INTOXICATED
Congratulations on a truly intoxicating Jazz Fest issue. Your recipe was righteous: Add equal parts pride and passion. Shake with consummate professionalism and a whole lotta rhythm ‘n’ soul. Stir with the possibility of salvation and/or the promise of redemption. Garnish with two big, black umbrellas, way up. Yields: the magical mysteries of the Spirit World. Serves: true believers only.
(Delicately constructed crawfish puffs swimming in burnished roux, and bread pudding in white chocolate sauce, optional.).
—Leo Sacks, Honey Darling Records, New York, NY
PUPPET SHOW
I am a long time OffBeat reader and subscriber. My family and I just got back from New Orleans.
What a great time again this year at the French Quarter Festival. I question the locals and French Quarter Festival (out of towners like myself). I’ve been going down to New Orleans for almost 15 years. On Saturday night (April 17) I saw one of the best club shows I’ve ever seen in New Orleans. My question was: Where were the music fans of New Orleans R&B? The show was Eddie Bo at his club Check Your Bucket. Eddie was backed by Jimmy “Bean” Ballero on guitar and a great drummer named Duane. Eddie and his band tore it down. Unfortunately only a handful of people stopped by.
The only other disappointment was seeing the “Puppet Guy” way out by the casino. The “Puppet Guy” (the one with the musician puppets who was right inside the French Quarter Festival last year) told me that he wasn’t allowed to be there this year.
Fortunately my family and I stumbled on him and were able to check out his show. I’m not sure what was better, watching him or the great reactions he gets from people in his audience.
Special thanks to all the artists that took the time to talk to my kids and sign autographs for them (Kermit, Irvin, Shorty, Uncle Lionel, Mr. Marsalis, etc.).
—Greg “Doc” Lefebre, Rochester, NY
WHERE’S THE CENTERFOLD?
OffBeat’s cover and pictures of Theresa Andersson were the cheesecake of all times. I always considered OffBeat to be an alternative magazine, with good taste, articles about the music, culture and heritage of New Orleans, but it has stooped to really new lows doing Pretty In Pink pop tart, Britney et al. images.
Recently, Wynton Marsalis graced your cover, tastefully. Why is it that women are usually represented in sexually provocative poses? Theresa has the talent, the article was informative, yet she wants to present another “image.” But why must OffBeat give in and encourage more sexist images? We get enough of that in the regular media. That spread just went too far. The only thing missing was the centerfold.
—Sandy Lenney, New Orleans, LA
Actually, we wanted Wynton Marsalis to pose topless for our cover, as did his friend Irvin Mayfield. However, Wynton declined on the basis of his abs.—Ed.
SIN, SLEAZE AND MUSIC
Upon arriving in New Orleans from the Northeast in 1995, thanks to OffBeat Magazine, Gambit, and Ernie Vincent of the Top Notes, I have had a good, liberal education in the music that makes this city unique.
But… letters, reader feedback, April 2004 edition, reader Frank Luppino of Glenview, IL laments low taste of your covers. Ha! Theresa Andersson on April 2004 cover looks more like a stripper on Bourbon Street than a musician. Editor’s remark to Lupino’s letter, “while the notion may come as a surprise to some, the idea that New Orleans is a bastion of sin and sleaze has been widespread since Mark Twain’s first visits to the city in the 1850s.”
Now… you [Jan Ramsey] in your editorial in the same issue suggest, “we [actually, city and state tourism officials] change the image of New Orleans as a drunken, show-your-tits party-down city to a city where the love of music and our unique heritage is treasured, promoted, touted, and marketed for the good of everyone here.”
Nice words Jan, but everyone on your publication should be on the same page. All should be positive about the city’s image. Portray the good. Don’t dig up the sordid past from the 1850s or 1950s!
—Larry Simon, Metairie, LA
Our editorial encouraged city and state tourism officials to develop a campaign around music on an ongoing basis to promote a different image and hopefully attract a different sort of tourist. We believe that sin, sleaze and music can coexist. As for Theresa Andersson, she looks exactly like a rock star should look.—Ed.
