May 2010
BackTalk
- Harold Battiste
[Recently, Harold Battiste finished his autobiography, Unfinished Blues, which tells the story of his life in the music business, including his…
Bookmark
- Andre Williams, Sweets and Other Stories (Kicks Books)
Hello world, meet Andre Williams, man of letters. If you’ve already met “Mr. Rhythm” in his better-known persona as purveyor of…
Features
- Jazz Fest 2010 Performers: A-Z
Not even the diehards know everybody. You can have a deep passion for New Orleans and Louisiana music, and there’s still… - Bill Summers: Jazz Fest Focus
Bill Summers’ place in the jazz firmament was set the moment he tooted on a beer bottle tuned to C in… - Honey Island Swamp Band: Jazz Fest Focus
For the guys of Honey Island Swamp Band (HISB), Katrina was almost as much of a blessing as a curse. Stranded… - Patrice Fisher & Arpa & the Honduran Connection: Jazz Fest Focus
Growing up in the musical melting pot of New Orleans, local harpist Patrice Fisher was surrounded by the sounds of jazz… - Brother Tyrone: Jazz Fest Focus
Brother Tyrone is a soul singer. Not neo-soul, not a retro muddled Stax/Motown Frankenstein or anything like that. Soul. Always has… - Joe Lovano's Us Five: Jazz Fest Focus
Joe Lovano is an old school jazzman. He came up in New York City in the 1970s paying his dues with… - Midnite Disturbers: Jazz Fest Focus
The idea for the Midnite Disturbers came at drummer Stanton Moore’s kitchen table. He and fellow drummer Kevin O’Day had been… - Robert "1-String" Gibson: Jazz Fest Focus
A common complaint among authenticity seekers roaming the crossroads of the blues is that the music is too sanitized, too cleaned… - Kirk Joseph: Jazz Fest Focus
Sousafunk master Kirk Joseph has been leaving his musical imprint on New Orleans for decades. From his start performing with the… - Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue: Jazz Fest Focus
When Vanessa Niemann takes the Fais-Do-Do Stage with her Honky Tonk Revue, she’ll be wearing Gal Holiday’s signature “fancy” cowboy boots.… - Lil' Buck Sinegal: Jazz Fest Focus
Allen Toussaint called Paul “Lil’ Buck” Sinegal the “Gentle Giant of Guitar.” But get him reminiscing about his 50 years in… - Eric Lindell: Jazz Fest Focus
Don’t let the laidback demeanor fool you. With the release of Between Motion and Rest, Eric Lindell will have put out… - Pete Fountain and Tim Laughlin: The Fat Sound
Once away from the strip malls and family businesses that alternate on Highway 90, the road to the Hollywood Casino in… - Growing Up Andrews
Check out a slideshow of the full photoshoot accompanying this story here. Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” is one of… - The Allman Brothers Band: Every Picture Tells a Story
See more of Smith's rare, vintage photos of the Allman Brothers Band here. You are Sidney Smith. It’s the fall of… - Terrance Osborne's Space Problem
Watch the evolution of Terrance Osborne's painting for the 2010 Congo Square Poster below. [flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157623725694369"] Terrance Osborne works from… - Chocolate Milk: The Other Funk Band
Quick: Name a New Orleans funk band that recorded for a major label in the ’70s, worked with Allen Toussaint, played… - Teena Marie: Another Bit of Square Biz
I remember the first time I went there,” recalls soul/ funk pioneer Teena Marie of her earliest engagement with New Orleans.… - The Search for Baaba Maal
DAKAR, SENEGAL—I pass my first two weeks in this cosmopolitan desert city looking for Baaba Maal. The world music giant, singer… - What Happens in Vegas…
Try to separate fact from fiction where Las Vegas is concerned. Long before the “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”… - Cedric Watson: Fiddling With Tradition
Canray Fontenot, the man Arhoolie’s Chris Strachwitz dubbed “The last of the great Cajun and Creole fiddlers,” died on July 29,…
Fresh
- Jazz Fest on Your iPhone
If you’d like to experience New Orleans and OffBeat all year long, any time you want, download the newest addition to… - Phil Anselmo: Let’s Play House
Philip Anselmo compiled his past and present side projects into his new record label, Housecore Records. Anselmo signs bands that he… - Band Camp
The New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp will convene for the first time this summer, from August 1-6 at the Bourbon Orleans… - Terrance Simien and Buckwheat Zydeco: Together at Last
Buckwheat Zydeco and Terrance Simien have been part of two Grammy wins, six Grammy nominations, an Emmy, three Presidential inaugurations, 10… - Rapping is Fundamental
Author/musician/teacher Michael Patrick Welch has co-written the alternative to typical guides to the Crescent City. New Orleans: An Underground Guide (UNO… - Tacos to Go
“I just want to work. Pay my tax, raise my kids. I don’t ask for government help,” says Ruben Leite, owner…
Letters
- May 2010 Letters
DISAPPOINTED WITH NOLA Your [Jan Ramsey] Mojo Mouth “Reviving Music in the Quarter” in the March issue was interesting because the…
Mojo Mouth
- Meet the Family
As I write, two weeks before the beginning of 2010 Jazz Fest, I’m watching crowds of people heading towards the French…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Marva Wright (1948-2010)
