Issue Articles
The Beauty of the Boswells
If you don’t know who the Boswell Sisters are, you can be forgiven because the group broke up more than 70 years ago. But the innovative vocal harmony style developed […]
Will Panel for Recovery
Though it was a little depressing to see the music of New Orleans represented at New York’s CMJ convention only by the Supertramp-like performance of Mute Math at “The Fillmore,” […]
John Doheny and the Professors of Pleasure, Tulane University Faculty Quintet (Independent)
John Doheny and the Professors of Pleasure strike the perfect balance between pedagogy and practice. The Tulane music school Faculty Quintet offers a rundown of several jazz styles as […]
Derrick Freeman, It Is What It Is (Independent)
Is the key to this album in the monolithic sound of the bass and drums on the Bill Withers-penned opening track, “Lonely Town, Lonely Street,” recorded way up front […]
Captain Coconut, Shoop! (Captain Coconut1234)
Captain Coconut has built a strong following out of its New York City base at the Knitting Factory, but the band passed its funk final exam in showcase gigs […]
Betty Harris Returns
Of all the remarkable comebacks engineered at the Ponderosa Stomp, Betty Harris’ 2005 performance stands out as one for the ages. The soul queen had not performed in over 30 […]
Obituary: Kerwin James (1972 – 2007)
With the death of New Birth Brass Band tuba player Kerwin James last month, New Orleans lost another of its trademark musicians. James’ merry bass brass beats provided the underpinning […]
Various Artists, New Orleans Brass
Putumayo Records is a marketing outfit of singular genius. They could sell refrigerators to Eskimos, and with the way the world’s going, the Eskimos may end up thanking them in […]
John Coltrane, Interplay (Prestige)
The first thing that absolutely must be clear in any review of this box set is that it is not a John Coltrane album. There are no, as in zero, […]
