Music
Joe Boyd: And the Rhythm Remains: A Journey Through Global Music (ZE Books)
Now along comes Joe Boyd’s And the Rhythm Remains: A Journey Through Global Music, which accomplishes the same feat, but covers so much more ground. At over 800 pages, this nearly two-inch thick book is over twice the length of Sublette’s tome. It is a whopper in every sense of the word.
Los Tremolo Kings: Los Tremolo Kings (Kaleidoscope World Records)
Several months back I made a special trip to Casa Borrega to hear Los Tremolo Kings perform for the first time. The band, which is led by local guitar celebrity Phil the Tremolo King, features Doug Garrison and Rene Coman—a tight rhythm section seemingly versed in all styles including their longtime role holding down the groove in the Iguanas.
Mario Abney: Right Now (Independent)
Trumpeter Mario Abney had a successful stint in New Orleans beginning in 2008; playing with numerous local and nationally known artists, leading his own band, the Abney Effect and garnering critical attention (including several articles in OffBeat) for his bright tone, creative compositions and philosophical approach to jazz.
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.
