The traditional New Orleans marching band is a joy to behold – and a precious
source of renewal. In the land of the second line, the man who owns the beat
is king, or as is more important in New Orleans’ familial reality: Uncle.
“Uncle Lionel” Batiste was born in the Treme neighborhood in 1931 in a house
where Armstrong Park now exists. He has been marking time on a bass drum
since he first gave the Square Deal Social & Pleasure Club band its pulse at
age 11. Before settling in as bass drummer, vocalist and assistant leader (to
snare-man Benny Jones, Jr.) for the Treme Brass Band in the early 1990’s, he
kept time with his homemade gear for the likes of the Olympia, Tuxedo and
Eureka Brass Bands. When he’s touring clubs, his sartorial splendor reflects
the full embrace of a beautiful life, down to a pocket square (covering his
ever-present kazoo) cut from the back of his tie so they match – a trick he
passed along to his trumpet-wielding “nephew” Kermit Ruffins (Congo Square
2008.) And never one to miss an opportunity to pun, when asked why he wears
his watch below his knuckles instead of on his wrist, replies, “I always have
time on my hands.” That detail, plus the infectious joy and inspirational
grace that Lionel Batiste personifies, are fully on display in “Say Uncle.”
Making the soul of New Orleans manifest on paper takes an artist steeped in
its culture. But an especially intimate drive motivates this particular work:
Terrance Osborne is also a product of the Treme, emerging from there a
spectacular draughtsman and colorist. He went on to build a large and
passionate collector base for his work. His intuitive sense of color, light
and form make this poster a luminous modern classic; an audible visual stereo
companion to his triumphant 2007 Congo Square poster portrait of Rebirth’s
tuba master, Philip Frazier. With this print, Osborne turns that singular
exemplar into the first installment in what promises to become an
unparalleled second line series depicting the greats who occupy each position
in the uniquely New Orleans brass band. By making the background of this new
poster a continuum of the first one, Osborne begins unrolling a matchless New
Orleans neighborhood panorama. This second installment in The Congo Square
Parade series thus begins a legacy of imagery as vibrant as the music that
inspired it.
Congo Square is part of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. It is a living
celebration of the African-Caribbean culture at the root of much of America’s
art and music.
Editions:
5,000 Numbered prints on archival paper, 23” x 35”,
1,500 Artist-signed & numbered prints on 100% rag paper, 24” x 36”,
750 Double-signed (Osborne & Batiste) & numbered on 100% rag paper, 25” x
38”.
Posters originally sold for $69 (unsigned), $239 (artist-signed), $329
(double signed).
