Music
Organic Trio, “Saturn’s Spell” (Jazz Family)
The organ trio has come a ways from when I listened to the format regularly. Back in the day, Jack McDuff and Groove Holmes (and of course, Jimmy Smith) ruled […]
Big Joe Kennedy, “Big Joe Kennedy’s 504-Tified” (Independent)
BJK is one of NOLA’s better-kept secrets. He’s got a strong pianistic touch, immersed in the NOLA tradition of Dr. John and James Booker. In addition he’s a booming, bluesy […]
Kevin Ray Clark, “The Awakening of Calm” (Independent)
New Orleans musicians and New Age music are an unlikely mix. But trumpeter Kevin Clark gave his melodies to jazz pianist Matt Lemmler to reconfigure; the result is the instrumental […]
Steve Pistorius, “Steamboat Days” (Independent)
Steve Pistorius has been serving up great rag, Jelly Roll Morton, stride and New Orleans jazz for as long as one can remember, yet every time you hear him, you […]
James Evans’ Octuple Odyssey, The Golden Whippet of Algiers (Jimmy Wizard Records)
There have been dozens of interesting musicians moving to NOLA in the last few years, none more so than reedman/composer James Evans. His most accessible gigs are at the Palm […]
Morten Gunnar Larsen, Sorgenfri (Herman Records)
It is quite the paradox that the greatest ragtime player in the world, and one of the world’s best traditional jazz pianists, is from Norway. Morten Gunnar Larsen is best […]
Kris Tokarski, Classic Rags New Orleans Style (Solo Art)
Jelly Roll Morton is one of the two major pianists who took ragtime and turned it into jazz (the other being James P. Johnson in NYC). In his famous Library […]
Allen Toussaint, American Tunes (Nonesuch)
Allen Toussaint began his recording career with an album of instrumentals, The Wild Sound of New Orleans (by Tousan) and now ends it with this album of mostly instrumentals recorded […]
Chick Corea and Béla Fleck, Two (Stretch Records)
This live double album by two of the music world’s biggest non-pop stars is a substantial follow-up to their 2007 disc The Enchantment. That earlier album, while perfectly fine and […]
Les White, Forty-Five Shades of White (Independent)
New Orleans’ Les White is a unique mix. A brilliant, even groundbreaking guitarist, he also has a satiric bent which he showcases—at least on this recording—more than his musical virtuosity. […]
