Issue Articles — Features
New World Rising: After two decades Brian Stoltz is back!
This may come as a shock to anyone who’s ever seen him play, but Brian Stoltz doesn’t think of himself as a hotshot guitar player. There’s no doubt that Stoltz can solo with the best of them—and he literally did solo with the best of them, as a longtime Neville Brothers and funky Meters member, and as a studio player for Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt and others. But for him, the real action happens when you sit down and put pen to paper.
The Cotton Club Meets Studio 54: Eliza Sonnenschein manifests her journey
The performer Eliza Sonnenschein was born Gabrielle Elizabeth Sonnenschein to a military family in Germany. As her career has been building, she’s on the verge of a major career step and getting her acting chops up too. We sat down at the Audubon Zoo to find out why they’re all asking for her.
Barbara Hawkins & The Dixie Cups Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of “Chapel of Love”
New Orleans’ own The Dixie Cups are celebrating a big anniversary, not only for the 60th anniversary of timeless “Chapel of Love,” but all the other hits that followed. They are also the feature of this year’s radiant Jazz & Heritage Festival poster. Founding member Barbara Hawkins looked back on a time in which three teenagers were the premier girl group in the country, knocked the Beatles off the number one pedestal, and took Mardi Gras Indian music to the airwaves. Founding members Rosa Hawkins and Joan Johnson are no longer with us physically, but their spirit and legacy flourishes.
Teacher, Musician and Thinker: Branford Marsalis is coming home
In late January the Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer, Branford Marsalis, announced he was returning to his native New Orleans where he will serve as artistic director of The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music (EMCM) in the upper Ninth Ward. The center is named after the patriarch of the Marsalis family who held the artistic director position until his death in 2020 from complications of the Covid-19 virus.
Born to Win: Britti always wore her heart outwardly
There are certain vocalists who bring you to full attention the first time you hear them. A unique signature means a lot, especially so in a world where mimicry reigns. Britti can’t help being herself, though. Her new album Hello, I’m Britti on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound is a stellar introduction, a testament to the power of strong songwriting, abiding and genuine expression enduring.
A Tale of Two Allens: Luke Allen and His Son Arlo Talk Music—and Poultry
Over a fresh goose-egg omelet, prepared by Luke Allen, we dig into Happy Talk Band’s history and their new album, Low Shoulder, and trace the musical evolution of Luke’s prodigious son Arlo.
Journey to Funkstar: Water Seed – Anticipating The Future
You can always expect the new and unexpected from Water Seed and bandleader Lou Hill. They’re about to unveil Journey To Funkstar: An Immersive Concert and take you on a ride. It promises to be quite the experience and one not to be missed.
Zulu Coconuts: Jon Cleary Goes to the Mardi Gras
On Twelfth Night, Grammy-winning Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen released “Zulu Coconuts,” a new Mardi Gras song. We sat down in Bywater to talk about the tune, Carnival perennials, and how the ultimate connection between Mardi Gras music & Afro-Caribbean roots mirrors Cleary’s own musical passions.
Carnival Tales: Musicians Tell Their Favorite Mardi Gras Stories
Carnival Tales: Musicians Tell Their Favorite Mardi Gras Stories. With Carnival season approaching, we’ve once again asked some musicians to tell us their favorite Mardi Gras stories and included others from previous years. The stories we got range from the heartwarming to the fanciful to the downright raunchy; we wouldn’t expect anything else. And all are, of course, absolutely true—but then, who can really tell at this time of year?
Mamie Desdunes: The teenage girl who helped create the New Orleans sound
Mamie Desdunes: The teenage girl who helped make the New Orleans sound.
The great pianist Jelly Roll Morton who popularized jazz, claimed to have been the inventor of it. He would have been a little too young for that, being born in 1890. Storyville, the notorious red-light district where he eventually played as a piano “professor,” was already in full swing with this music when he was still a kid.
