NEW ORLEANS NIGHTLIFE & MUSIC - New Orleans Musicians

New Orleans Musicians: Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen

Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen anchors the traditional jazz scene everyday in Jackson Square

What is the first word that comes to mind to describe New Orleans?
Music

What is your secret weapon for thriving in New Orleans?
Playing jazz.

What is your best habit?
Eating.

What is your worst habit?
Playing music all night.

Who's your favorite local musician?
Louis Armstrong.

Who was your greatest inspiration?
Wilburt Tillman. He was the tuba player for the Young Tuxedo Brass Band. And the Onward Brass Band. I listened to him after I started playing the tuba.

Where is the most romantic place in the city?
The riverfront.

What is the most underrated thing about New Orleans?
Our music. The traditional jazz is very underrated.

What's one thing you would never change about New Orleans?
Keep the music on the streets and on the Square. That's New Orleans.

What do you do on Mardi Gras day?
I marched in bands for 32 straight Mardi Gras. Now I watch the parades and the Mardi Gras Indians.

Do you have a favorite song about New Orleans?
Yeah, my own song, "I'm Just a Lonely Tuba Player."

Do you have a favorite Jazz Fest memory?
My first one. I played the first Jazz Fest with the Fairview Baptist Church Band. And Mahalia Jackson happened to be in town. She came by and sang with the Eurkea Brass Band.

What do you like about playing in Jackson Square?
Bringing music to the people. A lot of people come by who don't go out to the clubs. There's nowhere else for them to hear traditional music.

What's the key to playing the tuba?
You need a lot of wind.