January 1999

BackTalk

Buckwheat Zydeco
When Stanley Dural, Jr. better known as Buckwheat Zydeco to his many fans- titled his 1997 album Trouble, he had no… – Arsenio Orteza

Tying Up Loose Ends in Cajun Country
Remember the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music that was reported in this space last month? Well, it turns… – Arsenio Orteza

Lazy Lester is All Over You
It's been over two decades since Lazy Lester left Louisiana for Michigan, but the timeless harmonica-driven sound he forged for Excello… – Scott Jordan

Mister Satan's Apprentice & Obituary Cocktail
When you're trying to hustle down Royal Street, it's easy to curse street musicians as musical roach motels for unsuspecting tourists.… – Alex Rawls

Best of the Beat Lifetime Achievement Award: Tommy Ridgley
For 50 years, Tommy Ridgley has been one of the great and enduring rhythm and blues artists in New Orleans. A… – Jeff Hannusch

The Hottest Accordionist Search , SXSW, PBS Special to Feature Lousiiana Music & More
Michael Ray & the Cosmic Krewe returned from Greece last month where they performed 15 nights in clubs from Athens to… – David Jones

Everybody's Got An Opinion!: The Top 10 Music Events of 1998
Jeff Hannusch, our columnist for "Talkin' Bout New Orleans," said that these were his favorite "musical moments" off 1998: 1) Otis… – OffBeat Staff
4th Annual Best of the Beat Music Awards
BLUES Best Blues Band or Performer JOHN MOONEY Runner up: Mem Shannon and the Membership Best 1998 Blues Album by a… – OffBeat Staff
100: The 100 Essential Louisiana CDs, Part 4
From the sounds of Jelly Roll Morton to Clifton Chenier to Fats Domino and the Neville Brothers, Louisiana music has consistently… – OffBeat Staff
Anniversaries at the Clubs
The Maple Leaf Turns 25 Inspired by Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” as well as the burgeoning need for a decent… – OffBeat Staff
Guarding the Flame of Life: The Funeral Of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr.
It was a summer day in December. We crowded into St. Augustine Catholic Church to send off Big Chief Donald Harrison.… – Kalamu Ya Salaam

Glyn Styler, Drew Young, Mr. Quintron & the Annual Top 10
When Glyn Styler played the CMJ convention in October, he had the chance to meet one of his longtime fans, Ray… – Mark Miester

The Top 10 Films of 1998, Stepmom, Gods and Monsters & SportsNight
Remembering, once again, that some of the year's best films don't arrive in our neck of the woods until well into… – David Jones

The New Storyville District & the Funkmonsters from Texas
What's being hailed as the "Palace of Jazz" should be open by the time you peruse this issue of OffBeat. The… – Andre Salvail

Letters January 1999
Myles Tragedy Causes a Reader to Remember When I received my November issue of OffBeat, I was shocked and saddened to… – OffBeat Readers

The Future of Live Music, Best of the Beat & More
It's time to reflect on the past year and plan for the new. The live music scene is definitely going through… – Jan Ramsey

The Slave Revolt, the Oyster Scavenger Hunt, the Fur & Wildlife Festival & More
January is one of Louisiana's slowest months for festivals but that just makes it easier to attend the ones that do… – Ben Berman

McCoy Tyner, Storyville and "Afro-Caribbean Brass Party" at Donna's
On January 15th, House of Blues will host a rare non-Jazz Fest appearance by a living legend in modern jazz: McCoy… – Jonathan Tabak

Fullpack Music, Mr. Ivan, No Name Brand, New Record Releases & More
In the spring of 1998, Southcoast Music Group was looking for producers to finish Prime Time's album, Duck Tape'N. Their in-house… – Karen Cortello

Sammy The "Other" Ridgley
It might seem convenient or a courtesy to write about Sammy Ridgley in an OffBeat issue that features his brother on… – Jeff Hannusch

Miles Davis, The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Columbia Legacy)
Bitches Brew, Miles' best-selling album, still has the ability to mystify even the experienced listener; in its day the double-LP, released… – Roger Hahn
Cyrus Chestnut, Cyrus Chestnut (Atlantic Jazz)
The take on pianist Cyrus Chestnut, a Betty Carter alum, was dull brilliance, a charge his label has set out, successfully,… – Roger Hahn
Iris May Tango, Let 'Em Have It (Independent)
The recent surge of interest in local funk has created wave after wave of groove purveyors and party bands, but among… – James Lien
Various Artists, River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi (Smithsonian Folkways)
Beginning at the headwaters of the Mississippi and traveling its length out to the Gulf, the River of Song project sponsored… – Roger Hahn
Mulebone, 5 Shakes 7 Spirits (Independent)
Once upon a time there was rock 'n' roll. It wasn't punk, grunge, alternative, zip-glip hop, or alternative. It was songs… – David Kunian