RIP Uncle Lionel

If you've ever been to/visited New Orleans, chances are you've heard of Lionel Batiste. Maybe you heard that he's the grand marshall of second lining, or that he floated to safety on his drum during Katrina, or that he was the patriarch of the Batiste family, a huge family with a long line of musicians. Jazz musicians from all over the world know who this guy is. I just read that Wendell Pierce, who plays a Batiste on the show Treme, was in France the night he died and was walking along the Siene at 3 am when he heard a band playing New Orleans jazz in his honor.

Notice how he wears his watch.

Mo says he lived in a nursing home across from Washington Square, but he went out a lot, always dressed to the nines, looking fresh. She was too shy to have a conversation with him but said he laughed when they took this picture.

I was thinking I do a lot of obituaries on my blog (?) about people I don't know; I think it's partly because I like the idea that a story never really ends, it just goes on to another chapter. RIP Uncle Lionel, I wish I could be part of your second line, I'm sure it'll be a hell of a party.