T.S. Eliot once said that April was the cruelest of all months and I always felt that Sundays were equally cruel, ‘cause you know, back in the day I used to dread Sundays the way one dreads having to go to the dentist or get their license renewed. It’s a day reserved for spending quality time with families and loved ones but for someone with neither it’s such a lonely day: no one’s home when you call, everyone’s layin’ out doin’ their own thing with their own people. Well whether or not you have biological peeps to spend Sundays with, once the sun calls it a day in New Orleans you can go to a weekly gathering of sorts and fill that familial void.

Every Sunday evening yours truly dons some comfortable but snazzy threads and strolls on down to Joe’s Cozy Corner for some down-home fun with some down-home folks. Ya ain’t gonna find no Tulane kids in this place, which is one of Joe’s most attractive qualities. A lot of times when you go to see Kermit Ruffins, the ReBirth Brass Band, the Soul Rebels Brass Band, or other popular authentic music you have to put up with some chunky tipsy college boy (who believes so strongly in his own hipness) stomping on your newly painted toenails or sloshing a drink on your brand new hootchie-mama purse. Not at Joe’s. Here you’ll find the 25-and-older set mixing with senior citizens and the middle-aged who have come to Joe’s to see their friends and get in one last dance before the work week begins.

Just because the crowd is mature doesn’t mean we don’t get rowdy ‘round there. There’s always some kind of clownin’ and hijinks goin’ down either on the sidewalk out front (where virtually every brass band musician in the city is hanging) or right there on the dance floor. The Peanut Man (part of the senior citizen set) looks shy and complacent one moment, but the next moment, prompted by an in-your-ass bass drum beat, you’ll find him hitting the floor (and I mean hard) and writhing in a demented interpretation of the "Alligator". At this point one of the ladies will come over and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’s still got it by performing a little bump and grind just inches over his jellyroll form.

Cozy is definitely the operative word here - imagine sinking into an old easy chair or slipping on your favorite pair of jeans; imagine a massage on tense muscles or a healer’s hand on your forehead. If you got the blues, Joe’s has got the antidote. If you’re already flying high, Joe’s has got the fuel to make you soar. And if you’ve got an itch to dance, bump or grind Joe’s has got the one and only Treme Brass Band.

The Treme Brass Band is led by the one and only brass band patriarch, gentle snare drummin’ Benny Jones who was an original founder of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Likewise for Uncle Lionel Batiste, a sweet little bird of a man who delivers the aforementioned in-your-ass (or is that up your ass?) bass drum beat. Kindly Uncle also sings and dances and moves that big drum with his pelvis so unctuously as to make you feel like takin’ a ride your own damn self. He is the consummate old-school performer and since words defy what he does when he’s on I’ll just keep my trap shut and tell ya just see for yourself. Completing the rhythm section is anyone’s guess on a Sunday night; on sousaphone you might see Kirk Joseph (an ex-Dirty Dozener), Julius McKee (aka Jap, a current Dozener) or Jeffrey Hills, founding member of the Li’l Rascals Brass Band. The tuba man can set the mood here as each player has his own style: Kirk delivers syrupy burps, Jap is about precision and Jeffrey, he’s just plain velvety smooth and reassuring on his instrument.

The horn section is equally delightful. Roger Lewis (yet another Dirty Dozen member) fingers a mean low-end baritone sax although he does play alto and tenor at times. Frederick “Shep” Sheppard (the Coltrane of Brass Bands who also sits in with young funk bands on flute) plays tenor and alto and you will be amazed at how far “out” he can go with traditional numbers. Corey Henry (of Kermit Ruffins’ BBQ Swingers fame) slides his trombone in for some groovy solos and more low end tones, while the trumpets of late have been James "12" Andrews doubling as front man and Dewan “Itchy” Scott sitting second chair. Let it be noted however that any one can show up at anytime and sit in…that’s the kinda place Joe’s is.

The music, like the players, mixes old and new with a certain je ne sais quoi finesse that pleases all sectors of the enthusiastic audience. You’ll hear “Jesus On The Main Line” and “I Ate Up The Apple Tree” and “Hindustan” and of course, Uncle’s priceless “Back-o-Town Blues” but don’t forget that The Treme Brass Band are also composers in the first degree. This is clearly evident after one listen to their 1996 Mardi Gras smash hit CD “Gimme My Money Back” (Arhoolie), material of which is also in the group’s standard Sunday night repertoire.

Indeed, the title track is always a rabble rouser at Joe’s. From the first note of the sousaphone people are out of their chairs angling and squiggling their bodies to this funky number: “Hey you, right over there, I want my money back…” And the funkiest of their numbers, “Food Stamp Blues,” really lights a fire under the crowd’s shakin’ rumps, again prompted by powerhouse sousafunk tones; once Uncle’s vocals -- delivered with street-wise sincerity -- kick in, it’s all over.

“Outta work
got me dealin’ in dirt
my baby needs shoes
welfare blues
in my pocket
not one penny
my baby needs shoes
singin’ those welfare blues
president please
I ain’t lyin’
help me please
I ain’t got it, no ain’t got it;
I ain’t got it, no can’t get it,
I ain’t got no food stamps
can’t get no food stamps…”

And in the middle of it all they kick it with James Brown’s "Hot Pants" bridge hook and peoples are slidin’ across the floor and ordering more rounds and sweatin’ and swearin’ and eggin’ each other on…

In fact, there’s Kermit right now, ice cold Budweiser and kerchief in hand playfully chanting “Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!” to a pretty dancing girl, much to her delight and inspiration.

Located at N. Robertson and Ursulines in the historic Treme district, Joe’s is definitely the place to be if you’re in the mood to lay back, be mellow. Attitudes and personal problems should be left at home but if you bring them they’re sure to fade away until a more appropriate later date. You don’t need a lot of money (you should definitely tip the band, though) but it’s impossible to stop in and have “just one:” the joviality and music will keep you rooted to the spot for the duration. Even on the set breaks, Joe’s jukebox will keep you satisfied with everything from Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “Bow Wow” to Luther Vandross to Frankie Beverly & Maze to Marvin Gaye to old and new Curtis Mayfield.

It don’t get no more hip, no more friendlier - and no more cozier - than Joe’s.

Peace,

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