Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and
Tchoupitoulas Street in
Uptown
Uptown may refer to:
Neighborhoods or regions in several cities
United States
* Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
* Uptown, area surrounding the University of C ...
, United States.
History
Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977.
[Gambit Weekly - Blake Ponchartrain - New Orleans Know-It-All](_blank)
The name was inspired by a well-known song, "
Tipitina", by
Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death in 1980. Before adopting use of "Tipitina's" as its name, the facility was known as "The 501 Club," in reference to its street address (501 Napoleon Avenue). Tipitina's stands as one of the best-known clubs in New Orleans. The building itself was constructed in
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6 ...
, and prior to becoming Tipitina's, it served as a gambling house, gymnasium, and brothel.
In the early years, it had a juice bar, restaurant, and a bar. The only remnant of the juice bar is the
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
in Tipitina's logo.
In the early 1980s, the studios of radio station
WWOZ were located in one of the apartments upstairs from the club. During that time, WWOZ would occasionally carry a Tipitina's show live by literally lowering a microphone into the club through a hole in the floor. Tipitina's closed for a time during the
1984 World's Fair
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984, and ende ...
, when much of the local music scene was drawn to venues in and around the Fair. The building was then remodeled to remove the upstairs apartments in favor of a higher ceiling in the downstairs music venue and reopened.
In
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, Tipitina's opened a second location on North Peters Street in the
French Quarter, which for a time was also a regular live music venue as well as open for private events and parties but is currently closed. Apart from running these venues, Tipitina's has established the
Tipitina's Foundation, a non-profit organization to support local music and musicians. The main focus of the Tipitina's Foundation is to provide musical instruments and uniforms to New Orleans public high school marching bands. The Foundation has been especially active in supporting the musicians victimized by
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
.
During the annual
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival period, Tipitina's hosts a concert series titled "Fess Jazztival", which is a play on "Jazz Festival" and Professor Longhair's nickname, "Fess".
In December 2018, Tipitina's was purchased by the members of the New Orleans-based jam band
Galactic from Mary and Ronald von Kurnatowski, who had owned the venue since 1997.
Live albums
Numerous live albums have been recorded at Tipitina's, including:
*
The Radiators / ''
Work Done on Premises'' (1980)
*
The Neville Brothers / ''Nevillization: Live at Tipitina's'' (1982)
*
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
/ ''Live - Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA, 16 Jan '89'' (1989)
*''Piano Night at Tipitina's'' (1995)
*
Anders Osborne / ''Live at Tipitina's'' (1998)
*
Galactic / ''
We Love 'Em Tonight: Live at Tipitina's'' (2001)
*
Professor Longhair / ''Ball the Wall: Live at Tipitina's 1978'' (2004)
*The Radiators / ''
Earth vs. The Radiators: the First 25 (2004)
*
Tuts Washington / ''Live at Tipitina's '78'' (2005)
*
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from t ...
/ ''Right Place, Right Time: Live at Tipitina's'' (2006)
*
Bonerama
Bonerama is a brass funk rock band from New Orleans.
Bonerama was formed in 1998 by trombone players Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, who, from 1990 / ''Bringing It Home'' (2007)
*
The Blind Boys of Alabama / ''Live in New Orleans'' (2009) ''DVD''
*
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
/ ''New Orleans Relief'' (2010)
*
Mem Shannon
Mem Shannon (born December 21, 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American blues musician. He is currently signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music. Shannon is a former taxi-cab driver turned bluesman.Scott Jordan"Mem Shannon's ...
/ ''Live: A Night at Tipitina's'' (2007)
*
Black Top Blues-a-rama Vol. 1 - 7
* Tipitina's is featured prominently in
Wilco's
Ashes of American Flags
''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' is the fourth studio album by American rock music, rock band Wilco, first released on September 18, 2001. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film ''I Am Tryin ...
documentary and the accompanying downloadable live album
See also
*
List of jazz clubs
*
List of music venues
This is a list of notable venues worldwide including theaters, clubs, arenas, convention centers, and stadiums, all which can host a concert (music related).
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Nigeria
Republic of Congo
...
References
External links
Official siteTipitina's Foundation official site
{{Authority control
Music venues in Louisiana
Culture of New Orleans
Jazz in Louisiana
Jazz clubs in the United States