Jazz Fest Bible 2015
BackTalk
- BackTalk: Pete Townshend
Fifty years ago The Who came screaming out of London with a sound for the ages. Lead singer Roger Daltrey acted…
Cover Story
- What Fats Domino Means to New Orleans
Listen. You can hear Fats Domino everywhere in New Orleans, even in places where there is silence. There is something about…
Features
- Jazz Fest's Annual Crawfish Fiesta
During the last four and a half decades, Jazz Fest devotees have developed specific rituals and habits that renew each year… - Jazz Fest 2015 A to Z Guide
It can be daunting to choose from the panoply of cultures, rhythms and sounds available at Jazz Fest when mapping out… - Nicholas Payton’s Box of Crayola
One of the many great things about Nicholas Payton is that he does not limit himself in his musical pursuits. Recently… - BeauSoleil’s 40-year Journey
If you want to know how much the perception of Cajun culture has changed since Michael Doucet formed BeauSoleil 40 years… - Kenny Garrett’s Happy Journey
By the time Kenny Garrett ended his show at Dillard University in January 2014, everybody in the Lawless Chapel was on… - Charles Lloyd Brings His Wild Man Dance to Jazz Fest
"I’m still drunk on the music, I was even before I was a teenager,” declares Charles Lloyd, 77, who remains passionate… - Yvette Landry Expresses Music Physically
Musician Yvette Landry of Breaux Bridge has become the darling of the south Louisiana music scene. Her work as bassist for… - Trumpet Mafia Takes Over
One of the many indelible musical things that seem to happen in New Orleans and seemingly nowhere else is the strong… - Ray Abshire Picks Up the Cajun Music Torch
"I’ve been very fortunate,” Ray Abshire says modestly. “I’ve been able to swim the same river twice.” The river that the… - Veronica Downs-Dorsey Ministers to the Jazz Fest Crowd
Though the membership of the McDonogh 35 High School Gospel Choir naturally changes year-to-year, it maintains a high standard of quality… - The Legacy of Theodore Emile “Bo” Dollis
"It was the Bo Dollis Mardi Gras,” declared Mardi Gras Indian historian and radio host Jack Snyder. Snyder was reflecting on… - Delfeayo Marsalis Finds a New Orleans Groove
Most Wednesday nights at Snug Harbor, the live music starts before any musicians walk onstage. Clustered at the top of the… - Feufollet's Crazy Fire Takes Flight
Feufollet: Sunday, May 3, Fais Do-Do Stage, 12:25p Every once in a while, a band comes along that you think might… - Jazz Fest 2015 Infographic: All Geared Up
- Preserving Jazz Fest Culture
Some New Orleanians are frustrated. The city is undeniably changing, and it is often changed by outside forces eliminating what makes…
Fresh
- GigTown Comes to New Orleans
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is bringing GigTown, an innovative new way for musicians to book gigs through a smartphone… - Upbeat Academy Takes Off
"I can certainly relate to a kid in the school system—maybe because they’re bored, maybe because they’re not engaged in the… - Neville Brothers Reunite for Tribute Concert
Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril Neville will play it again May 2 at the Saenger Theater, reuniting the legendary Neville Brother… - Chaz Fest Returns for 2015
After a year hiatus, there will be a Chaz Fest in 2015. The Ninth Ward local music festival, named after the… - It's All Greek to Me
The 42nd annual New Orleans Greek Festival is set to take place over Memorial Day weekend, May 22-24, bringing three days… - The Weird Turn Pro
Inspired by the Hunter S. Thompson quote, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro,” local artist and University of… - Top 10 NOLA Songs
This month’s playlist is dedicated to everyone making their annual pilgrimage for Jazz Fest, with 10 of the best songs we… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Jared Zeller of Bayou Boogaloo
What excites you the most about this year’s Bayou Boogaloo? As far as the festival goes, being able to make it… - Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival
Crawfish season is in full swing once again, and with it comes the return one of the biggest “only in Louisiana”… - My Music: Nigel Hall
I’m going to Stevie Wonder tonight. I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder. We all did—if you were born in the…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: Paul Gustings of Empire Bar
"I don’t know how long I’ve been tending bar. Probably 35 years. I’ve been here at the Empire Bar for two…
Jazz Fest Focus
- Jazz Fest Focus: Taj Mahal
Musician Taj Mahal's long and celebrated career has taken him all over the world both physically and metaphorically. Born in Harlem… - Jazz Fest Focus: Becky Fos
Becky Fos First Jazz Fest Weekend, Tent U, Congo Square Westbank hairdresser Becky Fos’ attempt at making “real money” (she went to… - Jazz Fest Focus: Amanda Shires
