January 2002
BackTalk
- Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit is the hottest new entry to today’s already sizzling vocal jazz scene. With remarkable speed, the 24-year-old Long Island…
Bayou Boogie
- S.S. Zydeco
All my worldly possessions will soon be for sale on eBay. (Expect a delay. Cataloging my James Brown collection will take…
Bluesworthy
- Blues With A Bullet
The National Blues Association is an organization founded in 1998 by blues professionals looking to expand the marketplace for blues. And…
Cover Story
- There's Something About Harry
Harry Connick, Jr., is beginning to sound a bit like fellow New Orleans jazz superstar Wynton Marsalis. No, not in his…
Dis 'n' Dat
- Soul Brother
Around 1978, before there was Fatboy Slim or Slim Shady and a bit after the heyday of Guitar Slim and Memphis…
Features
- Masters of Louisiana Music: Iry LeJeune
Born: October 28, 1928 Pointe Noire, LA Died: October 8, 1955 Eunice, LA Immortal Southwest Louisiana musician Iry LeJeune was,… - The Best Louisiana CDs of 2001
Culled from over 300 Louisiana releases, our Critics’ Choice of 2001 were a joint effort of OffBeat’s editors and writers. It… - New Orleans' Next Mayor Faces The Music
What can the next mayor do to improve the New Orleans music scene? We polled a selection of music-loving citizens and,…
Feed Me Something, Mister
- The Little Dishes' Place
Let’s channel our cruel, stupid days as schoolchildren for a moment and that timelessly juvenile tradition of “your mother. . .”…
Kickin' It Live
- Jazz Daredevils
I am still reeling at the incredible amount of excellent jazz I’ve heard in the last several weeks. This bombardment derives…
Letters
- Letters January 2002
RELATIVELY INEFFECTUAL ENDEAVORS Thanks again for your tireless work promoting Louisiana music and your courageous efforts fighting the injustices of the…
Live Wire
Mojo Mouth
- Keeping It Real
By the time you read this, local musicians and music businesses will have submitted their nominations for the best music in…
St. Rock
- St. Rock: The Name Game
No matter how intriguing they are, I rarely ask bands about their names. Here’s why: “Our original drummer was in a…
Reviews
- Mississippi Fred McDowell, The Best of Mississippi Fred McDowell (Arhoolie)
- Various Artists, Shreveport High Steppers (Ace)
Fifth in a series that began with the landmark Shreveport Stomp compilation, Ace continues their outstanding job in going through the… - Various Artists, Goin' Down to Louisiana
- Various Artists, Blind Pig Records 25th Anniversary Collection (Blind Pig)
Every other blues/roots label from MCA/Chess to Arhoolie is celebrating some kind of anniversary or birthday (I don’t remember Excello or… - Loudon Wainwright III, Last Man on Earth (Red House Records)
Though recorded before September 11, Loudon Wainwright III’s new record seems to have an eerie relationship with the dreadful day. The… - Ken Watters Group, Southern Exposure (Summit Records)
Ken Watters has performed with some stellar names of the musical universe, including Frank Sinatra, Marc Anthony, Ramsey Lewis and Brian… - Jane Bunnett, Alma de Santiago (Blue Note)
Already recognized as an innovative jazz saxophonist and flautist, Jane Bunnett furthered her renown when she immersed herself in Afro-Cuban music.… - Wynonie Harris, Rockin' The Blues (Proper Records)
Local blues shouter Clarence Samuels recently recalled that whenever his contemporary Wynonie Harris was in town he avoided crossing his path,… - Kenny Kleinpeter, Louisiana Odyssey (KM)
Kenny Kleinpeter is the scion of the prominent Baton Rouge/River Parishes dairy family who, apparently, walked away from a lucrative corporate… - Amerigo: The Music for the Furniture (Independent)
The Accidental Darlings—formerly the Violet Era—have two things really going for them: 1) Misty Belmonte has good rock star presence on… - The Accidental Darlings, The Accidental Darlings (Independent)
The Accidental Darlings—formerly the Violet Era—have two things really going for them: 1) Misty Belmonte has good rock star presence on… - Jai Alai, The Division EP (Superultramega)
Anyone who’s recently seen local indie popsters Jai Alai play live will notice that the complexity of their sound has intensified… - Dead Hand System, Project Darwin (Independent)
