Music
Abdullah Ibrahim: 3 (Gearbox Records)
At 89 years old, the legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim has released a double album of live performances.
Donald Harrison: The Art of Passion (Ropeadope Records)
National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Donald Harrison, who was recently voted as New Orleans’ top saxophonist in OffBeat Magazine‘s annual Best of the Beat Awards, presents a three-cut […]
504icygrl & PoppyH: Rollin’ With The Krewe (EP) (Krewe Records)
Rollin’ With The Krewe is dropping just in time for Carnival season. The new EP from rap power couple 504icygrl & PoppyH brings New Orleans hip-hop in the context of Mardi Gras music. The cover by artist Hantwan Louis Alexander pops, same as the beats throughout, and makes it clear this is music for cutting up and strutting.
Travis Matte: Sound of the 1960’s Cajun Dance Halls (Mhat Productions)
The 1960s had to be an exciting time for Cajun music. Even though it hadn’t reached hipster status yet, its dancehalls were thriving, a scene held together by dedicated musicians keeping their precious cultural commodity from succumbing to the destructive onslaught of Americanization.
Dylan Aucoin and The Judice Ramblers: Dylan Aucoin and the Judice Ramblers (Swallow Records)
It must be an exciting time for Cajun music with all the emerging young guns carrying the cultural banner forward. Count 23-year-old Dylan Aucoin among that class. The talented accordionist has been fronting The Judice Ramblers since high school, not long after meeting soulmate and fiddler Luke Huval at a jam. When Aucoin landed his first gig, he dialed Huval immediately, and bam, the nucleus of the band was formed.
Adam Deitch Quartet: Roll the Tape (Golden Wolf Records)
Adam Deitch writes in his liner notes, “I’d like to thank all the drummers who have albums under their own names. Drummers are composers too, and the music in our heads must be heard.” His new album proves the point in droves.
Tom Andes: Those LA Nights (Independent)
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Tom Andes attracted attention two years ago with the release of his debut EP Static on Every Station and its buzzy REM-influenced title track.
Mikayla Braun: Drift (Independent)
Singer/songwriter Mikayla Braun has been working in the trenches of New Orleans music for over a decade, carving a place for herself and connecting with musicians in the tight-knit circle of players breaking out of the “New Orleans music” mold.
Peter Martin + Generation S: Peter Martin & Generation S (Open Studio Records)
Pianist Peter Martin has taken an innovative approach to his latest project.
Preston Frank & The Frank Family Band: Seventy-Five (Soulwood Records)
As time marches on, Preston Frank’s stock continues to rise as an icon of old-time Creole and Zydeco music. The septuagenarian accordionist and vocalist, a fourth-generation musician, is one of the last living links to traditional Creole music, where Creole and Cajun once broke communion together but have diverged in quantum leaps since then. Preston still performs regularly with his family band consisting of progeny Keith, guitar; Jennifer, bass; and Brad, drums; whom he mentored as kids decades ago when assembling the crew.
