NEW ORLEANS NIGHTLIFE & MUSIC - New Orleans Musicians
New Orleans Musicians: Wendell Brunious
Wendell Brunious toots his horn for old style New Orleans jazz.
What is the first word that comes to mind to describe New Orleans?
Architecture. It's so unique here.
What is your secret weapon for thriving in New Orleans?
Going with the flow.
Why do you live here?
It's the land of my birth and it just suites my lifestyle.
What is your best habit?
Practicing the trumpet.
What is your worst habit?
Playing too much golf. At least my wife thinks so.
What is the most romantic place in the city?
The front porch of the Columns Hotel.
What experience of yours best explains New Orleans?
When I was 11 my dad took me to the French Quarter for the first time to see Preservation Hall and Dixieland Hall to see Papa French and his band.
What's the most underrated thing about this city?
The impact New Orleans music has had on music around the world.
What's the one thing you would never change about New Orleans?
The streetcar. There's nothing like passing down St. Charles Avenue.
What's one thing you would change about the city?
We need more music in the schools. It should be more practical.
Who is your favorite local performer?
Fats Domino. New Orleans people just don't get to see Fats enough.
Who is your favorite local personality?
I like Harold Dejan. He's real New Orleans. He speaks patois French and his whole philosophy is "Everything's lovely."
What have you always wanted to do on Mardi Gras?
I'd like to have my whole family ride on a float together.
What do you do with your old Mardi Gras beads?
My kids make bead dogs out of them. They tie them together and they look like dogs.
What is your favorite Jazz Fest memory?
Hitting the second and third beats. That's New During one of the first Jazz Fests I played with my daddy, he took me backstage and I met Duke Ellington and Cat Anderson.
What is your favorite song about New Orleans?
I like Louis Armstrong's When it's Sleepytime Down South. It has great expression. And Armstrong really meant it. It makes me think of New Orleans.
What is your favorite New Orleans cliché?
The city that care forgot. It's not that we don't care. It's that we have our own way of caring.