Music
Raphaël Bas, Harmonouche (RRJB Music)
“[The harmonica] has been widely used in blues and pop music but very little in jazz and swing,” notes Raphaël Bas in the liner notes to Harmonouche. He describes the […]
Plunge, Tin Fish Tango (Immersion Records)
Composer and trombonist Mark McGrain sits at the creative helm of Plunge, a prog-jazz ensemble with an ever-shifting lineup that put out its first record back in ’96. This time […]
Archie Shepp, The New York Contemporary Five (Delmark Records)
The New York Contemporary Five marked a relatively brief chapter in Archie Shepp’s career; they existed for barely two years and played almost exclusively in Europe. Today, the group is […]
The Noise Goes on Forever: A History of New Orleans Noise Ordinances
The August 2, 1838 issue of the New Orleans Picayune is only four pages long. Much of that length is taken up by advertisements extolling the virtues of anti-venereal disease […]
Jazz Educators Unite for JEN Conference
Before it filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) planned to return to New Orleans, the site of one of its most successful conferences in […]
pLink Floyd, Nickels & Diamonds (Independent)
In a 1991 interview with OffBeat, Béla Fleck expressed frustration at being constantly credited with “bringing the banjo to jazz.” While much of the world may be ignorant of the […]
Frank Gratkowski and Hamid Drake, Frank Gratkowski and Hamid Drake (Valid Records)
Frank Gratkowski and Hamid Drake have a long relationship with New Orleans, having made it a frequent performance destination throughout their careers. Their debut as a duo was recorded live […]
Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship?, Of Resolutions and Resolve (Domino Sound Records)
Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? combines a folk-punk base with elements of traditional New Orleans music to create a sound that’s half brass-band dirge and half indie-rock […]
TribeCon: The e-Fires of Change
What? “TribeCon is about using social media tools and online communities to ignite offline change,” says co-founder Chris Schultz. It takes place on the Voodoo grounds at City Park October […]
Unchained Melodies: Improvised Music in New Orleans
For a drummer, Justin Peake spends very little time at his kit. A few judicious taps on the cymbal, then it’s off to his laptop, where the sound is captured […]
