Issue Articles — Features
Piano-1-O-Fun! The social music of Jon Batiste
JON BATISTE & STAY HUMAN: SATURDAY, APRIL 29—ACURA STAGE, 3:25 P.M. “It’s like a day job except with instruments,” says a laughing Jon Batiste of his high-profile position as […]
Hot Horns: Trumpet Mafia upholds the tradition of the trumpet
TRUMPET MAFIA: FRIDAY, APRIL 28—WWOZ JAZZ TENT, 1:40 P.M. “We grow up hearing that trumpeters blew down the walls of Jericho, that Gabriel’s trumpet announces the will of God…” […]
Love for the City: William Bell returns to New Orleans
WILLIAM BELL: FRIDAY, MAY 5—BLUES TENT, 4:10 P.M. For someone who never crossed over to lasting pop success in his day, William Bell has nevertheless had a deep and […]
Life Is a Rap Cabaret: Boyfriend celebrates self-awareness and self-acceptance
BOYFRIEND: SUNDAY, APRIL 30—GENTILLY STAGE, 12:45 P.M. When Beyoncé’s Lemonade came out, Boyfriend—New Orleans’ bespectacled, lingerie, robe and hair rollers–clad “rap cabaret” artist—overheard a conversation about the groundbreaking album […]
Rhythm & Rhymes: The sky’s the limit with Nas and the Soul Rebels
NAS WITH GUESTS THE SOUL REBELS: FRIDAY, APRIL 28—CONGO SQUARE STAGE, 5:30 P.M. When New Orleans’ own Soul Rebels aren’t holding it down at their steady Thursday night Le […]
If It Makes You Happy: The Revelers are never going to be a pop band
THE REVELERS: SUNDAY, APRIL 30—FAIS DO-DO STAGE, 2:50 P.M. Legend has it that the Revelers began when the ghost of C.C. Adcock appeared to drummer Glenn Fields in the […]
BAM, BAM! Nicholas Payton’s musical journey through the African diaspora
At this year’s Jazz Fest set, don’t expect trumpeter/keyboardist Nicholas Payton to play the classic jazz that in 1997 won him a Grammy for his album with legendary trumpeter Doc […]
Soulful Tenor: Charlie Gabriel and Friends debuts at Jazz Fest
CHARLIE GABRIEL AND FRIENDS: THURSDAY, MAY 4—ECONOMY HALL STAGE, 2:55 P.M. On a recent Tuesday evening in March, a teenage girl squeezed herself into a spot on the floor […]
Preservation Propagation: Preservation Hall Jazz Band has left the museum behind
If there’s one thing you don’t expect to see at Preservation Hall, it’s David Bowie—hundreds of David Bowies in fact, in every incarnation from Ziggy Stardust on up to Lazarus. […]
High Fidelity: Bill Summers on Herbie Hancock’s 1973 Head Hunters
Percussionist/ethnomusicologist Bill Summers played a key role in shaping Herbie Hancock’s 1973 groundbreaking and platinum-selling Head Hunters record. Here, he reveals how “Watermelon Man” came about. “I found a job […]
