain’t No Tellin’” and a gorgeous rendition of “Blue Moon.” She also did a couple of original songs, “Lord Above” (in which she sings, “Lord above, are you listening/Are you real, can you hear me?”) and “Dystopian Blues” (which I think most of us can related to). She has an excellent voice, right at home in traditional blues while also feeling fresh and current. She wrapped up her set with “Strange Things Happen Every Day.” Her set ended at 4:45 p.m., at which point The New Orleans Tradition Jazz Band began its march around the audience, followed by those who felt like dancing, this while the next band was setting up. After a circuit of the park, they landed in front of the stage, where they played several more songs, including “Sweet Georgia Brown” and, of course, “When The Saints Go Marching In.” They were a whole lot of fun, and many folks were up and dancing. Their set ended at 5:15 p.m.

The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Band

Dr. SoundGood featuring Doug Legacy was the headlining band yesterday. They used to be called Zydeco Party Band, and indeed their set felt like a party. And lots of people were dancing on the grass. They opened their set with “Meet De Boys On The Battlefront,” featuring a delicious beat and some good work on accordion. They followed that with “Saturday’s Child,” a song from Doug Legacy’s new album. Before their cover of B.B. King’s “Everybody Lies A Little,” Doug Legacy mentioned buying a cassette labeled simply “Blues,” a tape without even a track list included, for a dollar, and then having to figure out what songs were on it. They followed that with a couple of songs from the band’s 1990 album King Cake, the title track and “Crime Don’t Pay.” They also covered “Lonesome Boy Blues.” It’s interesting the way certain lines show up in different blues songs, the same with some old folk numbers. For example, in “Lonesome Boy Blues,” Doug Legacy sang, “Some got six months, some got a solid year,” a line that is also featured in “Viola Lee Blues.” Jimmy Z delivered some fantastic work on saxophone and harmonica, sometimes both in the same song, and also played some percussion. He also got a chance to sing on a couple of numbers during the set. One of the highlights for me was the band’s rendition of “Hey Pocky Way,” a Meters song that the Grateful Dead used to cover. They followed that with Aaron Neville’s “Tell It Like It Is.” They wrapped up the set with “Hot Tamale Baby.” The show ended at 7 p.m. Yes, we were treated to three solid hours of excellent music, all for free.

Dr. SoundGood featuring Doug Legacy

The music series continues next Sunday with The Delirians, and an opening set by McCabe’s Hootenanny Collective, featuring some of the people who work at McCabe’s.

Here are a few more photos from the show:

Mara Kaye

Mara Kaye

The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Band

The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Band

Dr. SoundGood featuring Doug Legacy

Dr. SoundGood featuring Doug Legacy

Dr. SoundGood featuring Doug Legacy