Check through the arts columns of the New York Times these days and there is scarcely a mention of traditional jazz. Yes, there is jazz coverage: bebop, free form, jazz-rock fusion. Perfunctory perhaps, but it’s there at least, in what has become our national newspaper. But trad jazz? It’s a curiosity out of the past [...]
Tag Archives: James Singleton
Today in Louisiana Music History: October 8
October 8, 2012 – 12:12 pm
1893 (or 1898): Birth of pianist, singer, arranger, composer Clarence Williams was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana. 1937: Birth of singer Wallace Johnson born in Napoleonville, Louisiana. 1955: Accordionist & composer Iry LeJeune passes away at age 26. Struck near Eunice changing a flat tire. 1955: Happy Birthday to Composer, bassist, bandleader James Singleton.
Dave Ferrato, Later, On Decatur (Independent)
October 1, 2012 – 12:53 am
Dave Ferrato is a Quarter Rat with an eye for storytelling detail and an ear for the classic currents of New Orleans R&B. This is an extremely polished and professional effort for a first album. The expert ministrations of Mark Mullins as producer and arranger ensure that technical quality, and Mullins assembled an outstanding cast [...]
August 2012 Letters
August 1, 2012 – 12:01 am
THE STREET VIEW Just want to take a minute to thank you [Jan Ramsey] for your commentary on the city, the music scene and pretty much everything else. I love the street view and I appreciate that you speak your mind. I also want to thank everyone at OffBeat for their views of artists, records, [...]
James Singleton & Illuminasti Friends at Cafe Istanbul: Improvisation Is A Religion
June 13, 2012 – 3:12 pm
Outside of the St. John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church, there aren’t many houses of worship to experience jazz in a spiritual way. But on Sunday, June 10, Café Istanbul could have made the case that it’s a sanctuary for New Orleans musicians, with bassist James Singleton as its prophet, and his Illuminasti Friends as [...]
Sarah Quintana, The World Has Changed (Independent)
June 1, 2012 – 12:56 am
Anyone with a pair of ears can tell that Sarah Quintana possesses a rare talent. The golden-voiced chanteuse has amassed a formidable following here in her hometown of New Orleans as well as throughout France, where she is a frequent voyager. So it comes with much anticipation that she releases her debut studio album, The [...]
Live Music NOLA/OffBeat Compilation, Volume 1
November 2, 2011 – 7:03 pm
German/Jewish poet Berthold Auerbach said “music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Live music is a source of vital nourishment that replenishes the soul, a regular part of living in New Orleans, where experiencing it fully means feeling the power and energy of a live performance. Live Music NOLA‘s mission is [...]
YouTube du Jour: Kora Konnection
October 6, 2011 – 11:34 am
Kora Konnection merges African music and jazz, with a lineup that includes kora master Morikeba Kouyate of Senegal, Thierno Dioubate on balafon and djembe, Tim Green on saxophone, James Singleton on bass, and Jeff Klein on African percussion. Kora Konnection will perform tonight at 6 p.m. at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s “Ogden After Hours” [...]
Dave Easley, A Time of the Signs (Independent)
September 1, 2011 – 12:50 am
Dave Easley is one of the city’s—if not the world’s—most amazing guitarists, with a concentration in pedal steel. You’d assume he’d be first in line for the world’s best gigs, and he does in fact play Swiss festivals. Then again, he also plays the Crazy Lobster restaurant on the Riverwalk. In forward-thinking groups such as [...]
Frederick “Shep” Sheppard, Habari Gani (Independent)
May 1, 2011 – 12:37 am
When Frederick “Shep” Sheppard died in Phoenix in January of 2008, a small piece of the impressive legacy he left behind was the basic tracks for Habari Gani, which he’d recorded in December 2007. Some were released in a somewhat rougher form in 2008 as Tradition: The Habari Gani Sessions. Now, drummer Chris Lacinak, who [...]
