Music
Charlie and the Tropicales: Jump Up (Nu-Tone Recordings)
Jump Up, the new album from Charlie and the Tropicales, the pan-Caribbean band led by trombonist Charlie Halloran, starts off in the same vein as the group’s previous two albums, which mine the connections between various islands and the African diaspora from South America north to New Orleans.
Dr. John: Frankie & Johnny (Sundazed)
The discography of Mac Rebennack, better known as the inimitable, inscrutable piano and vocal icon Dr. John, is as mixed up as his life was reported to be, especially during his long period of addiction. On the heels of a press release from his estate highlighting the release of four albums since his death five years ago, comes a new collection, Frankie and Johnny.
The Rare Sounds: Introducing the Rare Sounds (Color Red)
The association between guitarist Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds and members of the Greyboy Allstars goes back to before his groundbreaking, Meters-inspired band even existed.
The Desert Nudes: Keep A-Movin’, Dan (Lazy Dan Records)
The cover of the debut recording from the Desert Nudes features three smiling gents in cowboy hats and promises “songs of hydration, vigor, horses and wide-open spaces.” The three cowpokes are André Bohren, David Pomerleau and John Paul Carmody, but it keeping with the tongue-in-cheek presentation all three have stage names beginning with “Danny.”
James Martin: From Here. (Independent)
Saxophonist and singer/songwriter James Martin’s latest release, From Here., opens with a piano riff right out of an old school New Orleans R&B sensibility.
The Colombian Connection: Jazz Fest celebrates Columbia with 17 bands.
The musicians will put a brilliant spotlight on the rich heritage of Colombia across most of the stages and inside the Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion. It is the largest celebration of a single country in the long history of the Jazz Fest’s annual cultural exchange. Here’s brief description of some of these great musicians and bands.
Forgotten Souls Honor Tradition and Memory
Ever since the jazzman Danny Barker returned to New Orleans in the mid-‘60s after a successful career in New York, the once-moribund brass band culture in his hometown has reinvented itself with each new generation of musicians. When Barker discovered there were very few young musicians playing the old songs in the old style, he almost singlehandedly was responsible for reviving the tradition with the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band.
Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers: The Age of Invention (Independent)
For anyone who has seen one of the infrequent performances by Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, the inherent joy of their live set includes a sense of mystery about the experience, the obvious pleasure the musicians take in playing together and the wide range of musical influences behind the group’s inventive sound.
Abdullah Ibrahim: 3 (Gearbox Records)
At 89 years old, the legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim has released a double album of live performances.
Adam Deitch Quartet: Roll the Tape (Golden Wolf Records)
Adam Deitch writes in his liner notes, “I’d like to thank all the drummers who have albums under their own names. Drummers are composers too, and the music in our heads must be heard.” His new album proves the point in droves.
