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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

R.I.P.: Bob French, Band Leader And WWOZ (Nola) Deejay

Robert "Bob" French Sr., the longtime leader and drummer of the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band and an outspoken, at times controversial, WWOZ-FM deejay, died on Monday, Nov. 12, after a long illness, according to nola.com.  He was 74.

Mr. French last performed with the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band in the summer of 2011. Afflicted with dementia and suffering from diabetes-related complications, he then moved into an assisted-living facility.

His blunt talk, strong opinions, combativeness and force of personality earned him detractors; an altercation with a fellow WWOZ deejay reportedly got him booted off the air. But he also had his fans, including Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis.

After Hurricane Katrina, he used his position at WWOZ as a bully pulpit to berate elected officials he believed let the city down. Both on air and onstage, he returned to similar themes. "In God we trust, all others pay cash" was a favorite expression. He often referenced red beans as an indicator of his economic status or as an inducement for fans to buy CDs.

During one two hour-session on the air in the summer of 2007, he lobbied former WWOZ deejay Michael "Mr. Jazz" Gourrier for a free lunch; bashed the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mayor Ray Nagin; and spun a diverse program of mostly traditional, mostly local, jazz. His radio playlists favored the likes of Louis Armstrong, Dr. John, trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, pianist-composer Matt Lemmler, hot jazz singer Ingrid Lucia.

Of his tenure at WWOZ, he said, "I do a lot I'm not supposed to do, but nobody stops me. I think it's good that somebody can do something that's not automatic. I'm not a robot; I'm a human being. And I've always been opinionated. Ask both of my ex-wives."

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