The much beloved blues and gospel singer, Marva Wright, died peacefully at her daughter’s home in eastern New Orleans March 23.… - Obituary: Bernard “Bunchy” Johnson (1952-2010)
Bernard “Bunchy” Johnson, an extremely popular and talented drummer, who had a second, and third career, as an actor and booking…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: Parkway Bakery
There are po-boys, and then there is the Parkway Bakery. The Mid-City stalwart serves up impeccable examples of the iconic New… - "Uncle" Lionel Batiste Hits the Spot at The Praline Connection
The Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen St. (504) 943-3934 What do you eat here? The fried chicken livers. Me being a Creole,… - The Pros Know: Chefs Reveal Their Jazz Fest Favorites
When Jazz Fest releases the “cubes” each year, eager beavers begin mapping, plotting, and GPSing their way around the grounds. But…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Parkway Bakery
There are po-boys, and then there is the Parkway Bakery. The Mid-City stalwart serves up impeccable examples of the iconic New…
The Spot
- "Uncle" Lionel Batiste Hits the Spot at The Praline Connection
The Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen St. (504) 943-3934 What do you eat here? The fried chicken livers. Me being a Creole,…
Reviews
- Trombone Shorty, Backatown (Verve Forecast)
It didn’t take a genius to peg Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews as a national success waiting to happen. He’s young, good-looking… - Big Sam's Funky Nation, King of the Party (Hypersoul)
Big Sam’s Funky Nation is not going to confuse you. On King of the Party, Sam Williams and company pick up… - Anders Osborne, American Patchwork (Alligator Records)
The rock era is pushing 60 and anyone who’s been listening carefully will have to admit that enthusiasm for contemporary releases… - Honey Island Swamp Band, Good to You (Threadhead Records)
Maybe it’s because they formed in San Francisco; or maybe it’s because they seem more like a family than a band;… - Matt Perrine & Sunflower City, Bayou Road Suite (Threadhead)
New Orleans locals are familiar with sousaphonist Matt Perrine playing any style in any situation. His virtuosity brings forth the inevitable… - Chubby Carrier, Zydeco Junkie (Swampadellic)
Chubby Carrier has spent a career perfecting his party package live shows, so it stands to reason that this would be… - The Revivalists, Vital Signs (Independent)
There’s a fine line between a jam band and a band that jams. New Orleans’ the Revivalists fall into the latter… - Margie Perez, Singing for My Supper (Threadhead)
Margie Perez first released Singing for My Supper last year, but she has re-released it recently with three new songs. A… - Christian Scott, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (Concord Records)
Christian Scott makes every note count. In his short but impressive career he has developed a unique instrumental identity using his… - Susan Cowsill, Lighthouse (Threadhead Records)
Hurricane Katrina forced us all to reconsider the concept of home. On Lighthouse, Susan Cowsill’s longing for home ties the songs… - Naked Orchestra, From Pandemonium to a View of Eidolons (Independent)
Large ensembles in creative music are largely a labor of love, a testament to the musicians’ respect for the bandleader, and… - Bayou Deville, See Sharp and Be Natural (New Range Records)
Though the title serves as both a musical pun and a modest credo to live by, this is actually a live… - The Classic Jazz Trio, The Classic Jazz Trio (Rankomatic Music)
The Classic Jazz Trio grew out of “informal jam sessions” at the Columns Hotel between guitarist John Rankin and clarinetists Tommy… - Truth Universal, Guerrilla Business (Truth Universal)
Lyricism seems to have all but disappeared from the current state of hip-hop. For Trinidad-born, New Orleans-bred rhymesmith Truth Universal, mastery… - Marc Stone, Trickeration and Rascality (Threadhead Records)
Marc Stone is a great commodifier of blues, R&B and roots music. His highly entertaining and thought provoking Tuesday afternoon blues… - Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Raising the Bar (Blind Pig Records)
There’s really no such thing as a bad Magic Slim CD, and this one is no better, or no worse, than… - Travis Matte and the Kingpins, Pop It (Matte Productions)
Matte refuses to be confined by preconceived cultural norms. Novelty sexual content is where he’s always shaken his biggest moneymaker, but… - Various Artists, The T.A.M.I. Show (Shout Factory DVD)
My best friend in grade school had a hip older sister named Debbie. One Saturday afternoon, Debbie forked out 70 cents… - The New Orleans Moonshiners, I'm Comin' Home (Independent)
The New Orleans Moonshiners are among a pack of young groups struggling with the question of what it means to play… - Ingrid Lucia, Midnight Rendezvous (Threadhead Records)
Ingrid Lucia stylizes something that is already stylized—the trad jazz canary. That has distinguished her from others working the same field,…
