"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Treme 2.2: Bounce and Jazz

Bounce gets Davis bounced from his job in Treme 2.2 (sorry, couldn't resist) - he defies the station director's order to mix it up - play rock 'n' roll,  etc on his radio show - and gets fired as a result.  I like bounce enough, but love rock 'n' roll et al  a little more - so I'm not unsympathetic to the station director.  And music from Louis Armstrong to Fats Domino to the Nevilles - call it jazz, soul, r&b, rock 'n' roll, whatever - typifies New Orleans as much as bounce, maybe more.   But, still, I hate to see Davis lose this job.

Jazz also won't earn anyone much money, as Delmond makes clear to DJ Jeffy Jeff who will soon be Davis' erstwhile colleague at WWOZ.   Delmond plays some music, live, for his father, Albert, who for some reason doesn't want to hear it.  The tensions continue to run deep between those two.

Crime continues to run higher than last year on Treme.   This time, Sonny gets his kitty robbed from right under him, leading him to muse that he has to stop playing on the street.  (New York's not immune to it either - Janette gets robbed by her one-night stand  - but New Orleans is especially vulnerable.)  Terry's doing his best to get his police to focus on real crimes rather than moral issues - leading to one of the best scenes in the episode, as an officer defends his arrest of a guy with his pants so low you could see "his crack" - but the tide is clearly rising against Terry's efforts.

Terry has Thanksgiving dinner alone at the station, and these dinners serve as a bitter-sweet tableau of where most of our characters are on this day.   Toni and Sofia have a sad dinner out - sadder even than Terry's - but Annie's having a good time with Davis' family (even if he isn't), Ladonna's having a warm family gathering, and Antoine and his new family are doing just fine.

Back to the music, it's good to hear Antoine singing as well as playing - Wendell Pierce is sounding pretty good - as he slowly puts together his own band.   And Frogman Henry croaks "Ain't Got No Home" under the closing credits ... ooo-ooo oooah ...  I've been loving that song since the 1950s...

Listen to a little of Clarence "Frogman" Henry right here!


5-min podcast review of Treme


See also Treme Is Back!

And also Treme! ... Treme 1.2: "If you ain't been to heaven" ... Treme 1.3: Fine Sweet and Sour ... Treme 1.4: New Orleans, New York, Nashville ... Treme 1.5: Delicious! ... Treme 1.8: Passions and Dreams ... Treme 1.9: Creighton ... Treme Season One Finale: Happy Sad Life

And: My Favorite Moment in Treme (Season One)


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