Blogs
A Shorter Preview
Sunday, Wayne Shorter closes the WWOZ Jazz Tent. Recently, writer Tom Moon reviewed the live debut of a new work by Shorter, “Lotus,” which will likely be featured in his […]
The Mayor’s Sculpture Garden – Almost
The Roots of Music Cultural Sculpture Garden in Armstrong Park is open now, sort of. The project that Mayor C. Ray Nagin shepherded through channels despite some controversy over a […]
Stars Celebrate Bobby Charles
When Bobby Charles passed away last January, friends quietly worried that didn’t seem to be any musical tributes to the Louisiana songwriting legend forthcoming. A few months later, they finally […]
If We Knew What We Were Doing …
Friday, Lt.-Governor (for now) Mitch Landrieu held a cultural economy roundtable on the grounds at Jazz Fest, with Irma Thomas, Terrance Simien, Dr. Michael White and OffBeat‘s Jan Ramsey among […]
Follow Us
Jazz Fest is here and I’m knocking down one more coffee while assembling the day’s supplies (sun screen? check. hand sanitizer? check. bandana? check.). In addition to the new Jazz […]
If “If” Was a Skiff …
In his critique of Treme at Slate.com, Josh Levin writes: If Simon is aiming to persuade his audience that New Orleans is unique and worth preserving, he’s going about it […]
Cheapness for Good and Ill
Incarceration led to my favorite C-Murder album, The Truest Shit I Ever Said, largely because the process of recording on a DAT while in prison forced him to dial down […]
Tobacco and the Sound of Middle America
As we approach a few weeks where New Orleans music is unavoidable, I’m taking a quick time-out to listen to other stuff. LCD Soundsystem’s upcoming This is Happening is streaming […]
The Hell with Waiting
When I interviewed members of the production crew for Treme, all were guarded when speaking about what would happen if the show got to a second season. Two days after […]
To What End?
The French Quarter Festival just announced that “approximately 512,000” people attended the festival, setting a new attendance record for the festival. Or, maybe 509,000 as the press release claims (without […]
