As much as famous folks like Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. have burnished the city of New Orleans’ role in jazz, they didn’t do it by playing in the style that made the city famous. Enter Michael White You May Also Like: New Orleans at 300: In Search ofRead More
Percussionist Chris Jones leads a relentlessly groovy ensemble through a series of songs as rhythmic as they are spiritual on Mardi Gras Indian Funk, issued recently by Mardi Gras Records. For the uninitiated, “Old Black Johnny” details the history and passion of the Mardi Gras Indian tradition, in the personRead More
Zigaboo Modeliste discusses how his celebratory writing style has continued to grow, and why he never expected one of the Meters’ most memorable sides to see wide release.
“If there is a 13th wonder,” fellow Meters co-founder George Porter Jr. once said of Zigaboo Modeliste, “then he is it.”
by Fred Phillips For a guy that once told me in an interview that he couldn’t seem to make everyone happy with his mix of blues and rock, Kenny Wayne Shepherd has done pretty well for himself. You May Also Like: Jimmie Vaughan reached back for ’50s-style cool on PlaysRead More
Rebirth Brass Band comes out hotter than a pistol on “Shrimp and Gumbo,” another in the long line of lip-smacking New Orleans songs about food, yet there remains an underlying theme of musicianship. You May Also Like: Canadian Brass – ‘Canadiana’ (2022) Cha Wa, “All On A Mardi Gras Day”Read More
New Life arrived amidst much anticipation of something in keeping with drummer Zigaboo Modeliste’s mythically groovetastic tenure with the Meters. And, bless him, I got it. But that wasn’t all. Take the title track. “New Life” doesn’t mimic the expected grease-fire funk of his old band, so much as forcablyRead More
From the first honking strains of Roger Lewis’ sax on “The Treme Song,” amidst a howling group of happy singers led by David Montana and Fred Johnson Jr., the intentions of Treme Traditions are clear: Party. This album is like a street parade crammed inside of a shiny disc, courtesyRead More