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(CNN) -- When Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana during the American summer last year, it left New Orleans in a shambles and musician Davell Crawford without a home.
Displaced by Katrina, Crawford says he had no other option than to play music.
"I can do nothing else. I know how to do nothing else but play music," Crawford told CNN.
"Often, at times, I wish I could have done something else, learned another craft, but music is what gift has been given to me and it's all I've ever been able to do.
"So, at a time like that, with what happened in New Orleans, what else could I do but express myself through music?"
This was in sharp contrast to his pre-hurricane life -- a life in which Crawford had all but given up the music business.
"I just stopped. I wanted to stay home and try to sleep in my own bed, eat New Orleans food, listen to the music, meet the musicians that I had never met. And, I did that for a while -- and then the hurricane came."
Since the hurricane, Crawford has mostly been on tour, but he knows it can't last forever.
"Once this tour ends, I've got to figure out where I'm going to live. I don't have an address at this point. I don't have a bed at this point."
For now, he lives in hotels, and his beds are only temporary. Yet, for Crawford, sharing his song and his city with the world is more important than knowing where is going to lay his head.
Among his repertoire are songs called 'New Orleans,' 'Louisiana' and 'Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?'
"We've been around the world, and there have been some nights where I'll just strike those songs up or the band will strike the songs up, and I'll start singing or playing, and you can see a tear," he said.
"You can see something happening religiously. It's a spiritual thing. Like I tell my bass player, I say, 'He'll get caught up quick, into the spirit.' Because we truly know what it means to miss New Orleans."
Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs, long regarded as having a keen eye for talent, has given Crawford a helping hand with his post-Katrina life.
When he saw the disheveled, young musician playing exquisite boogie woogie and emotional ballads from New Orleans, Nobs invited him to play at his chalet in front of Quincy Jones during this year's Montreux Jazz Festival.
He proved such a hit that Nobs immediately added him to the musical menu at Montreux's famous Casino stage during the festival, taking the stage straight after jazz legend Herbie Hancock and winning a standing ovation from the audience.
Crawford says he knows there is a tough road ahead but appreciates the break given to him by Nobs
"What a special cat. You know, I've watched him on video a lot throughout my years of being a musician and watching videos of the Montreux Jazz Festival. He's a special guy. There's not many like him - not many like him left. I can tell you that," Crawford said.
"It's been very hard to move on. Some people have lost lives and lost family members. But, you just have to keep on breathing. I tell people there's another song to sing."
| Beat goes on for Katrina musician | Log-in or register a new user account | 4 Comments |
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