Issue Articles
The Bands Played On
Not even a hurricane can stop music in New Orleans, though it took some work to bring it back. Music is the food of life in New Orleans, as ubiquitous […]
Branford Marsalis, Braggtown (Marsalis Music)
Jazz instrumentalists must forge a compromise between the demands of the audience and the siren call of their muse. The two most famous Marsalis brothers offer an illustration of this […]
Popa Chubby, Stealing The Devil’s Guitar (Blind Pig)
Somehow The White Stripes made it possible for this white kid duo’s dense mixture of ragged, echoing guitar tones and trance drumming to reach the mainstream rock audience their mentor […]
Rory Block, The Lady and Mr. Johnson (Ryko)
Many Robert Johnson tributes have come and gone (Who could forget the controversy Eric Clapton’s stirred in these very pages?) but this is a novel and refreshing take. Block, long […]
Willie “”Big Eyes”” Smith, Way Back (Hightone)
This one really stands out from the glut of former-sidemen-as-leaders blues releases. Smith, longtime drummer in some of Muddy Waters’ greatest bands and the harmonica player on Bo Diddley’s “Diddy […]
Gov’t Mule, High and Mighty (ATO)
Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Warren Haynes has the conceptual vision of a group leader and the self-effacing humility of a consummate sideman. These seemingly contradictory qualities enabled Haynes to breath new creative life […]
Unreleased Armstrong at Satchmo Summerfest
Fifty years ago Louis Armstrong was at the peak of his popularity. On May 25, 1956, Armstrong played to a crowd of more than 100,000 in Ghana, one of the […]
King Curtis, Live at the Filmore West (Atlantic/Rhino)
This is Aretha Franklin at her absolute peak fronting a supercharged band led by King Curtis and featuring the Memphis Horns with special guests Ray Charles and Billy Preston. The […]
Aretha Franklin, Live at the Filmore West (Atlantic/ Rhino)
This is Aretha Franklin at her absolute peak fronting a supercharged band led by King Curtis and featuring the Memphis Horns with special guests Ray Charles and Billy Preston. The […]
