Jazz Fest Bible 2018
Cover Story
- Fats Domino, The Quintessential New Orleanian
The Once and Future King Fats Domino passed last October, but he remains an animate force in New Orleans life through…
Features
- Jazz Fest A to Z
Get a Jump On It All you need to know is in our Jazz Fest Guide. > View our Full Online… - Do You Know What It Means?: Kermit Ruffins pays tribute to Louis Armstrong
When Louis Armstrong left New Orleans to go to Chicago in 1922, he joined up with his mentor, Joe “King” Oliver,… - Like Father Like Son: Willie Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson is a gifted songwriter and singer
Lukas Nelson, whose father is Willie Nelson, knew what he wanted to be when he was 6. The revelation arrived like… - San Francisco-based musician and promoter Mitch Stein feels at home in New Orleans
Mitch Stein scored his first success as a live-music promoter decades ago by booking New Orleans’ first family of funk, the… - Alvin Fielder: Keeping the motion in the music with Kidd Jordan
“The first time Kidd and I played together in 1974 it was like instead of a kinship it was a twin-ship,”… - Southern Crossroads Connection: Charles Lloyd with Lucinda Williams
If spirituality is predicated on the notion that there’s something bigger out there than ourselves, then it makes sense Charles Lloyd… - Drums in the Bloodline: Weedie Braimah brings the African element to the music
Djembe master Weedie Braimah will be on stage at the Jazz Fest with trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, trombonist/trumpeter Troy “Trombone… - Hey Pocky Way: A Mardi Gras Indian Jazz Fest guide
If you go to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, you gotta go see the Mardi Gras Indians at the… - Samantha Fish’s polished guitar work and engaging vocals are a force to be reckoned with
Before Samantha Fish appears in the music video for “Blood in the Water,” from 2017’s Belle of the West, we see… - Cycles and Seasons: David Murray makes rare appearances
Tenor saxophonist, bass clarinetist and jazz giant David Murray, an amazingly prolific recording artist, boasts his own rich sound and keeps… - A Circus and a Christmas Tree: Pianist Brian Haas, Nolatet’s fearless fourth wheel
“He’s fearless,” is how bassist and trumpeter James Singleton once described pianist Brian Haas, his fellow bandmate in the super-group Nolatet.… - 40 Years at Jazz Fest: Back (and forth) with Geraldine Wyckoff
Geraldine Wyckoff has immersed herself in the music and culture of New Orleans ever since she moved to the city. A… - One of the Fortunate Few: Delbert McClinton brings everybody together
A music maverick from Texas, Delbert McClinton defines Americana. He spans blues, country, rhythm and blues, and rock ’n’ roll. In 2017,… - High Spirits: The Radiators’ 40th family reunion
The Radiators are back at Jazz Fest this year, celebrating their 40th anniversary at the scene of many memorable shows, the… - Eat a Bunch of Peaches: Karl Denson’s tribute to the Allman Brothers
Saxophonist Karl Denson visits New Orleans every year during Jazz Fest. The tradition began two decades ago with his acid-jazz-funk band,… - Rollin’ Joe, President of the Original Pigeon Town Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club
Troval Jefferson: “In the band, they have maybe five or six instruments. When you’re on the street, each one of them… - Don Vappie brings to life the music of early New Orleans jazz pioneer Joe “King” Oliver
“When I got into and started really playing New Orleans jazz more often, it was me working my way back,” says… - With Bells On: Meschiya Lake remembers Sweet Emma Barrett
There is a scene in the 1965 film The Cincinnati Kid in which a rain-drenched Steve McQueen walks down the nighttime… - Louie Fontaine brings his music and his machine to the former Handsome Willy’s
For years Saints fans have known the former Handsome Willy’s as a great place for drinks and eats close to the… - Interpreting the Blues: John Mayall’s continued influence
What John Mayall did from 1964–66 probably couldn’t be attempted today: He launched a band of mostly-younger players, each of whom… - Returning to the City: Keyboardist Marco Benevento feels welcome
Marco Benevento was a high school senior when he discovered the Meters’ classic funk album, Look-Ka Py Py. New Orleans’ Meters… - A Cajun icon: Walter Mouton returns to Jazz Fest
The 2016 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles (FAeC) proved fruitful for Walter Mouton. Festival organizers released his first ever full-length album, Walter… - In Memoriam: Thomas “Big Chief Tom” Sparks Sr.
