Issue Articles
Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement in Music Education Award: Ellis Marsalis
In its second century of existence, jazz is clearly much more than just a musical style – it’s a vocation, with fast-growing generations of acolytes eager to pick up and […]
Chris Thomas King: “Why I Don’t Sing the Blues”
Chris Thomas King has all the credentials to be the new face of Louisiana blues. A skilled singer, guitarist and songwriter, he has the lineage as the son of genuine […]
Masters of Louisiana Music: Sidney Bechet
In this month’s installment of OffBeat’s “Masters of Louisiana music” series, John Swenson examines the life and legend of Sidney Bechet, the only musician Louis Armstrong couldn’t outplay. As early […]
Navigating the Swamp of Louis Armstrong Releases
One of the happiest side effects of the Louis Armstrong centennial celebration is the reconfiguration of this master musician’s catalog. For many years, much of Armstrong’s most important recordings were […]
Masters of Louisiana Music: Lonnie Johnson
Born:February 8, 1899New Orleans, LA Died:June 16, 1970Toronto, Canada In this month’s installment of OffBeat’s “Masters of Louisiana Music” series, JohnSwenson profiles the father of all lead guitarists, […]
The Wrong Road with… The Radiators
Heat lightning screamed down from the sky. The mid-day August sun blasted Magazine Street in shimmering waves that seemed to ooze up from the pavement, but a few steps up […]