Issue Articles
Smiling Drummers: A Benefit for Shannon Powell presented by Herlin Riley
When Shannon Powell walked up the back stairs to the stage at the recent Treme Fall Festival, he wore a golden crown on his head. The drummer, singer, tambourine man and regaled “King of Treme,” had been scheduled to lead his band, the Traditional Jazz All Stars. Most in the crowd, however, didn’t expect Powell to perform on this day as it was widely known that in early August the drummer had suffered both a stroke and a heart attack.
Evolution of Rebelution: Soul Rebels “Walkin’ round in the 6th Ward…”
The highly successful and internationally renowned Soul Rebels have been around the world and, as they say, back again. The progressive, innovative, horn-heavy, eight-piece band that first caused a commotion on the brass band scene in 1991 and killed with its socially conscious, jamming anthem “Let Your Mind Be Free”—“free your mind with education, help build a better nation”—has faithfully returned to perform in its hometown of New Orleans and in particular at its long time gig at Le Bon Temps Roule.
Matt Booth: Sun Prints (Ears & Eyes Records)
Matt Booth is perhaps best known in New Orleans as a member of the exceptional ensemble simply called Extended. Leading his own group on Sun Prints, the bassist and
composer, who now resides in Durham, North Carolina, gathered like-minded musicians—pianist Oscar Rossignoli, trumpeter Steve Lands, drummer Ricardo Varnado and saxophonist Sam Taylor (now living in Chicago)—who have contributed in making this city’s jazz scene thrive.
Nickel A Dance: A Million Dollars’ Worth of Music
The free, popular Nickel-A-Dance series, which started in 1994, is an annual fall event. The series, now presented by the New Orleans Jazz Celebration, runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Sunday through October 27, 2024.
Bringing Baton Rouge Blues to the Crescent City: Kenny Neal at the Blues & BBQ Festival
Those who missed Kenny Neal’s killer Jazz Fest performance this year get another chance to catch the multi-talented, Grammy-winning bluesman at his set at the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival.
Living Up To Its Moniker: The TBC Brass Band
The TBC Brass Band, which closes out this year’s Treme Fall Festival on Saturday, October 26, 2024, has truly lived up to its name. Formed in 2002 by students at Carver and Kennedy high schools, it carried on and remained a unit through devastatingly tough hardships such as hurricane Katrina and the murder of a saxophonist Brandon Franklin.
Delfeayo Marsalis – Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Crescent City Jewels (Troubadour Jass Records)
New Orleans enjoys any number of unique, robust aspects of life that can be considered its precious stones. As the birthplace of jazz, its singular musical culture, being so closely linked to the African diaspora, is regaled around the world. On trombonist and bandleader Delfeayo Marsalis latest release, Crescent City Jewels, the musicians in his full capacity Uptown Jazz Orchestra represent a collection of sparking gems who carry on and extend this city’s traditions and, importantly, have fun doing just that.
Jim Markway: Comrades (Independent)
Bassist Jim Markway gathers many of his New Orleans musical associates together in various combinations on his aptly titled release, Comrades. As regulars on the jazz scene, it is more than likely these musicians have shared a bandstand or at least run across each other.
Basher: May Day (Independent)
Multiple reedman and composer Byron Asher could be considered predictably unpredictable as he seems determined to stir things up. For instance, on May Day, on which the band is called Basher, he employs a pared down group with just his tenor, the alto sax of Aurora Nealand, Daniel Meinecke working on synthesizer and two drummers, Brad Webb and Zach Phea. On his previously OffBeat reviewed album Lord, When You Send the Rain, he leads an 11-piece ensemble dubbed Byron Asher’s Skrontch Music. So, it goes.
Young Men Olympian Jr. Celebrates Its Amazing 140th Anniversary
It’s difficult to conceive that the Young Men Olympian Jr. Benevolent Association has been active since 1884, just over to 20 years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people in the United States. One can imagine, however, how important the organization was at the time when one of its prime functions was to provide burial services to Blacks who during that era were denied life insurance by white owned companies.
