Production Notes

The poignant ‘back story’ of the butt grab

          It‘s interesting that this simple story—a charming, gentle romance about a woman seizing the reins of her own heart and demanding unequivocal respect—suddenly took on a tinge of topical drama with the October 2017 #MeToo social media phenomenon ... and the massive dam-burst of pent-up feelings it released.

          In Marigny Tumble, the strife-causing physical contact happens not to the female lead, but to Bella Blue, one of New Orleans’ leading vintage burlesque performers. Bella performed her scene with only the briefest direction. Yet her reaction on camera to the butt grab she knew was coming was poignant and nuanced: a demure step back, a hearty laugh that was yet tinged with nervousness, and in her eyes an unmistakable glint of conflict and vulnerability—exactly the response of a woman who feels compelled to play along with unwanted, sexually-charged physical contact.

          Her response was surprising to Kevin during filming. Bella is his real-life friend and exuberant denizen of the sexually-charged world of burlesque who might, just a year or so prior, have greeted him by jumping up and wrapping her legs around him playfully—and that's the spirit in which he had expected their interaction in the scene to play out. He knew when it happened that her reaction on camera wasn’t entirely a performance, but it was only later that he learned the depth of it: Bella had just emerged from a destructive relationship suffering from a full blown case of PTSD...

          “When I go places, I am constantly scanning for ‘danger’ ... It plagues your waking moments and creeps into your dreams when you least expect it.” It caused “an almost complete disconnection from my physical self. You know, the part of you that allows you to be a sexual human being. Yep. You heard right. A burlesque performer who can’t find her mojo ... You may also be surprised to learn that performing is not a sexual activity for most burlesque dancers. By the same token, sexual acts are not a performance.”

          So Bella’s real-life suffering inadvertently infused the scene with a poignant truth that lends depth and resonance—and helps fuel The Event Producer’s contempt and lingering mistrust as the story unfolds.

          And there’s a striking synchronicity. The Event Producer is the one purely fictional character in Marigny Tumble. The back story Laura was given in pre-production? ...She had just emerged from a destructive relationship with a manipulative philanderer.

Music video or narrative film short with original score?

          Both.

          The song was written first (lyrics, chords, melody), but the musical arrangement of the recording was very much shaped by the needs of the narrative, as a rough draft of the script had been developed by that time. Each section was performed in the studio to convey a distinct emotional arc in the overall flow of the story told in the film. In fact, an entirely new instrumental section was added in the second studio session to accommodate the melancholy scenes that Kevin realized were necessary to the emotional flow.

          Once completed, the recording became the basis of the fully-developed script. Many of the shots were inspired by moments in the music. And the way of articulating the story—the intricate syncopation you see in the film of imagery and dramatic moments—grew organically from the music to produce a jazz form of cinematic storytelling.

          The end result is a film short set to a song that stands on its own as a cinematic story—and a musical arrangement shaped by a narrative that yet stands on its own as a song.

Fact or fiction?

          Marigny Tumble weaves its fictional tapestry out of factual threads in an effort to paint an authentic portrait of Marigny life.

          When Laura enters the rehearsal/recording session at Cafe Istanbul, it was the actual session during which the harmony vocals were recorded for the song. Then Chuck Perkins arranges to introduce Laura and Kevin at Cafe Rose Nicaud, which is actually where Chuck gathers with friends most mornings for coffee (frequently joined by owner, Kenneth Ferdinand, seen in a brief cameo through the window). The rehearsal session that Laura directs back at Cafe Istanbul with Chuck, Kevin and Mike “N.O. Meazy” Poole was the actual rehearsal, during which the spoken word vocals were recorded, for the live performance scene in the film.

          All of the musicians, including Kevin, are portraying themselves in a naturalistic way throughout—sometimes in fictional circumstances and sometimes in actual circumstances adopted to serve the story. Bella Blue really is one of the leading vintage burlesque producer/performers in New Orleans and she and Kevin really are friends. The red scooter is Kevin’s favored mode of transportation in real life. The sheet music and lyric sheets seen in the film are the real ones used in the Marigny Tumble recordings. The musicians appear on Frenchmen Street in front of the clubs where they perform most frequently in real life. And Laura’s home/office/studio in the film is actually Kevin’s own “homebase.”

What is a Marigny Tumble?

          The Faubourg Marigny is the neighborhood (faubourg literally means ‘suburb’) immediately downriver of the French Quarter. Originally a thriving enclave of Créoles, from laborers to physicians to opera composers, “The Marigny” fell on hard times in the early 20th century. Between the 1970’s and 2005, the neighborhood became a hive of bohemian creativity, with artistic souls drawn to its colorful, often ramshackle, Créole cottages and historic atmosphere. Some complain of the gentrification of the Faubourg Marigny since Hurricane Katrina, but much artistic striving persists and that poetic ethos still hangs in the air today.

          “Tumble” is Kevin’s word for interactive improvisation by two or more musicians simultaneously—and by extension, for any heated interaction involving two or more people: a romance, an argument, sex, etc. The word “tumble” is not used widely in the jazz world or even in New Orleans (but is used by one creative krewe in the Faubourg Marigny to describe their costumed, bar-hopping street parades).

          In New Orleans music culture, when musicians tumble they're not engaging in an aggressive competition like the musical battles known as “cutting contests” that happen elsewhere in the jazz world. Here, while ego is definitely involved, a musical tumble is more of a dance: there's an expectation of give and take with the goal of inspiring each other to greater heights.

