December 2002
BackTalk
- John Prine
It was only in retrospect I realized I talked to John Prine on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of…
Bayou Boogie
- Buck Jumping
Last month, Paul “Li’l Buck” Sinegal left his home in Lafayette, Louisiana and boarded a plane to Europe. There were no…
Blues Hound
- Chris Thomas King's Strange New Song
Chris Thomas King is probably the most misunderstood figure in contemporary blues. He is born to the tradition of the blues,…
Cover Story
- Fredy Omar: The Latin King of Frenchmen Street
Since Leaving His Honduran Homeland A Decade Ago, Singer Fredy Omar Has Emerged As the Latin King of Frenchmen Street, the…
Dis 'n' Dat
- The Million Dollar Christmas Gift
It’s a dream come true. You’re a rock star! The record company is advancing you one million dollars to blow on…
Features
- The 2002 OffBeat Want List
THE WISH / WANT LIST 2002 The premise of the Wish List was about as simple as it gets: OffBeat’s editors… - What's Next With Neal Evans of Soulive?
In the past several years groove peddlers Soulive have taken their bangin’ brand of soul-jazz from the tiny Velour Records label… - O Latino, Where Art Thou?: Latin Music from Frenchmen Street to Jefferson Parish
I’ve often heard it said that rather than being an American city, New Orleans is closer in nature to a port… - Masters of Louisiana Music: Johnny Adams
In New Orleans, vocalist Johnny Adams—arguably the city’s most prolific recording artist—was referred to as “The Tan Canary,” “The Songbird of…
Feed Me Something, Mister
- Po-Boys for Poor Boys
When is a po-boy not a po-boy? When you’d have to shop at Whole Foods to find its ingredients, when you…
Jazzin'
- One Peaceful Sunday
When saxophonists Kidd Jordan and Fred Anderson, drummer Hamid Drake and bassist William Parker exploded on stages at the University of…
Letters
- Letters December 2002
FORGOTTEN CONTRABAND Music and the live music experience is a collective experience shared by the band, the fans, and the venue.…
Live Wire
- Widespread Panic, UNO Lakefront Arena, October 31, 2002
- Aerosmith and Stone Temple Pilots, New Orleans Arena, October 24, 2002
- Don Rich, Bridge City Gumbo Festival, October 27, 2002
- Love That Domino!
- Yohimbe Brothers, Tipitina's, November 9, 2002
- Stereo Total, Soviet, DJ Pasta, Howlin' Wolf, November 6, 2002
Mojo Mouth
- Party 'Til You Drop
Times are tough, almost everybody’s poorer than they were last year, and by the time this issue hits the street, we…
St. Rock
- Occupational Hazard
Sharon Heather teaches fifth and sixth grade. “She’s like ‘Hot for Teacher,’” Jennifer Kirtlan laughs, but Heather won’t be teaching much…
Urban Legends
- Hip Hop Horticulture: Black Lilly
The rise of the Dirty South in the ’90s proved once again that hip-hop is a unique kind of cultural phenomenon:…
Reviews
- Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (Savoy)
It’s often difficult for those interested in testing jazz waters to know where to begin. The choices are overwhelming, especially for… - Les Kerr, Christmas on the Coast (O.N.U. Records)
One of the great things about Christmas is the homespun familiarity of it all; just when you think you’re finally on… - Sullivan Dabney and his Muzik Jazz Band, Swinging in Christmas, Volume 1: All That Jazz New Orleans Style (Independent)
There’s a smile in Sullivan Dabney’s voice and the swing of jazz in the combo’s attitude on the opener “Winter Wonderland.”… - Brieze, CG III (Independent)
- Joe Pass, Meditation (Pablo/Fantasy)
- Charlie Christian, The Genius of the Electric Guitar (Columbia/Legacy)
- Bernie Alan, Blue Eyed Zydeco (Bad Weather Records)
- Michael Houser, Door Harp (Sanctuary)
- Alfie Fraction, Face 2 Face Lie (Mardi Gras Records)
