Al Hirt was a tremendous trumpet player. He was a New Orleans Icon that defined a generation in music. He helped many others find the door of musical success. He was one of a kind and totally unique. I think what I most remember about Al was his sense of humor and high energy. He knew how to be a celebrity. Part maniac, part jokster, part genius and also great horn player.
Category Archives: N.O. Musical Legends Park
New Orleans Honors It’s Celebrities
Pete Fountain unveiling his bronze statue.
There is a park with green space to relax on Bourbon Street. New Orleans Musical Legends Park is a tribute to the entertainers who have have had a lasting impact on the local music of New Orleans. Of course, these entertainers have had a much wider impact than just the Big Easy. For example who hasn’t heard of Fats Domino or Louis Prima.
Located on the 3rd block of Bourbon Street it hosts Cafe Beignet a mellow crowd, killer daiquiris and live local music.
Musicians honored are Fats Domino, Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Louis Prima, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Chris Owens and Ronnie Kole . The park is a way of the City of New Orleans expressing its appreciation to its artists for the valuable contributions these Music Icons.
2 great artists recently passed. The great Pete Fountain and Allen Toussaint. Allen and Pete left their indelible mark on the Crescent City. Pete with Al Hirt was a huge boon the local tourism and was integral with our local identity for decades which began in the 1960s. Allen was equally important. Allen got his big start with Al Hirt hit Java which launched Toussaint into stardom. He had a slew of hits and was called the Dalai Lama of rock and roll.
Funerals are special in New Orleans for our celebrities. They are both social and media events. Toussaint’s funeral was attended by many international musicians and a special concert at the Sanger. Allen was funeral procession was led by the Preservation Hall Brass Band & a very large 2nd Line tribute.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nURb5geCD5w%2520frameborder%3D0%2520allowfullscreen
Louis Prima Statue
Louis Prima was definitely a music icon. Louis was also known as the “King of Swing”. It was remarkable he was able to transition with the changing times, stay on top and be a creative dynamo. I had the honor of creating his bronze statue now in New Orleans Musical Legends Park. I had the opportunity to experience Louis’s music first hand when his son performed at the unveiling. This is definitely crowd rockin music that is high energy. The Sahara Casino most likely became a destination in Las Vegas because of Louis. Some of his hits include “Just a Gigolo” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody” but there were too many to list. To learn more about Louis this is the Wiki Link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Prima
White-tailed Dear Anatomy
Animal anatomy is where I became a serious sculptor. At the time, I did not like the idea of working around so many dead animals. Then it occurred to me that where better to learn animal anatomy but from carcasses first hand. I had access to a wealth of resource information about White-tailed Deer and Exotic Animals. The studio was a production studio for a Taxidermy Supply. After investigation there were many distinguished sculptors in the field. Of coure, the father of it all was Carl Akeley. He was a great sculptor and many of his bronze works can be seen in the Chicago Museum of Natural History. There is a wild life preserve in his name in Africa where the Silver Back Gorilla lives. Also, the New York Museum of Natural History is a really large display of Taxidermy wildlife from Akeley.
In the photo above I am working up a running White-tailed Deer. I really came to love the critters and marvel at the athletic feats they can do. They can hide as if they have a cloaking device. More soon on animal anatomy. Stephen Gibson, Sculptor July, 27, 2016