Issue Articles
Tony Hall talks back
Bassist, guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter Tony Hall’s myriad accomplishments include co-founding Dumpstaphunk. The deep-grooving funk-jazz-soul quintet came together in 2003 for an Ivan Neville appearance at the New Orleans […]
Sharp Dressed Man ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on taming that beast
Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, collectively known as ZZ Top, probably are the only intact major rock band from the 1960s still firing on all cylinders. Since their […]
Van Morrison, Versatile (Legacy)
Van Morrison’s 38th album finds the Irish soul man fit as a fiddle. Singing standards by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, Jule Styne and more, Morrison and […]
The Vettes, Gold Star (Album Review)
Slicing synthesizers, thumping drums, march tempos and big hooks—it must be the 1980s. Actually, the time is now, the late 2010s, and the ’80s-inspired Vettes write and record counterintuitively fresh […]
Fest Focus: Jake Shimabukuro
FRIDAY, APRIL 27—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 2:45 P.M. In 2005, Jake Shimabukuro’s stunning ukulele rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” made him a YouTube sensation. The video […]
Fest Focus: Terrance Simien
SATURDAY, APRIL 28—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 2:55 P.M. Grammy-winning zydeco artist Terrance Simien has played every Jazz Fest since 1986. “I tell people this all the time,” he says in […]
Like Father Like Son: Willie Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson is a gifted songwriter and singer
Lukas Nelson, whose father is Willie Nelson, knew what he wanted to be when he was 6. The revelation arrived like a vision. In a dream, Nelson stood on a […]
One of the Fortunate Few: Delbert McClinton brings everybody together
A music maverick from Texas, Delbert McClinton defines Americana. He spans blues, country, rhythm and blues, and rock ’n’ roll. In 2017, McClinton realized a longtime ambition with the release of […]
Eat a Bunch of Peaches: Karl Denson’s tribute to the Allman Brothers
Saxophonist Karl Denson visits New Orleans every year during Jazz Fest. The tradition began two decades ago with his acid-jazz-funk band, the Greyboy Allstars. This year the Greyboy Allstars and […]
Returning to the City: Keyboardist Marco Benevento feels welcome
Marco Benevento was a high school senior when he discovered the Meters’ classic funk album, Look-Ka Py Py. New Orleans’ Meters and Benevento’s jazz studies at the Berklee School of […]
