The crowd in the Den is anxious, standing on chairs as the band, band Mississippi Rail Company sets up, ready to revel in a musical rapture.
At approximately 10:15 p.m. the Den is clouded in smoke. Soon, the clear tones of the bass, sharp notes from the keyboard and the steady drum beats push through the fog to bring quite the jubilee.
The band starts out with a fast, straight-out-of-the-bayou tune that immediately puts the crowd in a stilly tizzy. Everybody, with all their being, is in accordance with the music. Not a single soul is uninvolved in the celebration. It’s musical magic; a collective exercise in the joining of self, it’s an experiment in life, and the philosophy of jazz, and the relationship of the congregation with the mellifluous minister.
Travers’ voice navigates through each audience member’s ears, through their Byzantine channels, and evokes pure, unadulterated delight. Drummer and jazz junior, Sam Shahin’s drumming, stable yet uniquely unattached, elevates the audience to a state of ecstasy. There is not a stationary body to be found in the crowd, and those who aren’t yet dancing are preparing to do so. With a smile on their faces, an instrument in their hands, and a stage beneath their feet, the world is theirs. This is the type of relationship with the music any resident of New Orleans would expect; both the listeners and musicians are at a mutual level of elation. After their set, the boys of Mississippi Rail Company socialize with the crowd and prepare to join the affair. And they too, are effervescent as the revelries continue into the night. The band, is comprised of bassist and music industry junior John Paul, Shahin and keyboardist, vocalist and Tulane senior Travers Geoffray.
Ashley Curtis can be reached at
