Take Me To The River: New Orleans – a celebration of music history and legacy

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Aired on June 1, 2022

The music of New Orleans is not just considered a birthplace of jazz music but carries various styles of music. It is a unique global collaboration that gave birth to an exceptional musical genre that was never experienced traditionally.

In this episode, Tonya and Ian Fitzpatrick celebrate the history, heritage, legacy, and influence of the music of New Orleans and Louisiana with Take Me To The River: New Orleans film director Martin Shore and producer Ian Neville.

“This culture is precious. It’s real. We’re lucky to have New Orleans in our country. It’s a precious cultural jewel for the world. There’s no other place like it.”
–Martin Shore

Martin Shore and Dr. John. New Orleans .Photo courtesy of TMTTR. — Martin Shore and Dr. John. Photo courtesy of TMTTR.

Ian Neville records 504 (Enjoy Yourself) with The Soul Rebels — Martin Shore and Dr. John. Photo courtesy of TMTTR.

About our Guests

Martin Shore began his career as a professional musician and is the chairman of Social Capital, based in Santa Monica. It is considered as one of the fastest growing feature films and music companies in the entertainment industry.

Ian Neville is part of a well-known family consisting of Aaron Neville and “The Neville Brothers,” Born in New Orleans Ian has carved his space as an American singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist musician.

L-R: Art Neville, Ian Neville, Charles Neville, Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville. New Orleans — L-R: Art Neville, Ian Neville, Charles Neville, Aaron Neville, Cyril Neville, Ivan Neville. Photo courtesy of TMTTR

The gems uncovered in this podcast interview

Ian learned new things about the New Orleans community (6.53)

Ian walks us through his experience that got reiterated through this project which was something that a lot of the New Orleans community learned after Hurricane Katrina.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. Photo courtesy of TMTTR

The seminal moment of Katrina (8.26)

Martin explains how Memphis and New Orleans are three act plays, where each session is pre Katrina, Katrina, and post Katrina. He also mentioned how adjusting the community is. “If you go through its history, (it) has always adjusted to different things that happened. One of the most significant things in New Orleans history is the Haitian slave revolt and how that really changed the whole face of New Orleans“

Magic moments from the film (16.33)

Ian narrates an incident where he was able to recreate something super special with his family and how he captured some special moments.

Dee-1, Mannie Fresh, Erica Falls, Big Freedia, record Act Like You Know. Photo courtesy of TMTTR
PJ Morton photo courtesy of TMTTR
Irma Thomas photo courtesy of TMTTR
Alonzo Brown, Mark Mullins, Bobby Campo photo courtesy of TMTTR
The Neville Brothers with Big Sam and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Terence Higgins, and crew. Photo courtesy of TMTTR

Filming of the Take Me To The River: New Orleans (24.12)

Martin speaks about the pandemic challenge and why he refused to release the film without having a chance to be in theaters.

Reflections

Music is a powerful universal language where white musicians and black musicians come together, protect and stand by each other to create something special for their audience. And this inter-generational reach of music is the highlight of Martin Shore and Ian Neville’s new film Take Me To The River: New Orleans.