Issue Articles
Lawrence Sieberth
Composer, pianist and producer Lawrence Sieberth has appeared with an enormous number of musicians over the course of his 50-year career and has performed in virtually every setting, from appearing on television with Willie Nelson, to international festivals and intimate concert halls. Through it all, he has remained dedicated to new styles of music and working with new musicians.
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens rose to fame as one-third of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The groundbreaking Black string band revived African American folk music traditions, winning a Grammy Award in the process. As a member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and a Grammy-winning solo artist, Giddens also boldly reclaimed the banjo for Black folk musicians. The instrument previously was thought to almost exclusively belong to bluegrass and country music.
Nan Parati
When you walk into the Fair Grounds for Jazz Fest, you are greeted by a feast for the eyes. Colorful signs, banners and backdrops festoon the stages, and all the auxiliary areas like the food booths and crafts vendors. Nan Parati is the woman behind everything you see. And while she manages a big art department that installs all the signage, she personally handwrites about 3,000 signs every year, often on the fly if needed.
Michael Skinkus
The percussionist Michael Skinkus took the name for Moyuba, his sacred drum and song ensemble, from the Yoruba word meaning, “I pay homage to” or “I salute you.” He led the band performing the sanctified songs of the orisha since its beginnings as a trio that played for young audiences in the late 1990s.
Nell Simmons-Bradley
The star is rising for Nell Simmons-Bradley. For the first time, her name’s on the bill at Jazz Fest.
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic returns to New Orleans this year for the band’s nineteenth appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
River Eckert
River Eckert walks the line of a 16-year-old who has become an in-demand New Orleans pianist. “Prodigy” comes to mind for the sophomore at NOCCA. This Jazz Fest will be his third, with his first performance being at the end of eighth grade. He’s got his first album, self-titled, dropping right on time, and a fine line of luminaries are stamping him with their support.
Johnny Sansone
Johnny Sansone was born to play the blues. Schooled in saxophone by his dad, who played in Dave Brubeck’s band, he started wailing on harmonica and guitar at 10 and set his sights on becoming a bluesman when he was 12 after watching Howlin’ Wolf.
Craig Klein
“The notes that he played were always the most perfect ones, always perfect,” said Craig Klein in a phone interview when asked why he organized a tribute to fellow trombonist Waldren “Frog” Joseph. Klein went on to wax eloquently about one of his musical heroes in the same mix of reverence for the performer and deep knowledge of traditional jazz that he uses as a programmer on WWOZ radio.
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
Speaking from bone-chilling cold Chicago earlier this year, Lil’ Ed Williams said he was looking forward to the heat he’ll encounter when he returns to Louisiana for his eighth appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. “That’s going to be good for us,” the Windy City native said. “I love that good hot weather.”