Last year, Dead Hand System circulated demo versions of Project Darwin. Recently, they finished re-recording more fully realized versions of their… - Stacey Kent, Dreamsville (Candid/Artists Only! Records)
In her adopted home of England, New Yorker Stacey Kent has been wildly popular since her first record, Close Your Eyes,… - Jay Farrar, Sebastopol (Artemis Records)
There are some great moments on Sebastopol, the first solo album from former Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar, just not enough… - Guitar Shorty, I Go Wild! (Evidence)
Upon reading the liner notes on Shorty’s latest—with references to “taking the blues world by storm,” “powerful and stunning,” and “full… - Dave Badie, The Court Jazzster (Independent)
Dave Badie is being touted as “the man who outsold Erykah Badu.” At this past summer’s Essence Festival, the smooth grooves… - Various Artists, Putumayo Presents Colombia (Putumayo)
It’s ironic but interesting trivia nonetheless. Putumayo, a record label christened after a Colombian river valley, had never released a collection… - The Creole Zydeco Farmers, One More Time (J&S Records)
If you caught the Creole Zydeco Farmers throwin’ it down at Jazz Fest, you’ve probably got wind that they’re simply a… - Cubanismo, The Very Best of…Mucho Gusto! (Hannibal/Rykodisc)
One of the oddest developments in the record industry is the “Greatest Hits” package. Musical artists release their first album, then… - Dave Frishberg, Looking Good (Concord Records)
Songwriter/pianist/vocalist Dave Frishberg is not the household name he should be, even in jazz households. The list of vocalists covering his… - Richard Bona, Reverence (Columbia)
Take more or less equal parts traditional African storytelling, catchy pop hooks, a deep jazz sensibility, virtuoso musicianship, and a voice… - Pott Folse, Sitting On The Front Porch (Jin Records)
Way back when cars were heavy metal, only GI’s wore tattoos and shag carpeting was considered en vogue, there were more… - Brian Perry, Birmingham (First Go Round)
Beware the press kit. When Brian Perry’s last CD, Intentionally, was released, I was quoted in these pages as saying that… - Steve Grisaffe, Current Status (Ralph Records)
It’s never easy being a hat act, especially considering the temperamental mood swings of Nashville’s impersonal machinery. Just ask Steve Grisaffe… - The Proud Marys, Clever Combination (Independent)
On Clever Combination, the Proud Marys are concerned about communication. In song after song, singer/primary songwriter Whitney Ann McCray is anxious… - Charlo, She Walks By All Dressed in White (Jin)
Last year marked the emergence of swamp poppers the Sensations who hit the ground running with their debut That Feeling Again… - Johnny Winter, Lone Star Shootout (Fuel 2000)
There’s a long list of ways in which John Dawson Winter III—Johnny to you—has challenged the conventional wisdom of the record-buying… - Lumark Gulley, Printilla (Continuum)
Drummer Lumark Gulley presently lives in Dallas though his connections to Louisiana, and Baton Rouge in particular, are many as is… - Crosscut, Destination Anywhere (CSP Records)
Crosscut is a Dallas-based group with deep musical roots in the Bayou State. Swamp pop is their primary musical progenitor. The… - Zachary Richard, Coeur Fidele (Audiogram)
Though some Zachary Richard devotees may proclaim the lanky Cajun’s 1995 masterpiece Cap Enragé as one of their desert island discs… - Michael Juan Nunez, Michael Juan Nunez (Parish Line Records)
Blues music has always emitted inexplicable healing powers among its purveyors and devotees. When Michael Juan Nunez of Lafayette’s rock monsters… - Lightning Hopkins, The Best of Lightning Hopkins (Arhoolie Records)
- Mississippi Fred McDowell, "I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll" (Fuel 2000)
- Various Artists, Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute (Lost Highway Records)
- Various Artists, Pure Swamp Pop Gold Vol. 1 (CSP Records)
Swamp pop might well be referred to as South Louisiana’s “other music” as it generally takes a back seat to Cajun… - Choppa, Choppa Style (Take Fo' Records)
Just like in jazz, hip-hop is all about flow. And like jazz in its heyday, rap demands that you be able… - MuleBone, Only In New Orleans (Independent)
When I was a kid, growing up in Metairie, everybody was in a rock band. Although we admired the black rhythm…
