We Americans, Don't Travel Well...

I know that I may ruffle a few feathers with this post, but I don't care, truly. My home-folk can get pissed with me for what I am going to say, but hopefully you will reflect on it and those of you to whom this is applicable will have to acknowledge, somewhere deep inside, that this is YOU!

I've been traveling and living in Europe, mostly Scandinavia for many years and when I'm on tour I spend most of my life in hotels and airports. During the endless hours I spend waiting for flights or having breakfast, lunch or dinner in the hotel or local restaurants, I enjoy people watching. I find mankind fascinating and quite curious. People from all walks of life and from nations far and wide can be an interesting and quirky lot. But, vive la difference!! The things that make us all so different, make us all so special. But...of course there is a but and a big BUT! I often, on way too many occasions, find myself cringing at listening to my fellow countrymen on my travels. Just this morning I sat enjoying a lovely breakfast while listening to a table of American tourists visiting Norway, bitching about the fact that they had to "suffer through" eating this European breakfast. Where was the American style breakfast they were used to? Why does this hotel have these strange foods for breakfast? Because you're in NORWAY!!!!! This is what Norwegians eat for breakfast!! You want pancakes, STAY HOME!! Why do we expect people to conform to the way we do things in their own country? 20 minutes ago, I stepped outside to take a walk through Oslo center, because the weather is spectacular and on the West Coast we haven't had much of a summer. As I am strolling down the street, window shopping, I see the same group of my countrymen standing outside of the hotel, looking up and down the street, and they looked a bit confused. Being from the South, my manners kicked in and I asked if they needed some help. They proceeded to complain to me saying that they were looking to find someplace to eat that had "normal" food. Seriously? "Normal" food? I asked them what exactly did they categorize as "normal" food? This country has some of the best seafood in the world, the beef, pork and poultry is all free range and there are no factory farms. The produce is mostly grown right here in Norway with very strict rules on anything that has to be imported. I'm from Louisiana where we eat turtles, alligators and some folks in Southern Louisiana eat far stranger things than could ever be imagined here! One of them spotted a TGI Friday's a half block away and they were on cloud nine! I had to just walk away before I said something less than polite about this jaded, silly behavior.

The reason we travel abroad is to experience the lives, culture and food of others. Why cross the Atlantic Ocean to find a TGI Friday's or McDonald's? You don't have to like everything that you try, but at least TRY. Explore life a bit. The world would be a much better place if we stop being so critical of other people's way of life and just try to understand it. It's rude to go to someone else's country and complain about how it's not like home. It's not supposed to be like home. If that's what you're looking for, STAY HOME!!

Later-fa-you!

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Oslo Jazz!!

I'm here in sunny Oslo for Oslo Jazz Fest 2011. First performance is tonight at Oslo Domkirke, 19:00 with YSJ. The second performance is on Saturday night at New Orleans Restaurant, 21:00. I'm looking forward to the festival this year for a few reasons, it's been a while since I've done Oslo Jazz, I was in Brazil last year doing a festival there when the festival in Oslo was going on so, T C Hawkins filled in for me singing with YSJ. This year Allen Toussaint will be doing a solo set, so I'm looking forward to that, I haven't seen him since he played Molde Jazz along with Elvis Costello. Another highlight is Vernel Bagneris and Morten Gunnar Larsen doing their off-Broadway hit Jellyroll! A tribute to Jellyroll Morton. I mentioned in one of my earlier posts how great it is to see folks from home at these European festivals. It's a blast!

The church concert here in Oslo is also very emotional. Its the first time I've been back in Oslo since the awful attack that happened last month. When we went to the church for soundcheck, the grounds around the church are still covered with flowers and candles and people are placing more every day. The inside of the church was also filled with people lighting candles a in memory of those who lost their lives on that day. Tonight's concert is foe them.

Later-fa-you!

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I Lead A Charmed Life...

We had an outstanding concert last night at Silda Jazz in Haugesund. A completely full church for our concert and this was a huge amazing church! We had a guest trombone player, Gunnar Bech, working with us and he did an amazing job. The audience was an enthusiastic one which made the performance a bigger pleasure. They ended our performance with a standing ovation and requests for an encore. It was truly lovely. But, I must say, the thing that really made yesterday's performance a treat for me, was looking all the way to the back of the crowded church to see my dear friend from home, drummer, Doug Belote!! Doug was at the back of the church for our entire performance. After the concert we hung out and talked and laughed, a lot. When you're around Doug, it's hard not to laugh, a lot! He's a funny, funny dude.

