On the afternoon of February 25, just four days after Mardi Gras, the Louisiana Music Factory celebrated its 20th anniversary with a day-long in store concert. Kermit Ruffins, John Boutte, Little Freddie King and the Stooges Brass Band had already played, but now it was time for a member of a New Orleans royal family [...]
Tag Archives: Blues
Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste: A Meeting of the Minds
April 1, 2012 – 12:16 am
The Joe Krown Trio with Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste is what New Orleans is all about: Three musicians, none a worldwide celebrity but each a master of his own discipline and a bandleader in his own right, all calling on a lifetime of musical knowledge and experience whenever they perform, and all playing [...]
Little Freddie King
April 1, 2012 – 12:10 am
Photographer: Marie-Dominique Verdier Little Freddie King was one of many New Orleanians who agreed to pose by a wall in their own neighborhood, as part of my book New Orleans Walls: Still Standing. I drove throughout Freddie’s neighborhood for about an hour before finding “his” wall, by a cemetery. I then picked up [...]
Kenny Neal’s Family & Friends Heritage Blues Festival: Photos
March 8, 2012 – 6:55 pm
Baton-Rouge-based blues guitarist Kenny Neal—son of Louisiana blues great Raful Neal—hosted a festival for in Port Allen, Louisiana on Saturday, March 3: Kenny Neal’s Family & Friends Heritage Blues Festival. In addition to a set from Kenny Neal’s own band, other performances from his family included the Tyree Neal Band, Lil Ray Neal Band, Charlene [...]
Little Freddie King, Chasing tha Blues (MadeWright Records)
March 1, 2012 – 12:57 am
While Chasing tha Blues gets off to a promising start, it begins to lose steam well before the conclusion of the chase. King is New Orleans’ resident free-form country bluesman, and when not on the bandstand he can often be seen riding his bicycle through the Quarter and the Marigny. His style will never be [...]
Chris Thomas King, Antebellum Postcards (21st Century Blues Records)
March 1, 2012 – 12:56 am
I often think that it must be hard to be Chris Thomas King—to have a restless musical imagination that prompts him to explore a host of styles and the chops to excel in all of them. What do you do? Deny the competing impulses and hew to one path, or follow them all and produce [...]
Ruthie Foster, Let it Burn (Blue Corn Records)
March 1, 2012 – 12:54 am
When Ruthie Foster first played Jazz Fest in 2008, I sat next to her as she sang during our interview on the Music Heritage Stage. At arm’s reach, her voice was as powerful and warm as it had been when channeled through the Blues Tent’s PA an hour earlier, and that voice has been her [...]
Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band, Hoodoo Man Blues (Delmark Records)
March 1, 2012 – 12:47 am
For decades, this set has been considered one of the top 10 post-war blues albums. “Set” is a good way to describe Hoodoo Man Blues, as the original 1965 LP marked the first time a working Chicago blues band recorded a full studio album release (No 45s were issued). With Buddy Guy (guitar), Jack Myers [...]
YouTube du Jour: The Scissormen
February 28, 2012 – 10:54 am
Tonight, Nashville-based duo the Scissormen play hill country blues at Chickie Wah Wah. Guitarist/songwriter Ted Drozdowski doesn’t make any claims for authenticity; the long-time music writer and editor at The Boston Phoenix sings about discovering the music and wanting to play it in “Big Shoes,” the title cut from their new album. The duo – [...]
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, Evening (Severn Records)
February 1, 2012 – 12:47 am
Other than reissues, true gutbucket blues CDs have been a rarity for more than a decade. Enter Exhibit A—Evening. One of the better harp players on the scene today, Sugar Ray Norcia gets a smoky, vintage sound by playing period instruments through tube amps. The sound is enhanced dramatically by Norcia not singing through the [...]