          So the macho posturing of the musicians on Frenchmen Street in the film is actually a humorous conceit, the punchline occurring when the horn players crack up laughing with each other.

Vodou and The Pendulum

          Contrary to the macabre popular impressions fostered by some novels and films, Vodou is a living religion that evolved over the past few centuries in the Caribbean islands and Gulf of Mexico rim—and is still practiced today by a small but dedicated group of followers in New Orleans.

          One of our prominent Vodou manbos (priestesses) serves her société (congregation) in the Faubourg Marigny and neighboring Bywater area, where she leads weekly rituals in her péristyle (temple). This woman is widely loved—and influential—in the Faubourg Marigny, and it was in her botanica that the pendulum was acquired that Kevin leaves in the water fountain for Laura to discover in the film.

          A Vodou pendulum is used to answer yes or no questions. In the film, Laura’s character doesn't yet know this. Kevin explains, then holds it over her head. The question he asks: “Is this woman for real?”

          He’s about to find out how real.

          The pendulum in the film is a talisman possessing the power to penetrate the ever-present unknowns in a romantic relationship. It becomes a symbol of the central question of the narrative: “Is their love for real?” And its appearance in the closing scene answers that question.

          An interesting side note: the bicycle Laura rides in the chase scene at the end actually belongs to the the same Vodou priestess who provided the pendulum.

Topsy and the headphone snap

          Topsy Chapman is a magnanimous soul beloved by generations of musicians in New Orleans and beyond, but she can be a taskmistress when working.

          In the scene where Laura enters Café Istanbul during a recording session and Kevin is so taken with her that he stops singing, Topsy reaches up and pulls Kevin’s headphones so they snap back onto his head and jolt him out of his reverie.

          That bit was inspired by stories from Topsy’s daughters Yolanda Windsay and Jolynda Phillips (also on stage in the scene), of when they were young and just learning to harmonize. If they made a mistake, Topsy would reach over and flick them on the head.

          Anyone who knows Topsy laughs out loud when she snaps Kevin’s headphones in the scene—because it’s something she would actually do.

I’m never gonna get it

          Just before the credits roll over a sweeping aerial panorama over the rooftops of the Faubourg Marigny and French Quarter, drummer Joe Dyson appears in a cameo inset as we hear him say, “I’m never gonna get it, but let me stop while I'm ahead of myself.”

          Which is really funny.

          Joe Dyson is one of New Orleans’ most brilliant rising stars currently lighting up the international jazz scene. Like all of the other instrumentalists who recorded on Marigny Tumble, Joe is a composer and bandleader in his own right.

          While Joe and Kevin have known each other for years, Marigny Tumble was their first opportunity to work together, so Joe was unfamiliar with Kevin’s approach as producer in the studio. On the final verse, Kevin had the rhythm section lay down three consecutive takes, all with the same form, tempo and emotional force. Each take that Joe laid down was flawless. He didn’t understand why Kevin kept asking for more, and he had to get to another gig.

          In fact, Kevin and principal audio engineer Wes Fontenot used parts of all three takes during editing because Kevin decided to extend the verse by 12 measures, as he had thought he might.

          But in a moment of frustration—after laying down a litany of utter brilliance on the drums—Joe’s characteristic humility and grace provided a priceless studio outtake. And its placement in the film suggests other meanings, providing a thoughtful resonance echoing into the quiet night after the climax.

Song Lyrics

© Copyright by Kevin Molony

They don’t speak French on Frenchmen anymore
But they sing, swing and stomp it out all night
It’s so Snug, here, but let’s trip on to Brasil
Christian wails out the tune and you’re in flight

The Quarter’s near, but half a world away
At least they’re still on the Créole side
Across Canal, hearts beat American
We love them too, but oh, man, what a ride

Max rolls up, he brought his axe
Joe’s on the street, picks up a stick now
Kyle stands up, Alexey stares him down
Too late now, a Marigny Tumble
You’re into a Marigny Tumble

Spoonin’ coffee in the triangle
While it’s roastin’ over past the square
Breathe it from the breeze into your lungs
Bitter, yes, but promise in the air

The writers dream, their tears fall on the page
The painters, they smoke color and light
James makes crooked houses look so very right
And the cats they prowl the scene most every night

She rolls up, she sure looks fine
He gives her the eye, he’s on the chase, now
She flashes a smile, he moves in tight
Too late now, a Marigny Tumble
You’re into a Marigny Tumble

A burned out warehouse sets a sultry scene
Drinks flow, heads they start to swim
Wolfman howls, the moonlight winks at you
Is that a costume or is that her skin?

Sippin’ wine on Sunday ’cross the tracks
Tellin’ crazy stories of St. Anne
The NOCCA kids, they really mess you up
Get back! How dare you play like that!

Steve rolls up, he brought his axe.
Greg’s on the street, picks up a stick now
David stands up, they all stare him down
Too late now, a Marigny Tumble
You’re into a Marigny Tumble

They don’t speak French on Frenchmen anymore
But they sing, swing and stomp it out all night
It’s so Snug, here, but let’s trip on to Brasil
Evan wails out the tune and you’re in flight

The Quarter’s near, but half a world away
At least they’re still on the Créole side
Across Canal, hearts beat American
We love them too, but oh, man, what a ride!