Blogs
Is Jazz The Brand
As readers of OffBeat, OffBeat.com and the Weekly Beat know, New Orleans is a musical city. But—let’s say the CVB was going to use music to “brand” the city, what […]
Open Letter to Jazz Journalists of New Orleans
Back in 1986 when my book The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide was released, music journalism was an entirely different phenomenon than it is today. Jazz critics had built a firewall […]
Future New Orleans Stars from Donald Harrison’s New Jazz School Play Free Concert
Many promising, young New Orleans jazz students will perform Friday at Isidore Newman School in a free concert organized by New Jazz School, Donald Harrison‘s high school jazz education program […]
Jazz Fest: On the Ledge
Quick response to this year’s Jazz Fest talent roll out: – It feels old to complain about the lack of contemporary jazz at Jazz Fest, but this year’s lineup looks […]
‘Tis the Season: Polyphonic Spree and Human
After Voodoo 2004, I started interviewing the Polyphonic Spree‘s Tim DeLaughter about one thing and ended up talking about Christmas music with him for an hour. The band plays a […]
Love’s in the Air for “A Night in the Treme”
“Tell people a little bit about Congo Square, about social aid and pleasure clubs, about Mardi Gras Indians, and do a tie-in to the music.” That’s HBO Treme actor Wendell […]
Rob Brown: Learning to Love his Trumpet
Like Wendell Pierce, Rob Brown is forced to act with a horn on Treme. Delmond Lambreaux is a jazz trumpeter; Brown isn’t. Like Pierce, he’s forced to look convincing as […]
A Radical Approach
Once Jazz Fest coverage ends, I more or less put a moratorium on chewing on its booking, but the upcoming CareFusion Jazz Festival in New York City begs for a comment. […]
Just What They Always Wanted?
From a press release for “Mingle, Jingle and Jazz,” a fundraiser for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Friday at Morton’s: “Mingle, Jingle and Jazz at Morton’s is a great way […]
New Orleans: It’s Good for You
The announcement of the jazz museum and jazz performance space earlier today brought up something that continues to puzzle me. I understand New Orleans’ importance in the development of […]
