Music
Christian Scott, Anthem (Concord Jazz)
Anthem is a fierce album and a worthy follow-up to trumpeter Christian Scott’s widely hailed Rewind This. It’s such a mature album, both in Scott’s consummate playing and the worldliness […]
Fragile History
We know what New Orleans would be like without Angelo Brocato. For 13 months after the storm, it remained closed and there were no ices, no gelato and no fig […]
Dining Out: Shaggy’s
We are a nation united by our love of processed meat between a bun. At least that’s what I believed before a friend and I tore through the half-dozen different […]
Have Weber, Will Travel
Pableaux Johnson grew up in New Iberia, but he was never infected with a fever for the LSU Tigers. “It just wasn’t a big deal for me,” he says. “I’ve […]
Chef John Besh
This month, Restaurant August celebrates its fifth anniversary. During those years, John Besh, the restaurant’s chef and now owner, became one of the city’s most celebrated chefs and a rising […]
Backstage at Emeril’s
John Boutte walks onto the set of Emeril Live in New York City, tired and triumphant after a sold out show at Joe’s Pub the night before. Leonard “Doc” Gibbs, […]
Khalil El’Zabar’s Infinity Orchestra, Transmigration (Delmark Records)
The Infinity Orchestra’s concert in Bordeaux, France, captured on Transmigration must have been something to behold. Kahil El’Zabar, a mainstay of the Chicago avant-garde jazz scene, led a 39-member ensemble […]
Dining Out: Coco Hut
I found Coco Hut because of a shortcut. Heading to Jazz Fest, we cut down Bayou Road and, on a corner that I’d never noticed before, I saw a stand […]
David Murray Black Saint Quartet feat. Cassandra Wilson, Sacred Ground (Justin Time Records)
Decades ago David Murray played tenor sax like he was on the verge of combusting. Today, he’s a far more mainstream musician. It’s not that he’s lost his edge, but […]
A Snowball’s Chance
Snowball fans will defend their favorite with the ferocity usually reserved for sports teams and deities. One hot afternoon, three intrepid OffBeat staffers set off with a thirst for knowledge […]
