Issue Articles
Kids Carry on New Orleans Music
Mother’s Day in May…Father’s Day in June… a family gathering for Independence Day—as summer rolls in, one’s family and the idea of family comes more clearly into focus. In New […]
Funky Butt Brass Band, Sugar Sugar Whomp Whomp (Independent)
Let’s be perfectly honest: there is little here to distinguish Sugar Sugar Whomp Whomp from most of the other funk and brass band recordings. However, that does not mean this […]
Jazz Fest Focus: Taj Mahal
Musician Taj Mahal’s long and celebrated career has taken him all over the world both physically and metaphorically. Born in Harlem and growing up in Western Massachusetts to musician parents, […]
Hildegard, Hildegard (Independent)
Hildegard, the new Sasha Masakowski/Cliff Hines led project, comes out of gigs at Gasa Gasa in a series Maskakowski organized called “Progression.” The songs have a lot of prog, as […]
The Melatauns, Knuckle Sandwich (Independent)
No band can cover the whole varied history of rock ‘n’ roll from current times back to the beginnings with Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, Elvis, and others. The Melatauns do […]
Jazz Fest Focus: Amanda Shires
Amanda Shires (Second Jazz Fest Weekend) Thursday, April 30, Fais Do-Do Stage, 4:25 p.m. When it comes to writing and music, Amanda Shires has many talents. She is a fine fiddle […]
What Fats Domino Means to New Orleans
Listen. You can hear Fats Domino everywhere in New Orleans, even in places where there is silence. There is something about his rhythms and melodies that are in the way […]
Nicholas Payton’s Box of Crayola
One of the many great things about Nicholas Payton is that he does not limit himself in his musical pursuits. Recently he has been heard onstage and on record with […]
Jon Batiste, Chad Smith & Bill Laswell, The Process (M.O.D. Technologies)
With its synthesis of rock, funk, fusion and hip hop, The Process is identifiable as a Bill Laswell project from the first notes. Bassist/producer Laswell has been making and remixing […]
Barbara Barnes Sims, The Next Elvis: Searching for Stardom at Sun Records (LSU Press)
The music business is a continual hustle. Label owners must always be looking for the next charting artist and next hit song. Barbara Barnes Sims saw this first hand when […]
