Issue Articles
The King of Tiki (Online Exclusive)
Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, probably the world’s leading expert on tiki drinks, first encountered tropical cocktails when he was 10 years old. He watched his dad sip a navy grog at […]
Billy Bang Quintet featuring Frank Lowe, Above & Beyond: An Evening in Grand Rapids (Justin Time)
How did jazz come to rely almost exclusively on a half-dozen instruments: bass, drums, sax, piano, trumpet and guitar? Billy Bang’s nimble violin work on Above & Beyond: An Evening […]
Taste of the Nation
The national anti-hunger group Share Our Strength, or S.O.S., has been busy in New Orleans. It has given grants to local organizations and convinced food industry heavyweights to help our […]
The Nels Cline Singers, Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
Nels Cline is an unlikely rock star. Sure, the 51-year-old guitarist has played with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Mike Watt of the Minutemen, but until recently he was […]
Dining Out: St. James Cheese Company
Sandwiches are the second-class citizens of the food world. They’re what you toss in a brown bag when you can’t eat a real meal. Those few, truly worthy sandwiches don’t […]
The Sweet Science
I know people who don’t like desserts. I know them, but I’m not sure I trust them. From my perspective, refusing sweets is like abstaining from water. I just don’t […]
People Get Ready
The Ralph Brennan Group, which runs Bacco, Red Fish Grill and Ralph’s on the Park, had a one-page hurricane plan before Katrina. It was simple. The employees should grab the […]
Dining Out: Tacos San Miguel
Tacos San Miguel barely qualifies as a restaurant. The miniature space in a shiny new strip mall is almost equally split between the kitchen and the cramped dining room. The […]
The Bad Plus, Prog (Heads Up)
Jazz has always kept a close eye on pop music. What would jazz be without all the standards borrowed from Broadway? On the other hand, who thinks Miles Davis made […]
Rob Wagner, Rob Wagner Trio feat. Hamid Drake and Nobu Ozaki (Valid)
Saxophonist Rob Wagner, bassist Nobu Ozaki and drummer Hamid Drake recorded a superb CD of smart, modern jazz in December, 2005. Perhaps because the sessions occurred in the first months […]
