Issue Articles — Features
Life Begets Music: Nicholas Payton premieres ‘Smoke Sessions’
Though it took close to four decades, trumpeter, keyboardist and composer Nicholas Payton’s dream of playing with legendary bassist Ron Carter finally came true on the recording of his latest […]
My Music with Christian Serpas
Christian Serpas is the vocalist and guitar player for Ghost Town, a band known for honky tonk lyrics with scorching rock ’n’ roll guitars. The band has shared the stage […]
‘Hey, Can You Play Us A Song?’: Louis Michot Connects the Past with the Present
Fiddling frontman Louis Michot has made a career of excavating the hallowed foundation of Cajun-Creole music with his bands Lost Bayou Ramblers, Michot Melody Makers and Soul Creole and then […]
Party Spirit: Dash Rip Rock continues to evolve
In a perfect world, Dash Rip Rock would now be getting ready to play its big set at French Quarter Fest, a moment that would have capped off a busy […]
‘Not the first qualified’: A history of opera by Black composers
When Terence Blanchard learned that his opera Fire Shut Up In My Bones would be the first-ever opera by a Black composer to be staged at the Metropolitan Opera in […]
‘I Dare You’: Terence Blanchard expands the language of jazz and explores opera
When Terence Blanchard found himself needing to write something quickly to round out his new album, Absence, he thought about a bit of wisdom given to him by Wayne Shorter, […]
A Beacon Of Light: Balcony concerts keep live music thriving at the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Balconies and porches are abundant throughout semitropical New Orleans and that has been a true blessing during these trying times of the pandemic. As an old proverb says, “Necessity is […]
True To Zydeco: Dwayne Dopsie stays clear of rhythmic repetition
From the perspective of Dwayne Dopsie, accommodating zydeco’s danceable rhythms is no reason to forgo the music’s improvisational, genre-meshing joie de vivre. If anyone knows what genuine zydeco is, it’s […]
Book excerpt | Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong
Editor’s Note: Nearly 50 years after his death, Louis Armstrong remains one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. In his latest book, Ricky Riccardi examines Armstrong’s life in the […]
My Music with Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins, in his own words, as told to Thomas Cole. “I grew up in the lower 9th Ward where my daddy managed a funk R&B band with rehearsals at […]
