Last night, January 30, 2020, OffBeat hosted the 2019 Best of the Beat Music Awards at the New Orleans Jazz Market and announced our Best of the Beat Award Winners. There were rollicking performances by J & the Causeways, the Soul Rebels, Charlie Wooton Project featuring Arséne DeLay, the Alexey Marti Group, DJ Raj Smoove and members of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band All-Stars did a moving tribute to Charlie Gabriel, who won our Lifetime Achievement Award in Music and was honored on January 16, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, along with Shirani Rea, Steve Masakowski, Margie Perez, and Clarence “Delco” Dalcour.
In categories ranging from Best Accordionist to Artist of the Year, awards were given to musicians representing the best of Louisiana. The Soul Rebels were big winners of the evening, taking home awards for Best Music Video, Best Brass Band, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. PJ Morton was named Songwriter of the Year and tied with John Boutte for Best Male Vocalist.
Below are our winners, voted in by YOU:
Best Blues Artist
Samantha Fish
Best Blues Album
Samantha Fish, Kill or Be Kind
Best R&B/Funk Artist
Galactic
Best R&B/Funk Album
Tank and the Bangas, Green Balloon
Best Rock Artist
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Best Rock Album
Anders Osborne, Buddha and the Blues
Best Hip Hop Artist
Pell
Best Hip Hop Album
Pell, Gravity
Best Traditional Jazz Artist
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Best Trad Jazz Album
Tuba Skinny, Some Kind-a-Shake
Best Contemporary Jazz Artist
Nicholas Payton
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Jon Batiste, Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard
Best Brass Band
The Soul Rebels
Best Cajun Artist
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Best Zydeco Artist
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers
Best Zydeco Album
Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Bon Ton
Best Roots Rock Artist
Paul Sanchez
Best Roots Rock Album
Paul Sanchez, I’m a song, I’m a story, I’m a ghost
Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Artist
Leyla McCalla
Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album
Leyla McCalla, the Capitalist Blues
Best Cover Band
Bag of Donuts
Best Gospel
McDonogh #35
Best Other Instrumentalist
Johnny Sansone, harmonica
Best DJ
Raj Smoove
Best Violinist/Fiddler
Amanda Shaw
Best Accordionist
Chubby Carrier
Best Piano
Jon Cleary
Best Tuba
Matt Perrine
Best Trombonist
Troy Andrews
Best Trumpet
Shamarr Allen
Best Clarinet
Dr. Michael White
Best Saxophonist
Aurora Nealand
Best Drummer
Stanton Moore
Best Guitar
Samantha Fish
Best Bass
George Porter, Jr.
Best Male Vocalist (tied)
John Boutte & PJ Morton
Female Vocalist
Erica Falls
Best Music Video
The Soul Rebels feat. Big Freedia, Denisia and Passport P – “Good Time”
Best Emerging Artist
Sierra Green & The Soul Machine
Songwriter of the Year
PJ Morton
Song of the Year
The Soul Rebels f. PJ Morton, “Slide Back”
Album of the Year
The Soul Rebels, Poetry in Motion
Artist of the Year
The Soul Rebels
Check back soon for more coverage and photos!
