August 2017
BackTalk
- Tower of Power's Emilio Castillo talks back with DJ Soul Sister
In a music industry so fickle that some groups don’t make it 50 days after releasing a recording, the mighty Tower…
Cover Story
- Old Soul: David L. Harris is upholding the New Orleans musical continuum
“You’ll be able to tell that I’ve been influenced by the tradition,” promises trombonist David L. Harris, who is perhaps better…
Features
- More Than Punk: Mike Ness of Social Distortion is gaining momentum
Mike Ness, leader of Social Distortion, forged a multidimensional punk-rock band. Aerosmith and Bad Company shaped Ness as much as the… - Passionate About Pops: Vocalist Catherine Russell presents The Vocal Artistry of Louis Armstrong
Catherine Russell and Satchmo SummerFest go together like red beans and rice. A Grammy-nominated jazz singer whose credits also include decades… - Ecirb Müller’s Twisted Dixie puts a new spin on the classics
“I have an experiment that I do in all of my classes, both high school and college, where I tell this fictitious… - Opinionated and Unpredictable: Louis Armstrong as music critic
Louis Armstrong is known for many things involving his playing and singing, his global popularity and his tireless efforts to promote… - Wonder Women: Women of Note exhibit opens at the Old U.S. Mint
David Kunian, Music Curator of the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint, places a Billie and DeDe Pierce…
Fresh
- A Celebration of Culture: The 19th Annual Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame Awards
The scene at the Oretha Castle Haley Elementary School when the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame first presented its awards… - My Music: Drew Meez
“I[Andrew Meehan] go with Drew Meez on the Keys. It rhymes. The ‘Keys’ helps, because people have said when they try… - Five Questions with Danny Kadar, Production Engineer at the Old U.S. Mint
What all does the Old U.S. Mint’s third-floor Performing Arts Center encompass? We do a lot of music. We have a…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: Norton Christopher at Sac-a-Lait
“I picked Wayne Toups, Louisiana native and one of the only zydeco musicians to ever win a Grammy. We’ve done several events…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor
Jazz Fest Interviews You guys over the years have been a wonderful source of information; I thought I’d try you again…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Isaac “Mr. Ike” Edward
When Isaac “Mr. Ike” Edward sat in a chair on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard watching the 2015 and 2016 Uptown…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Piccola Gelateria
Despite Jon Snow’s Sunday evening proclamations, winter is certainly not here. A newcomer to the list of local summer oases is…
The Spot
- King James [Jimmy Horn] hits the Spot at Frady's
How did you pick this place? I know people who’ve been coming here from the Westbank for plate lunches for 30…
Reviews
- Various Artists, "Swamp Pop by the Bayou: Let’s Get Together Tonight" (Ace Records)
This is the eighth release in this series of Ace CDs celebrating the indigenous rock ’n’ roll and R&B of South… - Rewind: Johnny J. and the Hitmen, "Nuclear Hayride"
“The Hitmen were Dave Clements (bass) and Joey Torres (drums). We recorded that album in the later part of 1984 and… - Vox and the Hound, "Aloha Shores" (Independent)
Lots of things make me think of David Bowie nowadays, and this CD is one of them. Not that Vox and… - Erica Falls, "HomeGrown" (Vintage Soul)
After years of working in the perfectionist atmosphere of Allen Toussaint’s band and the energy of Galactic, Erica Falls has released… - Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, "Diaspora" (Ropeadope/Stretch Music)
Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah continues his exploration of what he describes as “stretch music,” as he did on his 2015… - Steve Judice, "Loose Ends" (Independent)
Steve Judice is a full-time lawyer and part-time musician who’s taken a simple but rather brilliant approach to making his name… - Gary Nichols featuring Charlie Musselwhite & Spooner Oldham, "Field of Plenty" (Merrimack Records)
From the early–twentieth century illustration on the front that celebrates youth and bounty to the striking classic Dust Bowl photograph on… - Paul Simon, "The Concert in Hyde Park" (Legacy)
Paul Simon’s concert at the UNO Lakefront Arena in November 2011 was one of the most satisfying music events I’ve ever… - Rick Bear and Friends, "Sweetness" (Independent)
This holds true for everything from “’Round Midnight” to “Cantaloupe Island” to “My Funny Valentine,” the main difference being that on… - Vanessa Collier, "Meeting My Shadow" (Ruf)
Vanessa Collier is a quadruple threat. A Maryland-based singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, she’s released a soul, blues and gospel–touched second… - Tabby Thomas Meets Lonesome Sundown, "Down in Louisiana" (Jasmine Records)
South Louisiana blues legends Tabby Thomas and Lonesome Sundown only share a co-billing on these vintage JD Miller sessions. Each is… - CoolNasty, "Light Green" (Independent)
If there was ever any true indication that hip-hop has evolved into the go-to African-American improvisational form, this jazz-funk ensemble is… - High Performance, "Cajun Cool" (Swallow Records)
There’s nothing more fun than sifting through someone else’s record collection, especially when there are forgotten gems, diamonds in the rough… - North Mississippi Allstars, "Prayer for Peace" (Songs of the South/ Sony Music Entertainment)
North Mississippi Allstars recorded their characteristically raw new album in Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Brooklyn, Austin, St. Louis, Kansas City, Missouri,… - Sean Hobbes, "About Myself" (Independent)
Sean Hobbes is a Philadelphia expat who’s engendered some buzz around town with a series of mixtapes that bind his love… - Charlie Halloran, "Cé Biguine!" (Twerk-O-Phonic)
For better or worse, this doesn’t sound like any other modern CD that you own. Trombonist Charlie Halloran, who’s played with… - Joe Hall and Friends, "Massé Family Two Step" (Fruge Records)
What Joe Hall is the most proud of on his first CD since 2011 are not his own performances per se… - B.J. Jansen, "Common Ground" (Ronin Jazz)
Jansen leads a strong group of musicians who were handpicked for the album and jive together well during ensemble work and… - Van Morrison, "The Authorized Bang Collection" (Exile/Legacy)
Van Morrison’s first solo collaboration with songwriter, producer and record company owner Bert Berns yielded the Irish soul man’s debut solo… - Tom Leggett, "Jewel In My Crown" (Independent)
We liked Leggett’s debut, a representative product of the New Orleans club scene, which features so many hard working and underpaid… - Sabra & the Get Rights, "Sabra & the Get Rights" (Valcour Records)
Lafayette’s Sabra & the Get Rights never intended to be a band, but after having such a blast at a one-off… - Brad Walker, "ep1" (Independent)
It’s been a few years since saxophonist Brad Walker—whose work with Sturgill Simpson and a slew of New Orleans funk and… - Guitar Slim Jr., "The Story of My Life" (Orleans Records)
Originally released in 1988, Guitar Slim Jr.’s The Story of My Life earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Blues… - Shotgun Jazz Band, "Steppin’ on the Gas" (Independent)
The SJB is at the forefront of an exciting traditional jazz renaissance taking place in New Orleans, with most of the… - Dayna Kurtz, "Here Vol. 1" (Kismet)
Dayna Kurtz was a natural fit in New Orleans even before she moved to the city a few years back. Her… - The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, "Live & Viperizin’" (Independent)
The Jazz Vipers helped to inaugurate the traditional jazz scene on Frenchmen Street, and their music embodies that scene’s attitude: Be… - Naughty Professor, "Identity" (Independent)
It’d be unfair to categorize Naughty Professor as a mere backing band on their latest set, since they’ve already got three…
