During the late ‘60s/early ‘70s heyday of Parliament/Funkadelic, George Clinton would regularly herd a few dozen musicians into the studio without a real game plan, let the jams flow with the players in various states of alteredness, and somehow emerge with a tape full of classic grooves. This is a trick that you probably shouldn’t [...]
Tag Archives: funk
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 [...]
Jon Cleary: All By Myself
April 1, 2012 – 12:15 am
Jon Cleary has three pianos. There’s nothing obviously antique, historic or novel about them. They reside in his home studio in the Bywater under posters from gigs he’s played—one for a venue on Louisiana Street that featured “J. Marky D.” In the control room, a framed blue, battered poster advertising a Johnny Adams gig at [...]
Big Sam’s Funky Nation at Wednesday at the Square: Photos
March 29, 2012 – 6:56 pm
Wednesday at the Square continued with perfect March weather yesterday with Big Sam’s Funky Nation headlining this week’s show. The concerts are presented by the Young Leadership Council, who won a Best of the Beat Business Award this year in recognition of their contributions in producing the series. All photos were taken by Kim Welsh.
YouTube du Jour: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic
March 8, 2012 – 12:52 pm
Tonight, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic return to New Orleans for a show at House of Blues. The band has been touring with changing lineups for almost 40 years—since 1974—but the roots of the group stretch all the way back to 1955, when George Clinton’s doo-wop quintet The Parliaments first began performing. By the late [...]
Los Nombres, Los Nombres (Numero Group)
March 1, 2012 – 12:48 am
Lorain, Ohio. Who knew this Lake Charles-size town 30 miles west of Cleveland produced such a microcosm of America in the ‘60s? In the post-war era of the early ‘50s, large numbers of Puerto Rican immigrants flocked to “Ohio’s ‘International City’” (yes, Ohio has one) for jobs making steel pipes with the National Tube Company. [...]
Khris Royal and Dark Matter, Dark Matter (Hypersoul Records)
February 1, 2012 – 12:58 am
Over the past few years, saxophonist Khris Royal has emerged as one of the most exciting up-and-coming musicians on the New Orleans music scene. He’s one of George Porter, Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners, and his own funk-fusion outfit, Dark Matter, has been busy establishing itself as one of the city’s most incendiary live acts. On the [...]
MarchFourth Marching Band, Magnificent Beast (Marchfourth Music)
February 1, 2012 – 12:48 am
If you’ve seen MarchFourth Marching Band live, perhaps at Voodoo or last year’s Halloween show at House of Blues, you know the incredible energy this band is capable of bringing. With an entourage of more than 30 horn players, percussionists, acrobats and stilt-walkers M4 has proven itself to be one of the premiere touring acts. [...]
Obituary: Larry Hamilton (1951-2011)
February 1, 2012 – 12:10 am
Larry Hamilton, a singer/songwriter who might be best known for a self-titled 1997 NYNO CD produced by Allen Toussaint, died December 28, 2011. Born in Galveston, Texas, March 23, 1951, he moved to New Orleans as a youth. At the age of seven, he began taking piano lessons with Ray Charles as his major influence. [...]
Papa Grows Funk, Needle in the Groove (Funky Krewe Records)
December 1, 2011 – 12:59 am
Back in the 20th Century when John Gros was enrolled in the George Porter, Jr. Academy of Funk as a member of the Runnin’ Pardners, he also held down a bread and butter gig playing for tourists at Tropical Isle. Gros never complained about playing the hits on Bourbon Street, though. He studied the crowds [...]