Amanda Shires (Second Jazz Fest Weekend) Thursday, April 30, Fais Do-Do Stage, 4:25 p.m. When it comes to writing and music, Amanda… - Jazz Fest Focus: Christian McBride
Christian McBride Big Band (Second Jazz Fest Weekend) Sunday, May 3, Allison Miner Stage, 3:15p Zatarains/WWOZ Jazz Tent, 5:35 p.m. Asked to… - Jazz Fest Focus: Cecil McLorin Salvant
Cecil McLorin Salvant (Second Jazz Fest Weekend) Friday, May 1, Zatarain’s/WWOZ Jazz Tent, 4:20 p.m. By the time Carmen McRae comes to… - Jazz Fest Focus: Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander and the Harlem-Kingston Express (Second Jazz Fest Weekend) Thursday, April 30, Zatarain’s/WWOZ Jazz Tent, 5:30 p.m. In the late ’50s,… - Jazz Fest Focus: Angelique Kidjo
Angelique Kidjo (Festival International de Louisiane) Thursday, April 23, Scene Stabil Drill International Stage, 9:45 p.m.; (First Jazz Fest Weekend) Sunday,… - Jazz Fest Focus: Tony Hall is James Brown
Tony Hall and the New Orleans Soul Stars’ Tribute to James Brown (First Jazz Fest Weekend) Saturday, April 25, Congo Square,…
Letters
- May 2015 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
The following is in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog “Are More Visitors Really What We Need?,” wherein she suggests, “Maybe we…
Mojo Mouth
- Welcome to Jazz Fest
Welcome to the wonderful New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and to this issue of OffBeat, our first-ever, stand-alone Jazz Fest…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Lady B.J. Crosby
She went from a little New Orleans girl to a Broadway star,” says Vernel Bagneris of Lady B.J. Crosby, his lifelong…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: 1000 Figs
“Do one thing and do it well.” When Theresa Galli and Gavin Cady left their fine dining jobs to start the…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: 1000 Figs
“Do one thing and do it well.” When Theresa Galli and Gavin Cady left their fine dining jobs to start the…
The Spot
- Debbie Davis Hits the Spot
What is that? I don't have a name for this, it's the roast beef sandwich I used to get growing up…
Reviews
- Irvin Mayfield, New Orleans Jazz Playhouse (Basin Street Records)
Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield has taken a typically contrarian approach to the death of the music business. Instead of compressing his music… - Hildegard, Hildegard (Independent)
Hildegard, the new Sasha Masakowski/Cliff Hines led project, comes out of gigs at Gasa Gasa in a series Maskakowski organized called… - Royal Southern Brotherhood, Don’t Look Back: The Muscle Shoals Sessions (Ruf Records)
Though Don’t Look Back refers to the banjo-propelled, reggae-tinged title track, it could also be Royal Southern Brotherhood’s philosophy these days… - Johnny Sansone, Lady On the Levee (Shortstack Records)
In 2009, Anders Osborne put together an acoustic band with John Fohl and Johnny Sansone to woodshed new material in a… - Marc Stone, Poison & Medicine (Louisiana Red Hot Records)
New York City-born bluesman Marc Stone has parlayed two decades of performing in his adopted hometown of New Orleans, in addition… - Kevin Clark & Tom McDermott, Temptation Rag (Vaper Records)
The wonder of a good jazz duet is that it can make you hear the most timeworn tunes in a different… - Spencer Bohren, Seven Birds (Valve Records)
Another keeper from the great Spencer Bohren. Bohren is well known for his singing and guitar work but he has amassed… - Bobby Womack and Robert Ashton, Bobby Womack: My Story 1944-2104 (John Blake Publishing)
Womack opens his as-told-to-memoir stripped down to his skivvies and hunted by his wife with a gun. He plays dead after… - Aurora Nealand and Tom McDermott, City of Timbres (Independent)
In addition to being an advanced conceptualist and historian, pianist Tom McDermott is a musician’s musician, one of the most adept… - The Melatauns, Knuckle Sandwich (Independent)
No band can cover the whole varied history of rock ‘n’ roll from current times back to the beginnings with Louis… - Gayla Marie, Gypsy Love (Independent)
Something about the 21st century has made Louisianians restless indeed. Take Gayla Marie, for example—she’s been to Nashville, Austin, and even… - Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, #imsoneworleans (Basin Street Records)
The title of the album is actually also the name of the first and last cuts of trumpeter and vocalist Kermit… - Louie Ludwig with the Moss Pickers, Elevation 13 (Independent)
Musical bon vivant and unreconstructed hippie that he is, NOLA scene vet Louie Ludwig has always been a folkie more in… - REWIND: The Radiators, Law of the Fish (Epic)
Ed Volker hits REWIND for a look back at the release of Law Of The Fish by the Radiators on Epic… - Devon Allman, Ragged & Dirty (Ruf Records)
Following on the heels of New Orleans-born Royal Southern Brotherhood’s considerable success and coming at a time of raised visibility due…
