SIGHTS OVERWHELM IN BIG EASY MUSIC DOC.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic I was in New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded recently for its annual jazz festival, and friends and I spent stupefying stu·pe·fy tr.v. stu·pe·fied, stu·pe·fy·ing, stu·pe·fies 1. To dull the senses or faculties of. See Synonyms at daze. 2. To amaze; astonish. time surveying the rampant devastation, little of which seems to have been cleaned up eight months after the fact. One in our number glumly glum adj. glum·mer, glum·mest 1. Moody and melancholy; dejected. 2. Gloomy; dismal. n. 1. assessed its chances at a full recovery anytime soon: It'll become, he guessed, a ``weekend city'' and remain a ghost town during the week. ``New Orleans Music in Exile,'' which debuted Friday on Starz InBlack, doesn't want to make such dire predictions, but some of the musicians director Robert Mugge chats with betray a little of that fatalism fa·tal·ism n. 1. The doctrine that all events are predetermined by fate and are therefore unalterable. 2. Acceptance of the belief that all events are predetermined and inevitable. . The city's rich musical heritage imbues the Big Easy with much of its indelible aura, and the film notes that many of its musicians have either relocated elsewhere or found it, to date, untenable to return. As such, one musician notes, New Orleans today is ``a spiritless spir·it·less adj. Lacking energy or enthusiasm; listless. spir  it·less·ly adv. body,'' and ``that's all it's going to be without the people from the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth wards.'' (The ninth ward, one of the areas hardest hit when the levees were breached, today is little more than blocks upon blocks upon miles upon miles of abandoned homes.) Another says the city is in danger of being reduced to a ``name brand,'' wondering, ``If I get back, and there's no (real) New Orleans here, what's the point?'' Overall, Mugge's film is kind of a poky primer, rudimentarily explaining the city's musical legacy and the hurricane's impact. We see musicians guiding tours through their ravaged rav·age v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. homes (Irma Thomas comes upon a bust of her with what pointedly appears to be a tear running down her cheek). Mugge's affection for his subjects is obvious; he probably could have had someone less enamored en·am·or tr.v. en·am·ored, en·am·or·ing, en·am·ors To inspire with love; captivate: was enamored of the beautiful dancer; were enamored with the charming island. edit down their rambling anecdotes. And he should have included a lot more music to help viewers understand just how much will be lost if the city's funky musical ambience cannot be restored. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com NEW ORLEANS MUSIC IN EXILE - Two and one half stars What: Documentary examining Hurricane Katrina's effect on the Big Easy musical community. Where: Starz InBlack. When: 1 p.m. today. In a nutshell: Earnest and poky, it could use a lot more music and a lot less repetitive talk. |
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