Dear Listener,

Is it just me, or were there more funerals than usual this past month? Let's start with Lionel Ferbos, whose 103rd birthday we celebrated only last week. Sometimes in New Orleans we don't acknowledge the giants among us, so you may be surprised to learn that our Facebook post on his passing was shared by more than 100,000 people, more than any other that we've ever initiated.

Closer to home, one of the most beloved volunteer show hosts we've ever had at WWOZ, Mark Hawkins, passed on July 12. After the Flood, he moved to Houston, but a memorial was held for him here in New Orleans on the 19th. The church-size room nearly over flowed with family, friends and a score of WWOZ volunteers and staff who came to comfort one another and give Mark a proper send off.

The program wasn't about being sad. As I entered the foyer, I was greeted by an upbeat jazz tune. Later on, Irvin Mayfield and Ronald Markham performed a very moving rendition of "Amazing Grace". As family and friends lined up to speak, it became apparent how incredibly passionate our Friday afternoon all-star of 13 years was about his love for music. It came up time and again in Mark's conversations with his closest friends. His widow recounted how the couple turned to music when times got tough.

This reminded me of a time years ago, during one of our famous on-air pledge drives, in which WWOZ had Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Bo and Ernie K-Doe up in the tree house in Armstrong Park, playing and singing non-stop. I was on mic with Billy Delle and for obvious reasons I couldn't stop dancing. First I kicked off my Birkenstocks. It only got worse. The music took control of my feet. I ended up literally dancing out of my socks. Of course, everybody in the control room had a good laugh at the bare-footed fool trying to raise a few bucks to keep the station on the air. The only thing I could think to say was, "The music made me do it!" And another WWOZ tagline was born.

Now, at Mark's memorial, hearing how deeply important music was to the lives of his family and friends, I thought: there's another important WWOZ tagline: "The music got me through it." A lot of you reading this know what I'm talking about.

Although the memorial was not designed to be sad, there was plenty of wiping about the eyes as people recalled tender memories of the man, the father, the husband, the son.

As for the tears, Papa Jeff once observed: "Where there's water, there's life."

Yours in rememberings and heartstrings,

David Freedman
General Manager

Satchmo SummerFest happens July 31 - August 3 with three days of great music at the Old US Mint, and we're celebrating in two ways. First, in the days leading up to the fest, 'OZ will air a special set of preview interviews and in-studio appearances. Second, we'll raffle off a 2015 Brass Pass at the Louisiana Music Factory (421 Frenchmen, just down the street from the Mint). We'll be at LMF taking names and giving out goodies on August 2-3 from 11a-5p.

» Get Ready for Satchmo Fest

We were saddened by the news that New Orleans trumpeter Lionel Ferbos passed away on July 19, just days after celebrating his 103rd birthday. He was the oldest working musician in New Orleans, first having picked up a trumpet in the 1920s. We want to share a piece written by WWOZ show host Sally Young, based on her personal experiences with Ferbos.

» Memories of Lionel Ferbos

The Louisiana State Museum will open a new exhibition on July 30 at the Old US Mint highlighting its world renowned Jazz Collection. A selection of key music-related photographs will be on view, as well as instruments played by such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, and Sidney Bechet.

» See a sampling from "Keeping Time"

Some months ago, we launched a test version of a new streaming player which enhances the experience of listening to WWOZ online by using a responsive design (so it will adapt to a wide variety of screen sizes) and HTML5 rather than Flash (so it will work on the iPhone and iPad). It's now the default player on the site!

» Bookmark our new player

Next up on the Join the Movement Tour: Papa Mali in Shreveport on July 26. WWOZ and the Healthier Air for All Campaign are presenting a series of shows around Louisiana promoting healthy, smoke-free environments for musicians and fans. The venues will go smoke-free to help increase awareness of smoking-related health dangers faced by musicians and live music lovers, and to demonstrate to venue owners that the public supports smoke-free shows.

 » More on the Join The Movement Tour

Calas are a kind of Creole rice fritter (or, according to an old French recipe, beignets de riz) typically containing cooked rice, yeast, sugar, eggs, and flour; the savory version here, courtesy of Louisiana Cookin' magazine, omits the sugar, adds crabmeat, and leavens with baking powder.

» Recipe: Crab Calas with Rémoulade Sauce