Issue Articles — Features
2023 Jazz Fest Redux
With Jazz Fest 2023 now firmly in the rear-view mirror, we are sharing a few thoughts on this year’s best (and occasionally worst) moments.
It’s A Clean Machine: New Breed Brass Band’s fresh sound and the making of Made in New Orleans
It’s A Clean Machine: New Breed Brass Band’s fresh sound and the making of Made in New Orleans.
From New Orleans to Kingston and Back Again: Papa Mali’s Shantytown Underground reimagines reggae
A year or so back, evocative flyers for a band called Shantytown Underground began to appear. They mysteriously hinted at a particular sound rarely heard, present day. Jamaican ska, rock steady, reggae, with a New Orleans twist. It took some detective work to find the nucleus was Papa Mali.
Unlike Any Other: Zydeco’s Rusty Metoyer plays for everybody
If the oft-said phrase “it skips a generation” is borderline cliquish, nonetheless, it still fits Rusty Metoyer to a “T.” The Lake Charles zydeco accordionist and vocalist’s parents, Russell and Portia, didn’t play music, yet both of Metoyer’s grandparents played professionally.
Soul and Joy: Keiko Komaki’s Tokyo to New Orleans Odyssey
Drawn to the rhythm and soul of New Orleans, keyboardist Keiko Komaki moved to the city from Japan in 2006. She made the seven-thousand-mile leap seven months after Hurricane Katrina, when New Orleans was still deep in disaster recovery mode.
My Music with Irma Thomas
Irma Thomas, the matriarch of a family spanning four generations with great grandchildren, can rest on well-deserved laurels. But with numerous accolades including a Grammy, she maintains that an appreciative audience is more precious.
Cumbia de Nueva Orleans: Los Guiros brings the beat
Los Guiros is a psychedelic cumbia band whose time has come for New Orleans. Their core sound spans at least the last 200 years with respect for the traditional but is also of the now with electronics and effects. Like three of the best restaurants in our city—Fritai, Queen Trini Lisa, and Bratz Y’all—they fill a gap, are of a uniquely particular region, and have a New Orleans-centric quality.
Diggin’ Her New Hometown: Dee Dee Bridgewater is a vocal powerhouse
Three-time Grammy winner, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater leads her own bands, has played with countless jazz legends and continues to perform concerts around the world. Yet considering her very impressive resume, she’s nonetheless particularly eager about her appearance at the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Blurring Boundaries: Molly Tuttle is respectful of tradition but is not bound to it
Molly Tuttle & Golden HighwayFriday May 5 at 1 p.m., Alison Miner StageFriday May 5 at 4:15 p.m., Fais Do-Do Stage Getting back to her roots proved a winning move […]
Once Upon a Time in the Soul Chamber: Soul Rebels’ Lumar LeBlanc from A to Z
Soul Rebels co-founder Lumar LeBlanc opened his mind and his memory for a stunning A-to-Z of New Orleans, influences, loves, learning moments, and, of course, music.
