“That Gentilly Swing” (PDF) from the Ronell Johnson album, That Gentilly Swing

In January 2022, the city of New Orleans renamed a primary boulevard of the Gentilly neighborhood in honor of local pianist and composer Allen Toussaint who resided along the street, which until then had been associated with a defeated commander of the Confederate States. The musician’s own legacy within the neighborhood, and throughout the history of American music, has been widely documented: the Gentilly-based recording facility, Sea-Saint Studios - owned and operated by Toussaint until its destruction by Hurricane Katrina - provided both local musicians and global rock stars with a creative space for New Orleans rhythm & blues.

Following the tradition of drummer Paul Barbarin, trombonist Ronell Johnson’s composition “That Gentilly Swing” utilizes the same 32-bar song form as “Paul Barbarin’s Second Line,” “Bourbon Street Parade” (also penned by Barbarin), “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey,” and “Tiger Rag” (also featured on Johnson’s album), among others. While the melodic phrasing of “That Gentilly Swing” shares commonalities with many of those other tunes, its performance between multiple voices in musical conversation is the tune’s true melodic quality: rhythm as melody, or that Gentilly swing - a fitting tribute to the influential New Orleans drummer.

Recommended reading: Traditional New Orleans Jazz: Conversations with the Men Who Make the Music by Thomas W. Jacobsen. Published by Louisiana State University Press.