HEY JUDE
I just read my first issue of OffBeat and it didn’t hurt like Mom said it would…
But seriously. I was very impressed with Jude Matthews’ review of SXSW. It’s not often you find someone so open minded writing for a genre based magazine. His take on experiencing new music was refreshing to say the least. Most other writers would’ve probably mocked what they didn’t understand, but Jude embraced it.
—Jeff Kent, New York, NY
BRIGHT EYES
Jazz Fest bright moments:
Smokey Robinson: Brought out the sunshine on a cloudy day and tears to the eyes with his perfect poetry.
Supagroup: Comedy does belong in music and some riff-snortin’ rawk doesn’t hurt either.
Don Vappie’s grandson belting out “The Peanut Vendor.”
Bingo! makes the transition from cabaret to the festival stage… Arena rock beckons!
Dark Hours: Ponderosa Stomp.
Beatle Bob: Refused to give a quadriplegic a peek at the glorious Hi rhythm section because his spot at the lip of the stage is sacred. He really does dance to the beat of a different drummer… Unfortunately it’s never the one on stage.
—Bill Bowman, New Orleans, LA
HAPPINESS
Wardell Quezergue and I would like to thank Robert Fontenot for his perceptive review of our CD project Will Porter…Happy, and OffBeat for prominently featuring it.
We’d like to acknowledge some important points not mentioned. Most of the instrumental work was done by the rhythm section, (some say NOLA’s best), Bunchy Johnson, drums; Thaddeus Richard, keyboards; Todd Duke, guitar; and Brian Quezergue, bass. Leo Nocentelli plays all three guitar tracks on “I Thought You Were The Right One,” and joins Duke on “Sweet Maybe” and “Like A Circle.” The horns were led by Mic Gillette (of Tower of Power horns) and include my other regulars Tom Poole, Johnny Bamont, and Dave Stone (currently on loan to Etta James and Howard Tate). The rhythm, strings and vocals were cut and mixed at Sound Services in New Orleans, and CD was mastered by the only person to win a Grammy for mastering (for Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?) Gavin Larssen (in Hollywood).
—Will Porter, San Francisco, CA
LENNY’S A FAVE
Thanks for your “Not At The Fest” in the Weekly Beat. Lenny McDaniel is a perennial favorite of mine—I even wrote about him in the Times-Picayune back in the early ’90s. It’s great to let the out-of-town people know about some of the other worthy artists playing in town.
—Spike Perkins, New Orleans, LA
JUST THE FACTS
After The Fact is not the ska band from up north [as reported in OffBeat’s A-Z] but a Slidell, Louisiana based band that plays a wide variety of covers, top 40, R&B, rock, soul, country and blues in the surrounding area. Any corrections would be appreciated at this time. Thank you.
—Ronnie Smallwood, After The Fact, Slidell, LA
MORE THAN FAIR
I would like to thank OffBeat Magazine and Robert Fontenot, in particular, for reviewing my CD Still Alive And Kicking, in your April issue. But I must take issue with the suggestion that my music career has consisted entirely of playing in Bourbon Street cover bands.
As a drummer I have done extensive session work, recorded with multiple projects, taught and done clinics and toured with at least one major label act.
I had two self-produced albums released in Europe with BB and the Stingers, a band I was a drummer with for 8 years, and I also owned and helped operate Butterfield’s Recording in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Other than that, I think Robert Fontenot’s review was more than fair, and I am grateful he took the time to listen to the CD, although I would like to acknowledge and thank the vocalists who did a great job and who were not mentioned: David Jennings and Mark Arrowood from Poster Child, Beth Patterson (who also played bouzouki), Dorian Rush and Scooter Thompson, Miss Maggie Havenstrite, Mark Penton and Brian Dean.
I look forward to your review of Poster Child’s next CD, and I would be honored if Mr. Fontenot deigns to write it, since his critiques are honest and thoughtful.
—Bobby Butterfield, New Orleans, LA