Issue Articles — Features
Johnette Downing and Scott Billington’s swamp romp
When Johnette Downing and Scott Billington married, they each gained a partner in life and music. But Downing, an award-winning children’s entertainer, still plays her kids-captivating solo shows at schools, […]
Astral Plane: David Lasocki’s five-volume series about Astral Project
Springtime in Louisiana is high season for music pilgrims. Some can be identified by their tropical, festival branded shirts bedazzled with music-related pins from every town in Cajun country. Others […]
Slightly Risqué, But Never Vulgar: Maria Muldaur’s tribute to Blue Lu Barker
Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, first introduced Maria Muldaur to the frisky, risqué songs of New Orleans’ Blue Lu Barker. During sessions for the self-titled debut album that features Muldaur’s […]
Jimmy Breaux and Johnny Sonnier pay tribute to Aldus Roger
Besides Jazz Fest’s annual celebration of indigenous music and culture, one of the special things about it is that it pays homage to those who have influenced and shaped the […]
Missing the Rolling Stones? Here’s Keith Richards to ease the pain
The Rolling Stones broke up in 1986 during the recording of the album Dirty Work following a well-publicized feud between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Jagger went on to release […]
Don Marquis on “Bolden,” the Movie
“I think the movie [Bolden] accepted that Buddy Bolden was just a man,” says Don Marquis, the author of the New Orleans cornetist’s definitive biography, In Search of Buddy Bolden: […]
A Long Road to the Center: Amy Helm follows her father Levon
Amy Helm has been a notable artist in her own right for a couple of decades now, but when she performs there are times she can feel her late father, […]
What Does A New Orleans Music Industry Actually Mean?
We all want the New Orleans’ music scene to grow and prosper, which means that musicians make enough money to live at least a middle-class (if not better) lifestyle, and […]
Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez bring their history to the stage
The second-Saturday Jazz Fest appearance by Havana-born pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and percussionist Pedrito Martinez marks a visit by two of the most talented musicians in the world, in an unusual […]
Sympathy for Jazz Fest: Has the Fest lost the collective link to its identity?
The Rolling Stones have been a lightning rod for controversy throughout their career. During the 1960s the group’s management cultivated a dark image, the bad boy antithesis of the Beatles. […]
