Issue Articles — Features
Travis “Trumpet Black” Hill is Back on Track
Travis “Trumpet Black” Hill, 29, performed at his first French Quarter Fest as a member of the Trombone Shorty Brass Band when the trumpeter was just eight years old. “I’ll […]
John Rankin’s Journey
“I have three jobs,” John Rankin says with a smile as he sits in his home off Bayou St. John surrounded by guitars and sheet music. “Teaching private lessons, teaching […]
The NOLA Jitterbugs Share the History of Dance
Nothing defines the joie-de-vivre of New Orleans so much as traditional jazz music, and nothing gives life to jazz like swing dancing. For the first time in French Quarter Fest […]
Mardi Gras Indians Gather on St. Joseph’s Day
As improbable as it might seem, the most significant date for the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indians apart from Carnival is March 19, St. Joseph’s Day. Come sundown on the […]
Student Poet Daisha Calliet Takes on Ferguson
Daisha Calliet, at age 15, has a vision far beyond her years. Calliet’s artwork illustrated this at the community-centered celebration of street art’s transformative energy, Exhibit BE, which held its […]
Ken Burns Brings Jazz Documentary to New Orleans
It’s been 14 years since Ken Burns’ controversial documentary Jazz aired on PBS, introducing a general audience to the history of swing music and positioning Louis Armstrong and his peers […]
Russian-Mafia Band Debauche Masters “Debaucheology”
At least one thing is certain with local Russian-mafia band Debauche: the members do not phone it in. Onstage at the release show for their new album, Songs from Underground, […]
The Zulu Mardi Gras Parade’s Coconut Lady is Hard at Work
In a former day care center just off Earhart Boulevard in Hollygrove, Sarah Barrow is happily watching paint dry. Her neighbor has built her a custom table with holes in […]
Talk that Music Talk: Passing Along New Orleans Music
In New Orleans, music, tradition and culture live and thrive in neighborhood communities, in the streets and among generations. Many people are aware of the important influences of artists like […]
Bead Dames of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is almost here, and the Dames de Perlage have been beading all year in preparation. The members of the all-women’s marching krewe embellish their signature corset pieces and […]
