September 2019
BackTalk
- Ken Burns talks back
In early August, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns was in full evangelist mode. Five weeks before the September 15 debut of Country…
Cover Story
- Raj Smoove, the greatest DJ in the world, takes on the New Orleans music industry
Raj Smoove has never had a “real job.” No summers mowing lawns, no part-time gig stocking shelves over the holidays, no…
Features
- Charlie Wooton: Music evolves if not it’s just gonna get stale
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the evolution of New Orleans music in the… - The First Graduate: Ailee Pardi likes the genre and the people
Ailee Pardi wasn’t living in Louisiana when the Cajun music bug bit. But it left a mark that she happily hopes…
Fresh
- Astral Project’s Tony Dagradi reveals his art work
Following decades of being a renowned jazz musician, saxophonist Tony Dagradi extended his artistic reach to visual art. In 2015, Dagradi,… - Siberia becomes Carnaval Lounge
Siberia has gone south to Brazil. The new owners of the St. Claude Avenue bar, restaurant and music venue have renamed… - SOUND CHECK: Five Questions with Tree Adams
Tree Adams transitioned from singer-guitarist in a jam band to prolific composer of film and TV scores. Since 2017, he’s scored… - Aunt Vicki’s ethereal folk-pop has an atmosphere of its own
Erin Campbell and Lee Dyer aren’t big on planning. Last summer, the two Michigan natives, who record and perform together as… - MY MUSIC: Carmela Rappazzo
“I was born in Albany but got out as soon as I could. I knew New York City was my thing…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor, September 2019: Doreen Ketchens, Art Neville & more
Doreen Ketchens Very talented! I had the opportunity to have her as a neighbor in the 6th Ward. Her mom had…
Mojo Mouth
- Mojo Mouth, September 2019: In Denial
A musician friend stopped by the office yesterday to drop off an album for review, and, as usual, we started talking about…
Obituaries
- Art Neville Memorial
Grief is not an emotion that invites comparisons. It is an overwhelming, supernatural sense of loss that is an essential part… - In Memoriam: Art Neville (1937 – 2019)
Arthur Lanon Neville—“Poppa Funk”—a keyboardist, New Orleans music icon and downright great individual, died July 22 after several years of declining…
OffBeat Eats
- Eat New: A dozen recommendations for new restaurant dining choices
The vibrant restaurant scene in New Orleans continues to expand with some truly exciting new dining options. Here’s a little taste.… - Not Fancy, Just Soulful: Deja Vieux food-truck park is a unique dining experience
Ross and Sharonda Baudy met in Katy, Texas. “I didn’t like him at first,” says Sharonda. Ross, who moved from Gentilly… - Love Affair: Why Caribbean food works in New Orleans
Edgar Caro did not fully understand his success until he rifled through his grandmother’s cookbooks. He had taken a risk, he…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Palm&Pine
At the open kitchen counter at Palm&Pine, sauté pans and sizzle plates sway to a rhythmic flow as chefs Amarys and…
Reviews
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, "The Traveler" (KWS/Concord)
It’s been nearly 25 years since Kenny Wayne Shepherd burst onto the music scene. In that time he has covered a… - Big 6 Brass Band, "Big Six" (Independent)
The Big 6 Brass Band is the sound of New Orleans streets today. The ensemble, which was founded in 2017, amazingly… - Extended, "Harbinger" (Origin Records)
Pianist Oscar Rossignoli, bassist Matt Booth and drummer Brad Webb make up the brilliant contemporary jazz trio, Extended. These talented, up-and-coming… - Santana, "Africa Speaks" (Concord)
In this 50th anniversary year of Carlos Santana’s star-making appearance at Woodstock, the Latin-rock maestro burns through his latest album. Featuring… - Mike Broussard & Nu'Edition Zydeko, "One Shot" (Independent)
Before launching Nu’Edition Zydeko in 2017, Mike Broussard spent years playing guitar and/or bass for Roy Carrier, Keith Frank, Lil’ Nate,… - Guitar Is Dead, "Tristan Gianola's Guitar is Dead" (Accretions)
This album is a giant “fuck you” on several levels at once, beginning with a shrieking rap-metal service industry anthem called… - Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues, "Roots and Branches: The Songs of Little Walter" (Alligator Records)
Little Walter, the master of the Hohner, was to the harmonica what Wayne Gretzky was to ice hockey, what Leonardo Da… - Amadee Castenell, "Amadee and His Driving Force" (Black Rose Records)
Veteran New Orleans master tenor saxophonist and flautist Amadee Castenell’s latest release, Amadee and His Driving Force, finds him and a… - Tony Dagradi, "Down Time" (Astral Music)
In the late 1980s, Tony Dagradi, who is most recognized blowing sax with Astral Project, played and recorded with the New… - U.S. Nero, "Why Don't They Cherish the Moon?" (Independent)
Hello friends! Do you have musical ADHD? Do you enjoy torturing/illuminating friends with such famously “difficult” classics as Captain Beefheart’s Trout… - New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, "The Music of Allen Toussaint" (Storyville Records)
In one of those games where you have to guess the name of a song after hearing several notes, the New… - John Boutté, "a 'well tempered' Boutté" (Independent)
Let’s face it: if an album of John Boutté singing (mostly) standards with a jazz trio had turned out to be…
