All that Jazz in New Orleans

“You’ll like Chris,” said New Orleans Arnaud’s Jazz Bistro maître d’ Jeff Bergman. “He’s a…character.”

Artists of all kinds travel to New Orleans looking to fulfil their artistic pursuits. Whether it’s painters, street performers, musicians, or psychics, the city is filled with nothing but bright colors. Usually, these performers dress brightly to stand out from the crowd. Chris Clifton commented that not only is New Orleans colorful, but jazz is colorful, and he is colorful.

Clifton tightens his tie with a large trumpet printed on it from across the hall. He has been playing and performing the trumpet since he has been 10-years-old. He is 78-years-old today.

“You came from all the way from Milwaukee to New Orleans to talk to me?” Clifton smirked upon entering the dining room.

New Orleans is considered the “birthplace of jazz” as it has been home to many leading jazz musicians: Buddy Bolden, Harry Connick Jr. and Louis Armstrong are just to name a few. Local jazz musicians roam the area performing for tourists and residents alike. Jazz music flows from the local bars and restaurants on Bourbon Street day in and day out. Jazz simply fits the atmosphere. Streets are lined with colorful paintings,

Mardi Gras beads flood the streets at all times of the year, and couples dance together on rooftops and balconies. The air is filled with joyful electricity.

After a round of high-fives and fist-bumps to the various bartenders and waiters at the restaurant, Clifton pulled two pictures from his wallet. One picture featured him with Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and one with New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong.

“You know who that is, right?” Clifton said while pointing at the picture of Louis Armstrong. “That was my teacher.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7pY-Y-Xf-M&w=700&rel=0]

Clifton met Armstrong, whom he calls “Pops,” at a very young age. It was his records that he listened to as a child that sparked his interest in music. On his 12th birthday, Clifton was visiting his aunt and uncle in Chicago, and they told him they were going to take him out to celebrate. He was not aware, though, that they were actually taking him to a Louis Armstrong performance at a famous night club at the time. At this point, he had been playing the trumpet for two years and Armstrong was his idol.

Along with viewing the performance, Clifton’s family gave him the ultimate surprise gift. They arranged a meet-and-greet with Armstrong. Shocked, Clifton was led to him during Armstrong’s first break of the night.

“I met him and he took a liking to me,” said Clifton. “We got together at his house in Corona, Long Island and various venues until the day he passed away.”

Clifton grew up in Detroit, Michigan until his early 20s. He has been living and performing in New Orleans for the last 50 years.

“Jazz is my favorite,” said Clifton. “That’s what brought me here.”

Clifton plays several nights a week at Arnaud’s Jazz Bistro alongside his band, the Gumbo Trio. The Trio consists of Clifton on horn and vocals, Darrel “Sugar Bear” Francis on bass, and Mary Fouler playing the banjo. Along with the Trio, he also performs with his band Chris Clifton and His All-Stars. They play old-time traditional New Orleans jazz.

To add to Clifton’s celebrity repertoire, he is also very acquainted with the Osbourne clan.

Clifton’s nephew, Tommy Clufetos Jr., joined Ozzy Osbourne in 2012 filling in for the original drummer of Black Sabbath. At Clufetos’s wedding, Clifton went to Las Angeles to play “La Vie en Rose” during his nephew’s first dance. There, he met both Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne who were also attending the ceremony.

“Their music is different than my music, though,” chuckled Clifton.

“You have to let the audience know what you’re playing, but jazz is all about adding a few extra notes. No slop, though. That’s what Pops taught me,” said Clifton. “You have to try and make all the notes right. That way the audience can recognize it and associate it with something that happened in their life. Sometimes I play “What a Wonderful World” 12 times a night and I start to cry…because I feel it. That’s the only way I’m going to make them feel it, is if I feel it.”

Clifton had eight minutes to warm up before his performance. The Jazz Bistro was starting to fill up with men in collared shirts and women in spring dresses. The band, stationed in the corner by large windows, tuned their instruments together. The serving staff continued to high-five Clifton as they walked by.

The fine dining restaurant has been open and showcasing live music since 1918. They host performances daily.

“I want Milwaukee to know to come here. They need to hear our great traditional jazz music down here!”

Maître d’ Jeff Bergman was right. Chris Clifton is nothing short of a jubilant, jazzy character.