Music
The Valparaiso Men’s Chorus, The Straits of St. Claude (Independent)
Whatever traumas he suffered during his stint as Disney Japan’s resident minstrel “Cap’n Sandy,” Alex McMurray did not misspend his stay. With its second recording of sea shanties, McMurray’s Valparaiso […]
Kid Merv, Body and Soul (Kid’s World Records)
Kid Merv’s voice doesn’t so much recharge jazz standards as refocus them on their reasons for being, whether it be love, summer, or mourning. While most selections on his new […]
Christian Scott, Christian aTunde Adjuah (Concord Jazz Records)
The trumpet makes warriors out of its young princes, infusing their gifts with aspirations to conquer the sitting king after burning his land. Christian Scott hasn’t shied from a fight […]
DJ Spinderella: Push It
UPDATED Along with the Superlounges, New & Next, and main stage inside the Superdome, this year’s Essence Festival offers up the Block Party in Champions Square. Emceed by the “Original […]
Jon Cleary, Occapella (Fhq Records)
When interviewed, Allen Toussaint often mentions the jolt he felt at his first encounter with Professor Longhair’s music, the earth-shattering effects of a radical listening experience. One could argue that […]
John Boutté, All About Everything (Independent)
Though a new season is on the horizon, we might consider ourselves residents of a post-Treme culture. Our central narratives, historic touchstones, and musical traditions are now common knowledge to […]
Gypsyphonic Disko, Nola-Phonic, Volume Two (mixtape)
How will bounce be reinterpreted, embraced and marketed by the (sorta) mainstream? The question lingers in the air, with a smattering of answers for consideration. See Mr. Ghetto on YouTube. […]
Sir Patrick and the Swamp Bottom Boys, Sir Patrick and the Swamp Bottom Boys (Independent)
A great thing about Louisiana: across the state, everyday people play instruments for the entertainment of everyday people. America 2012, you can save your digital remove, your pretense of higher […]
French Quarter Fest Focus: Orange Kellin
The cover charge never changed for Woody Allen’s regular gig at Michael’s Pub in Midtown Manhattan, but the director’s day job occasionally called him away from the clarinet chair. Enter […]
Gravity A, Renegade Masters (Independent)
On this three-track EP, Gravity A generates an impressive selection of sounds, amalgamated within the tricky livetronica genre. Against the yardstick of an electronica DJ, many bands would come off […]
