‘New Orleans’: A Tasty Appetizer

Tonight’s “Festival New Orleans ‘93” episode of the new “Live at the Woodlands” music series on KOCE Channel 50 is like a sampler of a Whitman’s Sampler. It’s a tasty introduction to, albeit the most cursory survey of, what may be the most richly steeped musical region of the United States.

The series offers a performance a week from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion outside Houston. This installment consists of highlights of a touring show put together by organizers of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. We get a song or two each from Evangeline (Cajun country), John Mooney & Bluesiana (blues), the Rocks of Harmony (gospel), the Radiators (rock), the Young Olympia Brass Band (street-parade), Beausoleil (Cajun rock) and Buckwheat Zydeco.

(At the festival itself, you find that kind of variety every hour of every day. Actually, you find more variety, as there’s no jazz or folk music in this show.)

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It’s a mostly upbeat hour. The best performances come from the Rocks of Harmony, a traditional male ensemble that ignites the first real sparks of this show. Beausoleil, which has pushed the boundaries of traditional Cajun music, is characteristically inspiring with its two numbers. The show ends with a peppery performance by Buckwheat Zydeco, one of the leading zydeco bands in the country.

The show probably will frustrate fans of any of the individual groups. But then, the purpose of any sampler, chocolate or musical, is to leave you hungry for more.

* “Live at the Woodlands” airs tonight at 10 on KOCE Channel 50.