Call and Response

There’s a sumptuous feast goin’ on tonight at Caldonia’s Party.  The Chef C.G. Whitebone is orchestrating multiple courses of New Orleans’ style delicacies fit for King Zulu himself.

On the menu for tonight, we start with an appetite stimulatin’ selection of hot (what else) hors d’oeuvre, including the highly spiced and funkified Meters, a coquettish portion of Barney Bigard and his Crazyhorse Mongoose, and don’t forget to try the “junker’s” dish of Champion Jack Dupree. Our refreshing beverage of the evening will be Sazerac, Miss Blue Lu Barker’s favorite, but Don’t You Make Me High!

Next, our soup-of-the-day, a first-class New Orleans’ style potage of banjo man Danny Barker, some Opelousa hop from Creole Clifton Chenier, and the Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya of Dr. John (don’t fill up on this, though, else you liable to do the danse kalinda ba doom).

Tonight’s entrée, a showcase of “the wildest” delicacy of Louis Prima’s Ooooh-Dahdity-Dah, includes a side, of course, of Keely Smith’s Blackmagic for uptown flavor.  If you like Dixiecups, make room for some Iko Iko, epicurean harmonies nonpareil.

Before movin’ on to the main course of the evening, such rich delights require a palette cleanser from Backatown, Clarinet Marmalade and crackers from the kitchen of Creole trombone king Kid Ory, who’s been smearing his brand of bones across New Orleans since Big Chief (or Chef?) first crossed the murky waters of Lake Pontchartrain.

Main course and specialty of de house is New Orleans’ all-time favorite Heebie Jeebies, served up by the maestro Satchelmouth himself, Louis Armstrong, and always with a healthy sampling of Gumbo Filet, plucked fresh from Booker Ervin’s very own backyard sassafras tree.

And finally, for desert, from her Storyville Bakery, Sweet Emma Barrett has baked up a special batch of Jelly Roll Blues, guaranteed to satisfy any New Orleans’ sweet tooth.

And if you overindulge, no need to sing the Dead Man Blues.  Dr. Jazz himself is in the house and he’ll keep you outta the St. James Infirmary. Just make sure you make your reservations early.