January 2019
BackTalk
- Derek Trucks Talks Back
United in marriage and music, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks lead the sprawling, improvising, steeped-in-roots music Tedeschi Trucks Band. The twelve-piece…
Cover Story
- Lifetime Achievement in Music: Walter “Wolfman” Washington
All but a few of the direct links to the days when New Orleans R&B ruled the world have passed, but…
Features
- The Nominations: The complete list of nominees for the Best of the Beat
The OffBeat Music and Cultural Arts Foundation’s Best of the Beat Nominations are in. We solicited nominations from musicians and… - Lifetime Achievement in Music Business: Doris Bastiansen of the Kerry Irish Pub
New Orleans has a long list of storied music venues known the world over for their timeless performances that connect musicians… - Positive Vibrations HeartBeat Award (Culture Bearer): Herreast Harrison
Herreast Harrison’s life story sings of destiny. A soft-spoken yet sharp-witted and culturally astute and involved woman, Harrison, 81, took her… - Positive Vibrations HeartBeat Award (Musician): Dr. Michael White
Renowned and multiple-award-winning clarinetist, composer and educator Dr. Michael White came to learn that just performing New Orleans jazz was not… - Lifetime Achievement in Music Education: John Snyder
When John Snyder joined the Loyola University faculty as the Conrad N. Hilton Eminent Scholar in Music Industry Studies, he brought… - The Best Music of the Year: The 50 best albums of 2018
We’ve polled our writers and editorial staff and have gathered 50 of our most recommended albums of the year. We didn’t…
Fresh
- Five Questions with Billy Iuso, who celebrates 1969 on his 50th birthday
Is this celebration concert at Tipitina's something you've been planning a long time? I always try to book a gig on… - My Music With fiddler David Greely
“I moved back to Louisiana about 1986–87. I had met Steve Riley and he used to sit in with me at lunch… - Five Questions with Nina Buck of the Palm Court Jazz Café
“We’re history, that’s who we are,” declares Nina Buck, the owner of the Palm Court Jazz Café, which celebrates its 30th… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Sean Ardoin
A fourth-generation musician, Sean Ardoin traces his lineage to Amédé Ardoin, an accordion genius and ’20s and ’30s recording artist who many…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor: GRAMMYs, Dave Bartholomew and more
“Remember Christopher Cross? He won the Album of the Year Grammy, instead of the other nominees: Glass Houses by Billy Joel,…
Mojo Mouth
- Best of the Beat Is a Labor of Love
Publishing a print magazine in this day and time—a website, the Weekly Beat newsletter, social media, videos... well, it’s a lot…
OffBeat Eats
- Restaurant Review: Saba
Chef Alon Shaya made his mark in New Orleans by elevating regionally inspired Italian cuisine with Domenica and Pizza Domenica, then…
Dining Out
- Restaurant Review: Saba
Chef Alon Shaya made his mark in New Orleans by elevating regionally inspired Italian cuisine with Domenica and Pizza Domenica, then…
Reviews
- Proudly Eclectic, Shamarr Allen True Orleans (P.O.M.E.)
Shamarr Allen has always been proudly eclectic: He used the title Box Who In? for his second CD 10 years ago,… - Maria Muldaur, Don’t You Feel My Leg – The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (Last Music Company)
To put the spotlight on the late great New Orleans vocalist and composer Blue Lu Barker deserves kudos. Singer Maria Muldaur… - Little Queenie, Purple Heart (Deeva)
There are plenty of reasons why Leigh (Little Queenie) Harris is beloved in New Orleans, but here’s why she’s beloved by… - Various Artists, Stax Singles, Vol. 4: Rarities & the Best of the Rest (Craft/Stax)
Stax Records continues its 60th anniversary celebration with Stax Singles, Vol. 4: Rarities & the Best of the Rest. The six-disc… - Beth McKee, Dreamwood Acres (Independent)
Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Beth McKee has lived many musical lives. They include her early-1990s membership in the all-female New Orleans… - Blake Miller & the Old Fashioned Aces, Quelle Belle Journée (Independent)
A mixture of sugar, bitters, whiskey and a twist of citrus rind, the Old Fashioned is a potent cocktail you… - John Medeski’s Mad Skillet, Mad Skillet (Indirecto Records)
John Medeski, a multi-faceted and genre-stretching keyboardist who is best known as a member of the hugely successful trio Medeski Martin… - Jason Schell Band, To the Hunt (Independent)
Jason Schell’s latest release, To the Hunt, is a fun-filled tribute to life in the sportsman’s paradise, and as one might… - Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band, Accordion Dragon (Independent)
As explained on the opening Chinese-themed “Intro” track, the dragon symbolizes prosperity, auspicious power and good fortune in East Asian culture.… - Grayson Brockamp and the New Orleans Wildlife Band, A Dream or a Nightmare (Brockamp Music)
One could hardly wish for a more uplifting number than “Got Your Back, Yes Indeed,” which opens bassist Grayson Brockamp and… - Various Artists, Travailler, C’est Trop Dur: The Lyrical Legacy of Caesar Vincent (Swallow Records)
About the time you’d think all of the discoveries in Cajun music had been made, along comes obscure balladeer Caesar Vincent… - Spencer Bohren, Makin’ It Home to You (Valve Records)
They call him the storyteller. Spencer Bohren has been plying his trade as a New Orleans–based singer-songwriter, guitarist and sometimes bandleader…
