November 2021
Cover Story
- Classy and Unsinkable: Miss Sophie Lee is back as The Frenchmen Muse
It’s a quiet Tuesday afternoon on Frenchmen Street, during the week that was supposed to come between Jazz Fest weekends. There’s…
BackTalk
- Rodney Crowell talks back
Rodney Crowell has seldom met a life experience he couldn’t get a song out of—particularly in recent decades, when he’s chosen…
Features
- Boma Bango brings Congolese Rumba to French Louisiana
The story of Congolese rumba is quite an intriguing chapter in ethnomusicology. The Central African genre germinated from its son Cubano… - Conquered by New Orleans: Cyrille Aimée embodies New Orleans’ French and Caribbean heritage
Cyrille Aimée’s connection to New Orleans’ cultural milieu existed long before her recent move to Louisiana. The jazz-singing daughter of… - 'City of a Million Dreams' fulfills 25-year documentary quest for Jason Berry
Among the many films to be screened at the 2021 New Orleans Film Festival is City of a Million Dreams, a… - Life Begets Music: Nicholas Payton premieres 'Smoke Sessions'
Though it took close to four decades, trumpeter, keyboardist and composer Nicholas Payton's dream of playing with legendary bassist Ron Carter… - My Music with Christian Serpas
Christian Serpas is the vocalist and guitar player for Ghost Town, a band known for honky tonk lyrics with scorching rock…
Fresh
- Amigos do Samba bring Brazilian song and dance to New Orleans
The Brazilian community in New Orleans is a vibrant one that tends to fly under the radar of most music lovers… - Bad Operation keeps ska alive in New Orleans
R&B from artists like Fats Domino seeped into Jamaican sound systems and laid the groundwork for what would become ska. In… - Covered in Earl: Tipitina's plans tribute concert to Earl King
Earl King—the singer, guitarist and master songwriter whose music was recorded by Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie… - 2021 New Orleans Film Festival includes 28 world premieres
This year’s hybrid New Orleans Film Festival offers in-person and online screenings. Films will screen November 5-14 at AMC Elmwood Palace… - Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theatre 30th Anniversary Concert: Derek Douget leads the Ellis Marsalis Orchestra in music from 'The Silverbook'
The Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theatre will celebrate its 30th anniversary on November 14 at 3 p.m. at the Lafon… - Music Quest: Vintage vinyl treasures are out there for the scoring (Episode 8)
This group of vintage vinyl albums for the month of November includes five great artists/bands who sure could write and/or select…
Obituaries
- In Memoriam: Roger Hahn (1949–2021)
Freelance writer, editor and OffBeat contributor Roger Hahn died at age 72 in his New Orleans residence. Besides OffBeat Magazine, Hahn… - In Memoriam: Jack Fine (1928–2021)
Cornetist Jack Fine, a jazz musician who played in New Orleans since the 1990s as a founding member of the Jazz… - In Memoriam: Lyle Ferbrache (1944–2021)
After a valiant battle with cancer, esteemed author, historian and record collector Lyle Ferbrache died at his home in Brentwood, California,…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Mister Mao
Walking into Mister Mao, the newest addition to Uptown's dining scene at 4501 Tchoupitoulas Street, you feel as if you're in…
Letters
- November 2021 Letters to the Editor
Hurricane Ida I was really shocked [by] what I have seen on TV about what happened to New Orleans due to…
Reviews
- The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All-Stars, A Gift to Pops (Verve)
A Gift to Pops is a joyfully presented tribute to legendary trumpeter, vocalist and composer Louis Armstrong, performed by an impressive… - Ricci/Krown, City Country City (Gulf Coast Records)
The title cut of harmonica man/vocalist Jason Ricci and organ whiz Joe Krown’s debut recording as a duo, City Country City,… - Lilli Lewis, Americana (Lousiana Red Hot Records)
Lilli Lewis asks many big questions on Americana. Is she the best version of herself she can be? / Is there… - ÌFÉ, 0000+0000 (Discos Ifá)
The compelling, hypnotic second album from percussionist-composer-DJ-producer Otura Mun, a.k.a. ÌFÉ, begins and ends in New Orleans, where he has lived… - Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective and The Turtle Island Quartet, Absence (Blue Note)
“I'd like to thank Wayne Shorter for being brilliant,” Terence Blanchard simply and succinctly writes on the liner notes for Absence,… - Andy Peake, Mood Swings (Big Little Records)
Andy Peake, a drummer and percussionist who for decades backed major acts on stage and in the studio, realizes a longtime… - Analog Brass Band, Songs From the Protest Route (Independent)
At this point in the long history of New Orleans music, it probably isn’t necessary to announce that your band isn’t… - O.V. Wright, A Nickel And A Nail and Ace of Spades (Real Gone Music)
This is a welcome vinyl reissue of a super rare 1971 Back Beat album, one that many deep soul experts consider… - Leftover Salmon, Brand New Good Old Days (Compass Records)
Not many bands can claim that it sprouted an entire genre, but Leftover Salmon can. The Colorado-based aggregation, led by founding… - Daniel De Vise, King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King (Atlantic Monthly Press)
With three previous full-length B.B. King biographies still circulating, a handful of well researched box sets and any number of comprehensive…
