It was a big honor to perform at the 2017 Orpheuscapade on Lundi Gras night in New Orleans. The Krewe Of Orpheus is one of four “super krewes” in New Orleans during Mardi Gras time. Orpheus is most famously known as the parade founded by Harry Connick Jr. It’s been a highlight of the carnival season for over twenty years and continues to impress both tourist and local alike each year.
The Mixed Nuts performed for the ball – known as The Oprheuscapade. Also on the bill was Bret Michaels – a very nice legend of rock that I was fortunate to meet several years ago when I was working with Cyndi Lauper. Bret’s set was loud and fun, as it should be. The energy he gives on stage is huge and there’s never a moment where he lets his set drift.
I was proud to get the call (at www.williamcredoagency.com) to help assemble a 10-piece horn section for The Temptations, who also performed that evening. For me, that’s a phone call that I’ll always treasure. So far in my career, I have been fortunate enough to open for The Four Tops in 2012 and I was band leader for The Drifters in 2013. I always wanted to work with The Temptations…so this call to assemble a horn section to back them up was just a great treat. As always, The 504 Horns, led by Jason Parfait, was my first call. Jason leads the best horn section this side of the Mason Dixon line and treats all his clients with the utmost respect and punctuality. The section he assembled would make The Funk Brothers proud as they didn’t miss a beat performing with some of the great legends of Motown. It was fun to get to hang out with Mr Larry Braggs, former front vocalist of Tower Of Power, now lead vocalist for The Temptations. We had a show together a few years ago that never ended up materializing – but we spent days on the phone in preparation. He’s another gentlemen and scholar!
Our big surprise was at 3:30pm when Harry Connick Jr decided that he would indeed play a set at the ball. This was not a planned event, so scheduling had to be re-aligned. Jason Parfait, Jimmie Reamey, and Justin Purdue from 504 Horns were all pressed into service to act as Harry’s horn section. Like clockwork, the horns were on point with the rest of Harry’s all-star band. Their set was short and sweet, and fired up the crowd right after the parade came through the convention center. It was a fantastic and unexpected moment of the night!
Check out this video recap of all the fun! Hail Orpheus!