At the celebration of life for Thomas “Big Chief Tom” Sparks Sr., on March 24, 2018, the most important elements of…
Fresh
- Celebrating 30 Years: May 1990 “Jazz Fest Survival Guide”
OffBeat Magazine is celebrating 30 years and reached that milestone with our November 2017 issue. To mark the anniversary, over the… - My Music with Mykia Jovan
“I’ve been playing on Frenchmen for about eight years now. I have a residency at the Blue Nile, which started off… - SOUNDCHECK: Five Questions with Chef Kevin Belton
You’re back on WYES-TV/Channel 12 with Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, following on New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton two years…
In The Spirit
- In The Spirit with Crystal Pavlas at Bywater American Bistro
“I picked Louis Prima to be my inspiration for this cocktail because I think he represents New Orleans and a lot…
Jazz Fest Focus
- Fest Focus: Jon Roniger and the Good for Nothin’ Band
FRIDAY, APRIL 27—LAGNIAPPE STAGE, 11:30 A.M. Persistence looks to finally pay off for Jon Roniger this Jazz Fest. The New… - Fest Focus: Jake Shimabukuro
FRIDAY, APRIL 27—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 2:45 P.M. In 2005, Jake Shimabukuro’s stunning ukulele rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar… - Fest Focus: Terrance Simien
SATURDAY, APRIL 28—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 2:55 P.M. Grammy-winning zydeco artist Terrance Simien has played every Jazz Fest since 1986. “I… - Fest Focus: Kyle Huval
FRIDAY, APRIL 27—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 11:15 A.M. The future of Cajun music always looks bright, with the scads of young… - Fest Focus: Banu Gibson
THURSDAY, MAY 3—ECONOMY HALL TENT, 4:25 P.M. There aren’t many musicians who can match singer Banu Gibson’s knowledge of and… - Fest Focus: Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band
FRIDAY, MAY 4—ECONOMY HALL TENT, 1:50 P.M. Molly, Marla, Julie, Haruka, Chloe, and Dizzy had all made their own names… - Fest Focus: Marcia Ball
FRIDAY, MAY 4—GENTILLY STAGE, 1:35 P.M. Marcia Ball fans will be thrilled this Jazz Fest by the material from her…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor
Chauncey Gardiner I just finished reading your [Jan Ramsey] editorial about contemporary “news” consumption [Mojo Mouth, March 2018]. I re-watched Being…
Mojo Mouth
- Mojo Mouth: God Bless George
With the seemingly growing animosity between the generations (mainly Baby Boomers vs. Millennials—though I don’t know how the Gen X generation…
OffBeat Eats
- Loretta Harrison of Loretta’s Authentic Pralines Brings Back Rice Calas at Jazz Fest
Calas Tout Chaud! When Loretta Harrison started Loretta’s Authentic Pralines 41 years ago, she did so on solid footing in… - Dining Out: Frey Smoked Meat Co.
For the better part of his still-young career, Chef Ray Gruezke was known for his deft work in fine dining, from…
BackTalk
- Steve Miller talks back
STEVE MILLER BAND: SUNDAY, MAY 6—GENTILLY STAGE, 5:20 P.M. You might think you know Steve Miller from the hits—“Fly Like…
Reviews
- Walter “Wolfman” Washington My Future Is My Past (ANTI- Records)
The title of the great New Orleans guitarist and vocalist Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s latest release, My Future Is My Past, tells… - Marcia Ball, Shine Bright (Alligator Records)
For the 15th album of her illustrious career, Marcia Ball enlists Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) to handle the production, and one… - The Radiators, Welcome to the Monkey House (Radz Records)
Sometimes the best things happen when you’re not even trying. The Radiators have labored for many years over their recordings trying… - Nolatet, No Revenge Necessary (Royal Potato Family)
Conversational, Eclectic & Whimsical Two years after their debut CD, Dogs, and with a cross-country tour under their belts, Nolatet… - The Tin Men, Sing with Me (Independent)
Billing themselves as “America’s premiere washboard, sousaphone, and guitar trio,” The Tin Men have been going strong for over fifteen years.… - Misled, Regenerator Vol. 1 (Dixie Dawg Records)
A new release from a band walking the punk/metal line since the early aughts, you know what you’re in for pretty… - Van Morrison, Versatile (Legacy)
Van Morrison’s 38th album finds the Irish soul man fit as a fiddle. Singing standards by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole… - Soul Project, The Long Hustle (Soul Universal Productions)
Aptly named The Long Hustle, this second album from Soul Project comes four long hustling years after their critically acclaimed first… - The Vettes, Gold Star (Album Review)
Slicing synthesizers, thumping drums, march tempos and big hooks—it must be the 1980s. Actually, the time is now, the late 2010s,… - Doro Wat Jazz Band, Doro Wat Jazz Band (Album Review)
With all the trad jazz talent in New Orleans these days, it was bound to happen: Someone decided to put together… - Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band, A Woman’s Place (Independent)
Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band is back at it again with their second album, A Woman’s Place. It’s been a meteoric… - Charlie Dennard, Sozinho (Independent)
Charlie Dennard is a New Orleans native who splits his time between the Crescent City and Cirque de Soleil. With Sozinho,… - Natalie Mae, Run to You (Independent)
New Orleans, meet Natalie Mae. Now that you’ve been introduced, you need to get to know one another. Although she has… - Bon Bon Vivant, Live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum (Gallatin Street Records)
What a fitting band to choose for the first album on the Gallatin Street Records label. Long before Storyville, the original… - Luke Winslow-King, Blue Mesa (Bloodshot Records)
Blue Mesa is a mature, reflective recording that should help garner Luke Winslow-King the recognition he truly deserves. Recorded in Lari,… - Tom McDermott, Podge-Hodge (Independent)
The evaporation of the music business has left a lot of recording artists flopping around outside of the original musiquarium, gasping… - Tuba Skinny, Nigel’s Dream (Independent)
Nigel’s Dream is the ninth album from Tuba Skinny. Recorded in December 2016, the band was unhappy with the sound quality… - Terence Blanchard, Live (Blue Note)
Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard continues the conversation on violence between law enforcement and African American citizens that he addressed musically… - Johnny Sansone, Hopeland (Shortstack Records)
If you don’t already know who Johnny Sansone is, it’s high time you found out about him. Long known for his…
