The Best of the Beat Awards Show filled the New Orleans Jazz Market with music and celebration last week. 

During the opening hour, the Alexey Marti Group played latin jazz hotter than the appetizers, while people lined up down the block. We had lots of fresh-off-the-Grammys styles and energy. 

There was music at every moment, food of every genre, a room for getting your portraits done, record giveaways from the New Orleans Record Press, and, of course, magazines.  

J & the Causeways amped everyone up for the awards with their performance, ripping solo after solo. Dancing was the only way to burn off the tiny bowls of King Cake, Saag Paneer, Ya Ka Mein, gumbo, tacos and pralines.

Many of the musicians were friends with one another, fluid with the band demarkations, having played in each other’s solo projects, having formed bonds at festival after festival. 

Pell, winner of Best Rap Artist and Best Rap Album, rolled in with quite the crew: Kr3wcial, his fashion designer brother, Face, and, star of the evening: his mom. 

The Soul Rebels gave their usual 1000% performance, while raking in awards for Best Brass Band, Best Music Video, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year.

The Lost Bayou Ramblers accepted their Best Cajun Artist award in a combination of native languages. “Thank you, so much for the love. We can’t wait to keep giving it back. On va continuer!”

Paul Sanchez thanked his fellow artists and supporters of the arts. “Every year, at these awards, I am reminded of what a wonderful community I get to be a part of.”

Raj Smoove, as Best DJ, gave us music for all of the award winners and showed his appreciation for OffBeat. “Thank you for representing all the cultures of New Orleans music and for putting hip-hop on the cover,” he said, referring to his September 2019 cover story.

 

PJ Morton, Songwriter of the Year, was as grateful to win within his community as he was to win a Grammy. “To be acknowledged for being a songwriter is just really important to me.”

Best Rock Artist and Best Trombonist, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, thanked his fellow nominees, “Shoutout to some of my favorite trombone players in the house: Big Paul, Corey Henry…”

 

The most quietly spectacular moment of the evening was the Preservation Hall Tribute to Charlie Gabriel, featuring the incomparable Meghan Swartz, Louis Ford, Craig Klein, Shannon Powell, Mark Braud, Mark Brooks and Charlie Gabriel himself. Click below for a full gallery of the 2019 Best of the Beat Music Awards!