By Marilyn Lester***Who needs Congo Square? Celebrating Fat Tuesday in New York City was fat indeed with a bounty of singing, dance and lively music—all in a bright choreography of movement that kept the celebration full of joy and camaraderie. For this kind of revelry—with a micro-bubble machine!—who ya gonna call? Why, trumpeter Alphonso Horne and the Gotham Kings, of course, a rousing Nola-style band fronted by one of the best trumpeters on the planet. They joyfully made 
their way with a second-line procession, through the Dizzy’s audience to the stage, with Horne announcing “we’re gonna party” (and we did, mightily).
Among the group, featured vocalist, C. Anthony Bryant, dove into the Louis Armstrong waters with “”What a Wonderful World,” written for Satchmo by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. Bryant is an operatic baritenor who uses his range in unique stylings. He’s also a bona fide preacher, and he reminded us that this particular Mardis Gras night was not only the beginning of Lent but of Ramadan, as well as the Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse, all under the aegis of a powerful New Moon—thus a very energetically and spiritually auspicious time. February is also Black History Month, and the program celebrated a culture that’s musically at the root of jazz (and thus most American music to follow), and integral to Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. To honor the tradition, Bryant sang a resonant gospel favorite, “I’ll Fly Away” (Albert E. Brumley).
As for the Gotham Kings, the in-the-pocket group of eight musicians aced the foun
dational jazz number, “High Society” (Porter Steele, 1901), made famous byKing Oliver, with a big, bright sound. A powerful tribute to Charles Joseph “Buddy” Bolden, the “first man of jazz” aka “King Bolden,” honored the trumpeter with plenty of band features (which also at times included vocal contributions by the musicians), plus the entrance of tap dancer Michela Lerman. Another early jazz icon, Jelly Roll Morton, was remembered with his tribute to Bolden in Bryant’s vocal rendition of “Buddy Bolden’s Blues,” also known as “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say.”
The appearance of special guests, the dynamic husband-wife duo of Jennie Harney-Fleming (vocals) and DeWitt Flemming (tap, vocals), began with a nod to Armstrong via an evocative rendition of “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” (Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Oscar Hammerstein II) by Jennie with tap by DeWitt. The couple also performed a spirited duet of the Gershwin’s “Cheek to Cheek.” The finale was a barn burner, 
with comings and goings of personnel on stage and off, exiting and entering, with all hands in motion. Decidedly uptempo, in the mix of numbers was a version of the traditional “St. James Infirmary Blues,” sung by Bryant, and the outro an energized all singing, all-dancing “When the Saints Go Marching In”—the traditional African-American spiritual transformed into the jazz standard embodying the Big Easy.
By the end of this remarkable evening, there was no doubt that Horne had led a thrilled audience into a happy (and healing) place with musical “throws” of jazz. Keeping the musical magic high with the leader were: Jake Handelman (trombone), Boyce Griffith (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Harry Phillips (tuba), Sterling Cozza (piano), Raul Reyes (bass), Norman Edwards and Ocie Davis (drums, percussion).
Photos by Beth Naji
