Long lost songs equal hit album and historic performance for Nocentelli

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— An extremely rare acoustic rehearsal of Leo Nocentelli and a band of pros in Kenner Tuesday marked the team getting ready for a special performance of songs long lost.

According to noted New Orleans guitarist Leo Nocentelli, “It’s like a brand new 50-year-old record.”

Nocentelli is referring to the recent release of an acoustic album he wrote back in 1971. The tapes were sold off as part of Seasaint Studios after Hurricane Katrina. The contents of which wound up in an auction and a gentleman on the west coast bought the contents, listened to them, and immediately contacted Nocentelli.

“The next thing I know he started rattling off the titles on the box and I said, ‘You have what? You have that tape?!,” said Nocentelli.

After some negotiation, the tapes would be released as the album Another Side, an acoustic side of Nocentelli. Thursday’s performance of the material at Jazz Fest will be the first time it’s publicly played.

Drummer Jamal Batiste stated, “It feels great, man, very authentic. it’s unique. Definitely different from projects like I worked on before. It’s not the usual.”

Nocentelli has his own unique description of the sound of the project, “I call it country because James Taylor has some kind of country orientation, but I would call it country, folk. I would go so far as to add a little funk in it because I can’t help but be funky too.”