- Various Artists, New Orleans Gospel Quartets 1947-1956 (504 Records)
- Glorybee, Domain of Snakes (Independent)
- Joshua Stewart, Jazz Prodigy (DuBat Music)
- Cannonball Adderley, Radio Nights (Hyena Records)
- Don Rich, Come Back To Me (Jin Records)
- The Dee Jays, Collins On The Rocks (Lyons Productions)
- Rusty and Doug Kershaw, Greatest Hits (Varese Serbande)
- Kenneth Hagans, A New Day (Champion)
- Various Artists, Savoy 60th Anniversary - Timeless (Savoy)
It’s often difficult for those interested in testing jazz waters to know where to begin. The choices are overwhelming, especially for… - The Motet, Live (Harmonized)
- Junior Melancon and the Come Down Playboys, Dis Is Me (Acadiana Records)
- Various Artists, A History of Garage and Frat Bands in Memphis 1960-1975, Volumes 1 & 2 (Shangri-La)
- James Black, (I Need) Altitude, (Night Train)
- Magic Slim & The Teardrops, Blue Magic (Blind Pig Records)
- Magic Sam, Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Delmark)
- Smoky Greenwell, Smokin' Christmas (Greenwell Records)
- Adam Hebert, The Essential Adam Hebert Cajun Music Collection: Swallow Cajun Pioneer Series, Volume 5 (Swallow Records)
Like the Bay Area’s Arhoolie Records, the beauty of Ville Platte’s Swallow Records lies not in which upshot they’ll unveil next… - Various Artists: Pazfest: New Orleans Tribute To Joni Mitchell at the Howlin' Wolf (Independent)
- Natalie MacMaster, Live (Rounder)
- Rock City Morgue, Some Ghouls (Independent)
- Walter Jr., Bottom Roux Epistle (Duck Tape)
- The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band, The Best of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band (Arhoolie Records)
- Barry Goldberg, Stoned Again (Antone's/Texas Music Group)
- Prima, Less than Primo
- Various Artists, The Rough Guide to Gospel (World Music Network)
Not only does The Rough Guide series publish travel and music guides, but they also create vast world music compilation CDs… - Kenny Kleinpeter, Heart of the Castle (Independent)
- Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers, The Complete Speciality Recordings (Speciality/Fantasy Records)
- Honeypot, Aquasox (Four Cats/Radionic)
Listening to Honeypot’s CD Aquasox is like watching a decent band play their first show. They’re just warming up during the… - Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, The Bridge (Relaxed)
In a previous Fest Focus interview with Karl Denson that appeared in this magazine in May 2002, Karl remarked that on… - Ellis Marsalis, May Your Christmas Be Bright: Jazz at Christmas in New Orleans (ELM)
This is a Christmas album that celebrates the season with genuine spirit and substance. When pianist Ellis Marsalis vibrantly transforms familiar… - Joe Louis Walker, Pasas Tiempo (Evidence)
Soul-blues guitarist Joe Louis Walker is nothing if not eclectic—by the time he was 30, he’d already staked out more musical… - Luther Allison and Friends, Pay It Forward (Ruf Records)
- Bingo!, Bingo! (Independent)
Clint Maedgen describes his Bingo! debut as “carntry” music—a little country and a little carnival. As colorful as this description may… - Betty Shirley with the Chuck Chaplin Trio, Betty Shirley Sings (Independent)
I guess you can chalk it up to pure energy that this album’s first cut, “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,”… - Liese's Living Room, What Already? (Independent)
Putting your most straightforward song first on your CD is not always the best idea, as this gently engaging little five-song… - Naked On The Floor, Naked On The Floor (Valid Records)
SHED YOUR CLOTHES, SHED YOUR INTOLERANCE, AND GET NAKED WITH JONATHAN FREILICH Naked On The Floor, as opposed to his…
