Music
The High Standards, The High Standards (Independent)
The High Standards released their self-titled debut in May 2022 consisting of New Orleans jazz standards and popular parlor songs. Much like expert artisans, the band and producers created a high-fidelity recording without losing the antique quality of the original. It stands as a testament to the timelessness of many classics of the early 1900s.
California Honeydrops, Soft Spot (Tubtone Records)
I’ve long had affection for the idea of the California Honeydrops for two reasons. Any band that does a good job of channeling the quintessential New Orleans groove is all right in my book. Secondly, the quintet has long used New Orleans percussionist Scott Messersmith as an auxiliary member on the road and in the studio.
Travis Matte and The Kingpins, Rockin the Town (Mhat Productions)
With its cover depicting a dance party of gyrating ’60s hipsters, one might initially think Matte is attempting to recycle his 2011 release Old School. While Old School was a reworking of rock ’n’ roll classics, Rockin the Town features eight Matte originals showcasing The Kingpins’ versatility that straddles various South Louisiana genres.
Marty Peters and the Party Meters, Big Easy Livin’ (Independent)
From the opening notes of Jelly Roll Morton’s classic “Milneburg Joys” on the new album from Marty Peters and the Party Meters you can tell this is not going to be a rehash of traditional jazz songs. Though I dig most of the bands playing on the scene today, sometimes it sounds as if they are interchangeable.
Nicholas Payton, The Couch Sessions (Smoke Sessions Records)
Nicholas Payton continues his quest to record with some of those jazz giants who he has long admired. On his 2021 album, Smoke Sessions, the title of which unusually duplicated the name of the label on which these meetings have been captured, he teamed with the great bassist Ron Carter.
Dave Jordan, Keep Going (Independent)
Singer songwriter Dave Jordan is back with another collection of stellar songs, which clearly establish him—for those who ever doubted—as one of the best lyricists on the scene today.
Serabee, Hummingbird Tea (Rabadash Records)
Though you’ve probably never heard of Serabee, she’s already had quite the career: in the early 2000s she had three major-label albums (under the name Sera Buras); two were produced by Gary Katz of Steely Dan fame and one track was co-produced by Peter Gabriel.
Meschiya Lake and the New Movement, Looking the World Over (Sungroove Records and Syncopation Society)
Instrumentalists are often praised for wearing many musical hats. Vocalists? Not so much. But over her many years in New Orleans, Meschiya Lake has played the chanteuse in duets with pianist Tom McDermott, led her own jumping trad jazz band, the Little Big Horns, sang harmonies with Tuba Skinny vocalist Erika Lewis in Magnolia Beacon and even ripped rock ’n’ roll as a backing vocalist with the Rough 7.
Dr. John, Things Happen That Way (Rounder Records)
Listening to Dr. John’s final, posthumously released studio album, Things Happen That Way, is a bittersweet experience. You get to hear more of his idiosyncratic voice and vocal phrasings as […]
Little Freddie King, Blues Medicine (Made Wright Records)
At 82, guitarist, vocalist and composer Little Freddie King likes to take his time with the blues. Though that’s long been his style stemming back from his Mississippi roots, he’s […]
