Music
Nick Sanders Trio, Nameless Neighbors (Sunnyside Records)
Pianist Nick Sanders’ classical training is evident on Nameless Neighbors, his debut album on the prestigious Sunnyside Records label. Sanders and his trio with bassist Henry Fraser and drummer Connor […]
Various Artists, Let Me Play This For You: Rare Cajun Recordings (Tompkins Square Records)
Gotta sing high, if you want to sing out over those accordions. Conventional wisdom. But some people are unconventional, one way or another. Angelas LeJeune (great-uncle to Iry, great-great-uncle to […]
Strange Roux, Boogieman (Total Riot Records)
The boogieman, Wikipedia tells us, exists in various forms around the world, known as Sack Man, El Coco, Babau, Butzemann, Bala, and many other names. For Strange Roux, it’s cause […]
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, That’s It! (Sony Legacy)
Ever since they covered a Kinks song (granted, a Kinks song already steeped in New Orleans jazz) on ’07s Hurricane Sessions collection, it’s been clear that the Preservation Hall Jazz […]
Settly & the Disappointments: Part of a Moment (Independent)
My eyes went up when I saw this band’s bio namechecks Glenn Tilbrook and Peter Holsapple, to these ears two of pop songwriting’s all-stars (frontman Settly has done production work […]
Next Generation Big Band, Harold Battiste Presents: The Next Generation Big Band (AFO Records)
Any time that local musicians get projects released of some of the rarely recorded New Orleans music, it is something to be celebrated. Jesse McBride has been working on making […]
Chris Belleau, Knee Deep in the Blues (Independent)
Before releasing his first record in a decade, Chris Belleau last popped up in the Baton Rouge-based Zydeco Hounds that, as time went on, had less to do with zydeco […]
Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher, Louie’s Dream: For Our Jazz Heroes (Yamin Music)
In some jazz circles, the term “trad” sometimes gets a bad rap—like a fusty pop equivalent of the “historically informed performances” of the classical scene. Of course, New Orleans music […]
Rex Gregory, Rocket Summer (Independent)
Rex Gregory’s latest release, Rocket Summer, exhibits maturation in his playing, his writing, and his band. This is a jazz record that gives reference and nods to the past while […]
Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Russell Batiste, Soul Understanding (Independent)
On their third outing, the trio of Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, and Russell Batiste, Jr. continue their tradition of solid, if somewhat generic, funk played with an easy authority. […]