We all went to have dinner at the Maritime Hotel, Suløen and myself and Doug with the band he was there with, the amazingly talented Randy Crawford and one the one and only Mr. Joe Sample. We had a wonderful time. It makes the road a happy place when you have these really precious moments.

Today, I head back home to Langevåg and my poor husband who has been sick with a fever and terrible cough for the past 6 days. It's time for me to get back and look after my baby!

Next stop, Oslo Jazz Festival...

Later-fa-you!

And Away We Go!

Well, I'm back to touring. A short tour anyway. Off to do a one day concert at Silda Jazz in Haugesund. Right at this moment we are sitting in the Oslo Airport with a 4 hour wait for the plane to Haugesund. I wish somebody could explain to me why people will work so hard at inconveniencing a group of people who are coming to perform for you, just to save a few bucks!! I mean, come on! Really!? It's a colossal ass ache to have a 4 hour wait in any airport to fly DOMESTIC!!

Any-hoo, we're doing a concert tonight at a lovely church and we hope to have a fantastic turnout. We head back to our respective homes tomorrow, so we get to spend the weekend at home.

I am looking forward to see my good friend, Doug Belote. He'll also be there. That's one of the cool things about European festivals, I often get to see wonderful home-folk. Life is good

Later-fa-you!!

My Grasp On Home

I've noticed that the two things that I use to maintain my grasp on home are Facebook and NFL.com. Some people use Facebook as a platform, some use it as a pick-up spot, some use it as a forum, some as a PR machine and some as a photo-blog. Its my connection to home. I look a few times a day when I'm able, to see what the folks back in New Orleans are up to. When I read the posts about the concerts they'll attend that evening and the photos that very often accompany that event, the crawfish boils, birthday parties, secondlines, backyard barbecues, neutral ground family picnics or just sitting on the front porch door-poppin', I don't feel so far away.

NFL.com, GamePass. The best money I could ever spend. I overdose on highlights, opinions, sports documentaries and the bonus of getting to see what ridiculous new commercials are on in The States. This is another thing that makes home not feel so far away. My family sometimes gives me a hard time about being a big gadget geek, but my gadgets are my lifeline. To be able to watch the Saints games at the same time my friends and family are watching and be able to go on Facebook or Twitter and talk trash with them, makes me feel as though I'm sitting on the sofa next to them and not across the Atlantic from them.

Now, I have to go because there are back to back specials on Shannon Sharpe and Marshall Faulk on NFL.com and I have to check that out. Later-fa-you!!

Tricia Boutté Project — Threadhead Records

Click on the link below and donate some funds to the project! Please, please, please!!! (In my James Brown voice)

Tricia Boutté Project — Threadhead Records

Yeah, Its Been A Minute...

Life sometimes becomes a bit too real for me. Its that crazy artist shit, ya know how it is.

I tried out a blog that was connected to my website for over a year and it was a royal pain in the ass, so I'm back to the old trusty Blogger!

I'm making some big music life changes lately and I need to jibber jab about it a lil bit. I have been newly signed to Threadhead Records with my partner in musical crime, Paul David Longstreth. Paul David and I put together some miscellaneous crews of musicians which was aptly named, The Bootleg Operation. We got together last year to do a very successful tour in Brazil. We realized that even though the Atlantic separated me from them, we had to make this project continue. Threadhead Records agreed. We are creating a great collection of tunes to keep the mind, ears and body tingling. Super sweet musicians, Paul David Longstreth on piano, Mitchell Player on bass, Ocie Davis on drums, Grammy Award winning arranger, Alonzo Bowens on sax and ME singing and giggling!!! Yes, yes, yes. Its blowing up!!!



Here on the other side of da pond, a new CD was released at MoldeJazz 2011 in Norway. Ytre Suløens Jass-ensemble & Tricia Boutté - Live At Molde Jazz!

The National radio NRK, did a live broadcast/recording of our set at the festival last year. It was a fantastic recording, great atomosphere and lovely audience. I'll have a link to purchase that CD on my website, soon, soon!