Canadian Bob Ezrin aiming to get musicians to return to New Orleans
LEE-ANNE GOODMAN
Thu Sep 21, 6:26 PM ET
TORONTO (CP) - Canadian rock producer Bob Ezrin and U2's The Edge describe New Orleans as a musical mecca, the home of a rich and vital music scene and the birthplace of blues, jazz and rock 'n' roll.
But in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina a year ago, thousands of musicians fled New Orleans, forced like so many others to leave when little was done to rebuild their city.
"We're really in danger of losing not just a lot of houses, we're in danger of losing an entire music scene and a culture," The Edge says in the moving documentary "Music Rising," airing Saturday on CTV (check local listings).
Ezrin and The Edge were horrified by the notion that the soul of New Orleans - its music - had been snuffed out by Katrina. They set out to do what they could to resuscitate the city's music scene by starting up Music Rising, a massive fundraising initiative aimed at getting musicians to return to New Orleans and get back to work.
The campaign has meant everything from replacing musicians' waterlogged or lost instruments - 2,100 so far - to helping rebuild their houses, their clubs and their recording studios. The hope, Ezrin says, is that if the city's music scene can be resurrected, perhaps the rest of New Orleans can rise from the ruins as well.
"We have to attend to the heart for the body to become healthy," Ezrin, who's produced records for bands like Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd over the course of his storied career, said in an interview on Thursday.
"We're just a pair of humble musicians who want to do what we can to keep the music alive. We're not political, we're not getting on any soapbox to criticize anyone, we just want the music to stay in New Orleans."
To that end, Ezrin is also co-producing a huge show Monday night at the city's Louisiana SuperDome, the first event at the venue since it became the site of so much misery in the days after Katrina hit and thousands of displaced citizens holed up there.
The show, featuring live performances from U2 and Green Day, including a duet, will be broadcast live on ESPN.
"It's going to be fantastic, one of the greatest events of entertainment and sports history because of the emotional component of the show and the symbolism of that place," Ezrin says. "It's going to be huge, an amazingly emotional show, and probably one of the biggest undertakings I've ever engaged in."
Ezrin says he'll be forever affected by what he's seen in New Orleans in the time he's spent getting Music Rising off the ground. The initiative is now in its second phase, providing musical instruments to schools and churches in the city.
In one scene in the documentary, Ezrin is driven around the city months after Katrina struck and is stunned by what he sees.
"I found it surreal and emotionally overwhelming; the extent of the devastation was beyond anything I had imagined," Ezrin recalls. "I was not only surprised that so little had been done to rebuild the city, I was absolutely furious."
The documentary ends on a sad note, with many involved acknowledging that saving New Orleans may be impossible with Washington doing little to rebuild the city's infrastructure.
Saxophone player Breeze Cayolle is shown returning from Memphis to his ruined home - and deciding on the spot that he won't move back to New Orleans.
"To see it now and see that nothing has been done .... that's tragic," a tearful Cayolle says.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060921/ca_pr_on_en/tv_music_rising_1
http://reginaonumb.blog.uol.com.br
I so hope that this airs in the States as well! If not, we shall have to rely on our Canadian neighbors to share with us!! 
