TRAVEL TALES
Young Chang
At the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans earlier this month,
Al and Carolyn Graps enjoyed a buffet of culture that involved far more
than just Creole food.
“It was awesome, it was amazing, it was filled with so much great
music,” said Al Graps, a Newport Beach resident and former professional
jazz saxophonist.
Held from April 27 through May 5, the festival offered about eight
tents for visitors to roam from one musical genre to another. There were
blues tents, pops tents, Dixie tents, traditional jazz tents, a gospel
tent and even a zydeco music venue -- a highlight for Graps.
“That’s Cajun music,” said Graps, who visited for just four days in
the beginning of May with his wife.
Carolyn Graps’ favorite act was a zydeco performer named Wayne Toops.
“He’s No. 1,” she said. His music “reminds me of a cross between blues
and old time rock-and-roll and he’s such a terrific performer that I put
him up there with Elvis Presley.”
Carolyn Graps, who is retired from working with Edison Intl. and now
volunteers at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, became a huge
jazz fan through her husband, who even organizes a jazz party every year
with about 30 area performers.
Al Graps, a consulting engineer who investigates electrical fires for
insurance companies, said his favorite musical act was a trumpeter named
Irvin Mayfield.
“He’s a virtuoso trumpet player, composer and an amazingly gifted
musician,” the 71-year-old said. “So was everyone who played with him.”
When the couple wasn’t enjoying music at the festival, they toured the
old plantations in New Orleans where they get to sit out on front porches
and sip lemonade.
“I felt like Scarlett O’Hara,” Carolyn Graps said.
The plantations were huge, with slave quarters still visible and
200-year-old trees lining its front.
The Graps also visited the French Quarter a couple times to eat Creole
foods including gumbo, red rice and beans, sausage, jambalaya and
crawfish. For dessert, the couple indulged in beignets.
“It was just wonderful. The whole trip was great,” Carolyn Graps said.
* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation
recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to Travel Tales, 330 W.
Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to
(949) 646-4170.
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