Issue Articles
The Banjo: An unusual voice in the story of New Orleans music
The first banjo ever documented in New Orleans was in 1819. British-American architect Benjamin Latrobe illustrated the instrument as he witnessed it during a performance in Congo Square. It was […]
Obituary: Lionel Ferbos 1911-2014
Lionel Ferbos reportedly woke up on July 17, 2014, his 103rd birthday, and said, “What time is the party?” The “party” was his birthday bash at the Palm Court Jazz […]
Fest Focus 2014: Sammy Rimington
Traditional jazz is by nature passed on through the age by torchbearers. Without the torchbearers, the music would cease to be. It would stagnate into a formula of recreation. ODJB, […]
Jim Robinson with Kid Thomas, Ernie Cagnolatti & De De Pierce, Self-Titled (G.B.H. Records)
This is a classic CD featuring two bands on two dates in New Orleans in the mid-‘60s. The first session with Jim Robinson and His New Orleans Band has a […]
Creole George Guesnon, Plays Sings & Reminisces (American Music)
Guesnon was best known for his powerful banjo playing in the best bands of classic New Orleans jazz: Papa Celestine’s Tuxedo Jazz Band, Sam Morgan’s band, George Lewis’ band, etc. […]
Wiggs-Burke, Big 4 (American Music)
This two-disc collection of recordings from 1952-1957 offers many pleasant surprises. The context in which the music is presented (in the liner notes Butch Thompson calls it “some kind of […]
New Orleans String Bands at the Turn of the Century
During the last two decades of the 19th Century, string bands with skilled Creole musicians were in high demand all around New Orleans. They performed at various functions, including picnics, […]
