January 2011

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BackTalk

Delfeayo Marsalis
In 1957, the Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded Such Sweet Thunder, a suite of 12 compositions based on the writings of William Shakespeare. It… – John Swenson

Cover Story

Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement in Music Award: Dave Bartholomew
Saturday, November 13, 2010 may have been the greatest night of Dave Bartholomew’s life. And that’s saying something. He has lived… – Rick Coleman

Features

Best of the Beat Music Business Award: Johnny Palazzotto
“My instructions were to go to the airport to pick him up, and whatever Son House told me to do, I… – Alex V. Cook
Best of the Beat Award in Music Education: Derrick Tabb and the Roots of Music
Since his nomination as CNN’s Hero of the Year in 2009, Derrick Tabb has perhaps received more attention for his work… – Michael Patrick Welch
Best of the Beat Heartbeat Award: HBO's Treme
In our Letters to the Editor page this month, a reader writes, “I recently returned to New Orleans and spent three… – Alex Rawls
Los Po-Boy-Citos: Life After Mash-Up
As their new second album, Brand New Dance, attests, Los Po-Boy-Citos are different from other local brass bands, and not only… – Michael Patrick Welch
The Best Louisiana Albums of 2010
This year, people paid off. Fans have been waiting for a long time for a Trombone Shorty album that captured what… – OffBeat Staff
The Bourbon Street Blues: Interview with Earl Bernhardt
Earl Bernhardt is the co-owner of the Tropical Isles, the Bayou Club and the Funky Pirate. He spoke with OffBeat publisher… – Jan Ramsey
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… – Zachary Young
The Writing in the Wall: Chinese Drywall in the Musicians' Village
Anything that starts with the corrosion of copper wire and wall outlets can’t end well for homeowners, and the discovery of… – Stephen Maloney

Fresh

New Orleans Jazz Orchestra at Home
In 2009, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (NOJO) won a Grammy for Book One, but it has never performed the album… – Alex Rawls
Off to See the Wizard World New Orleans Comic-Con
For years, the San Diego Comic Convention has been the mecca for comic book and pop culture fans who otherwise had… – Barbie Cure
Robert Fogarty and Evacuteer.org Go for Gold
Who? Robert Fogarty, an Omaha, Nebraska native who came to New Orleans with Americorps and ended up as Nagin’s Intern Coordinator.… – Cooper O'Bryan
Madden on the Saints in the Playoffs
WILD CARD ROUND #6 Jacksonville @ #3 Indianapolis: Indy wins the rubber match at home. #5 Baltimore @ #4 Kansas City:… – Chris Lee
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… – Zachary Young

Letters

January 2011 Letters
KID ORY The Kid Ory article in December’s issue features major factual errors. The caption to the main photo with the… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

Songs from the Rut
As I write this, it’s a late Sunday afternoon in mid-December. The Saints are in Baltimore, unfortunately losing to the Ravens.… – Jan Ramsey

OffBeat Eats

Dining Out: Madrid
Rumor has it that French cuisine is dead. Murdered in the middle of a soup course by a band of bullfighting… – Peter Thriffiley & Rene Louapre
Sasha Masakowski Hits the Spot at Boucherie
Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St (504) 862-5514 What do you usually order? The pulled pork cake is amazing and the beef brisket… – Caitlyn Ridenour
Dining Underground in New Orleans
Sometimes, the best-kept secret is the most famous name in town. In a city known for taking activities to the streets… – Travis Andrews

Dining Out

Dining Out: Madrid
Rumor has it that French cuisine is dead. Murdered in the middle of a soup course by a band of bullfighting… – Peter Thriffiley & Rene Louapre
Dining Underground in New Orleans
Sometimes, the best-kept secret is the most famous name in town. In a city known for taking activities to the streets… – Travis Andrews

Photo Op

Earl King
Photographer: Skip Bolen Date: April 30, 2003 I was in New Orleans for a photography opening and Antoinette K-Doe… – Skip Bolen

The Spot

Sasha Masakowski Hits the Spot at Boucherie
Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St (504) 862-5514 What do you usually order? The pulled pork cake is amazing and the beef brisket… – Caitlyn Ridenour

Reviews

Curren$y, Pilot Talk II (Roc-A-Fella/DD172 Records)
“Good weed and broads / spaceships and stars / roll out the red carpet but hold the applause.” Eschewing the lazy… – Jan Ramsey
Neslort, Mystical Scam (Lort/Threadhead Records)
Neslort is, of course, Trolsen backwards, and the return of this odd 1990s project led by the eccentric New Orleans trombonist… – John Swenson
Sam Rey, Sam Rey EP (Independent)
Sam Rey is Mark Meaux of the Bluerunners’ latest deep-dig into Cajun blues essence via sample beats and exceptional songcraft. Inspired… – Rick Olivier
Kidd Jordan and Joel Futterman, Interaction (Independent)
One of the factors that determines whether improvised music works or not is how well the players know and listen to… – David Kunian
Caligula, Divine Madness (Krycek Entertainment)
Maybe it’s the Japanese characters drawn on the album cover. Or the slew of guest appearances. Or the brooding, grotesque but… – David Dennis
Johnny Wiggs, “Congo Square” and Other Vintage Material (GHB Records)
This is a joint review along with Thomas Jefferson's With the New Orleans Creole Jazz Band and Monk Hazel’s Band. If… – Steve Stone
Thomas Jefferson, With the New Orleans Creole Jazz Band and Monk Hazel’s Band (GHB Records)
This is a joint review along with Johnny Wiggs' “Congo Square” and Other Vintage Material. If these musicians had wanted to… – Steve Stone
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… – Zachary Young
Jerry Lee Lewis, Mean Old Man [Deluxe Edition] (Verve Forecast Records)
Nick Tosches wrote a whole book on Lewis and proclaimed him elsewhere, “the last man to have been touched by the… – Andrew Hamlin
LakeSide Gamblers, La Valse d’Hommage (Salty Bayou Records)
Small ensembles, specifically duos and trios, were prevalent in the days of early Cajun music until they were shoved aside by… – Dan Willging
Rebirth Brass Band & Slow Drag Productions, SDP Presents ReBirth ReVisited (Slow Drag Productions)
You’ve never heard a Rebirth album like this one—although, to be fair, this isn’t really a Rebirth album. SDP Presents Rebirth… – Alex Rawls
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Spread the Love (Stony Plain Records)
Recording an entire album’s worth of blues guitar instrumentals, and keeping the listener engaged, is an exceedingly difficult thing to do.… – Jeff Hannusch
Kourtney Heart, Eye Dee Kay (D.E.O. Recordings)
It’s pretty easy to make a hit these days: insert 808s, heavy bass, a catchy hook and a cute face. Mix… – David Dennis
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… – Zachary Young
Daria Dzurik, Calliope (Independent)
Daria Dzurik’s quirky idiosyncrasies and mischievous charm carry her debut effort, Calliope. A fetching songbird with a pair of pipes and… – Aaron Lafont