Recap CSO’s United Sounds Of America: New Orleans 

Chicago’s Symphony Center has seen some joyous performances throughout its history, but probably none were as rambunctious and funky as last night’s United Sounds Of America performance, showcasing the music of New Orleans. Dubbed “A Night In Treme,” the performance was emceed by Treme star and New Orleans native Wendell Pierce, and featured alto saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., famed clarinet player Dr. Michael White, trumpeter James Andrew, and “Big” Sam Williams (of Big Sam’s Funky Nation) on trombone, all backed by the legendary Rebirth Brass Band. Through almost two and a half hours (including a brief intermission), the group filled the room with the sounds and music of New Orleans, never flagging or wavering, and gaining steam as the evening progressed. The front rows of Symphony Center—full of transplanted New Orleanians or those devoted to the soul of the city—gradually became a dance party akin to Rebirth’s weekly shows at the Maple Leaf.

Pierce channeled his inner Antoine Batiste (his trombone-playing Treme alter ego) guiding the audience through the eclectic range of music featured throughout the night, kicking off with the Mardi Gras Indian call-and-response of The Dixie Cups’ classic “Two-Way-Poc-A-Way,” led by Harrison, himself leader of the Congo Nation Mardi Gras Indians and son of a former Big Chief. Harrison also showed off some of his sax acrobatics, and Dr. White likewise impressed with his clarinet skills, as each of the featured players traded off a handful of songs with energetic narrative from Pierce. The styles included a somber hymn that segued into a joyful rendition of “I’ll Fly Away,” demonstrating the energy of a traditional second line parade. Andrews and Williams added brassiness to the night, with Sam’s trombone filling the upper balconies of the Symphony Center and beyond during a medley honoring the rhythm and blues marriage to rock ’n’ roll dipping into a tease of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.” All four performers concluded the more “formal” part of the evening with a rapturous rendition of “When The Saints Go Marching In,” propelling many in the two-thirds-filled hall out of their seats to stand and boogie in place.

After a short intermission, Rebirth took the stage for a mini-concert, running through a mix of old and new tunes. The more formal setting provided a curious juxtaposition for Rebirth, used to playing small, sweaty clubs and the occasional festival. But New Orleanians are never ones to hold back joy in the face of formality, and many audience members danced in the aisles with a few traditional parasols opened and bobbing throughout the crowd. To their credit, the band members weren’t intimidated either. After playing the backup band to the featured performers in the first set, they let rip, filling every nook and cranny of the center with their tapestry of brassy melodies. With the evening reaching its close, the band welcomed back all four featured performers to the stage where they performed as a supergroup, stomping through another small set of songs, including Rebirth classics like “Feel Like Funkin’ It Up” and “Do Whatcha Wanna,” which mixed in bits of John Boutte’s “Treme Song,”—used as the title song to HBO’s Treme—with Pierce leading on vocals.

The evening featured exemplary, outstanding performances by well-known and respected figures of New Orleans. The ultimate aim of the event, and the United Sounds of America series, is to give proper context to the music and culture of each city—and the performance succeeded in this. Both animated and intelligent, Pierce delivered his narrative throughout the first set with gusto and a genuine admiration for the players and their art; he clearly relished the opportunity to play cultural ambassador for both those unacquainted with New Orleans and those who know its history backward and forward. The performers, too, seemed to enjoy being a part of the evening, energetically engaging with the audience, encouraging clapping, dancing, and everything they’re used to from a typical New Orleans crowd. And despite that contradiction between setting and subject matter, both audience members and performers held little back and, in that sense, gave another glimpse of the best of one of America’s greatest city’s and the best of its music and culture: at once unadulterated, joyful, and triumphant.