Issue Articles
The BEAT Goes On: A 25 Year Retrospective of OffBeat Magazine
OffBeat Magazine, the foremost authority on Louisiana music and one of the world’s longest-running jazz and roots music publications, celebrates its 25th anniversary with this issue. Here, we give a […]
Obituary: Bob French (1938-2012)
Drummer Bob French was such a forceful personality that his reputation as a controversial WWOZ disc jockey actually overshadows his most important accomplishment, leading the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band. French […]
Dirt, Dust and Trees Celebrates Author Ernest Gaines
Updated: 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 27 To celebrate the first public performance of Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s Dirt, Dust and Trees — A Tribute to Literary […]
A Lonely Lonely Knight Departed: Remembering Jon Rans
Jon Rans, drummer for Lonely Lonely Knights, is gone. I met Jon at a Lonely Lonely Knights gig early this year. He came up to me and gave me a […]
Derrick Freeman, Blurple Pain (DF Records)
Blurple Pain has just about everything you ask for from a contemporary R&B/hip-hop record — great arrangements, truth-telling and consciousness-raising, comic relief, fine storytelling, memorable love songs, and tasteful instrumental […]
The Prodigal Po-Boy: Papa John Gros’ Pointers
A few years ago when OffBeat was asking various musicians about their favorite New Orleans restaurants, we got a lot of interesting responses from people but none as heartfelt as […]
A Horse with a Name: Frank “Poncho” Sampedro Tells the Crazy Horse Story
Crazy Horse guitarist Frank “Poncho” Sampedro has played in Neil Young’s band for 37 years dating back to the 1975 album Zuma. Sampedro replaced original Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten, […]
The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Parties On
Irvin Mayfield has assembled an impressive array of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the remarkable accomplishments the organization has achieved despite the […]
Greg Schatz, Where the River Meets the Railroad Tracks (Hot Spazz Records)
Greg Schatz is a prime example of a musician who came to New Orleans looking to be graced by the city’s numinous musical spirit and became transformed. On his earlier […]
Dave Ferrato, Later, On Decatur (Independent)
Dave Ferrato is a Quarter Rat with an eye for storytelling detail and an ear for the classic currents of New Orleans R&B. This is an extremely polished and professional […]
