AHEAD OF MANY
As much as you [Jan Ramsey] seem to struggle (both pre and post Katrina) to urge a city/state to do what is obvious to all music lovers—develop New Orleans and Louisiana’s great natural and unique resource, music—at least New Orleans has a magazine and an advocate. That puts NOLA ahead of many!
—Jay Sieleman, Executive Director, The Blues Foundation, Memphis, TN
A SPECIAL PLACE
My name is Ricky Windhorst, I have been a musician for over 30 years in the New Orleans area. For 30 years on and off with the original band J.J. Muggler, I was also in the cover bands, Aura in the ’70s, Bad Dog in the ’80s and early ’90s and along with my wife Jan Cocchiara-Windhorst in the Northshore Band Four Unplugged from 2006 ’til the present.
I’m writing because I read your commentary on George Brumat in the recent edition of OffBeat. As you can see I have been involved in the local music scene for a long time, not only as a performer but as a producer, manager, writer, booking agent, promoter and recording artist. I have to be honest, though I respect your magazine and read it and your weekly e-mails regularly, I have had some sometimes disagreed with OffBeat because I feel that with the exception of the Louisiana Music Directory, cover bands do not get much coverage. But, I wanted to write to tell you what your recent article meant to me.
For all my years in music, I had never had a chance to go to Snug Harbor until I was invited to a memorial for their press agent. My wife’s aunt was Rosalee Baker. I’m sure you knew Rosalee because she often told me that “this old news broad knows everybody!” She passed away while on refugee status following Hurricane Katrina. It was at her memorial that I got to meet George Brumat for the first time. I have to say that the people I met that night at Snug Harbor, from the owner to the musicians to the bartenders, made me feel that this place was something special. I have been in many, many different bars during my musical lifetime, but there was a certain aura and unique feel within Snug Harbor and the music I heard that night. I felt like I was being allowed to join a club of people who are devoted to live jazz music and it was like being in church (a very cool church, but a religious experience all the same) and I will never forget it.
After reading your article, my memory went back to that night and I remembered that feeling and I wanted to thank you for that. Please keep fanning the flame of local music as you and your staff have done for as long as I can remember, and if God needed a manager for his jazz club, he got a good one.
—Richard “Ricky” Windhorst, III, Madisonville, LA
OFFBEAT CD COMPILATIONS
Are past OffBeat CD compilations available for purchase?
—Larry Weinberg, San Francisco, CA
OffBeat’s annual CD compilations are for promotional purposes only and are not for sale. The artists who release materials to OffBeat hope that you, the subscriber, will purchase the source CD from whence the music came. We do too.—ED.
SECOND HOME
Many thanks for sending the CD 2006 compilation. My heart is beatin’ for my second home New Orleans.
—Elmar Hoff, Gronau, Germany
FAVORITE CITY
Long Live OffBeat! Love!!! my subscription… it keeps me in touch with my favorite city.
—Mark McGee, Alpharetta, GA
