This article about the life and work of Ricky Riccardi was from exactly a year ago. I don’t think the term “disciple” is appropriate — it’s more the keeper of the flame and musical scholar — and as fate would have there is no better person to do it. I’ll be seeing Ricky at the…
A clear case of misguided hyperbole. Come on — as much as I respect the good Dr. he ain’t in Pops’ league — nobody is! Dr. John will help close out the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell on Sunday with a tribute to a New Orleans legend just as renowned as he…
Call for papers aestheticscollective intentionalitycomplexitycosmos & taxisExtended MindJazzrationalismsituated cognitionsocial epistemologysocial philosophySpontaneous orderStigmergyWynton Marsalis
When the ever ebullient Kermit says “we partyin’” he means it. This is a wonderful upbeat, warm and affectionate selection of mostly classics without ever falling into cliched kitsch — always with a nod and a wink in the direction of the boss man Louis Armstrong. His band is really smokin’ and the guest vocalist…
This is a rerelease and though not of the calibre of the Classified rerelease it is a worthy supplement to the latter. Indeed a “must have” for a Booker fan — no throw aways or filler here. Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Bookerbluesboogie woogieClassical musicJames BookerJazzmusicnew orleanspiano
The BBC recently discovered a half-hour BBC Radio 4 interview with Louis Armstrong from 1968 (The story in The Guardian). Armstrong’s desert island records are: Blueberry Hill — Louis Armstrong Mack the Knife — Louis Armstrong People — Barbra Streisand Bye Bye Blues — Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians Bess, You Is My Woman…
Controversial view expressed in Offbeat Magazine. There is much to say for this view but I can think of plausible counter-arguments to do with the inherent dynamism of tradition which New Orleans is the instantiation par excellence. Music in New Orleans is indeed inextricable from the city’s lifestyle. “In the 6th Ward, 7th Ward, 9th Ward…
Not that one really needs any confirmation, but listening to this rerelease, the genius is palpable. Maestro producer Scott Billington‘s liner notes are fascinating. Here’s hoping that more releases are in the offing — there is precious little available even at the Louisiana Music Factory. Also, check out this Guardian piece plugging the recent documentary. Bayou Maharajah: The…
H/T to the keeper of the flame Ricky Riccardi Photo by John Loengard, summer of 1965. Here’s Louis in Ebony’s “The Reluctant Millionaire” profile from 1964: “Making money ain’t nothing exciting to me. I’ve been making my share of the dough ever since I was a teen-ager playing with Fate Marable on the riverboats. So even…
H/T to Ricky Riccardi for this article. In his 1954 autobiography, “Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans,” Armstrong writes that when he was arrested in 1913, he “had no idea what a Waifs Home was” — even though he had been sent to the home just three years earlier. “This is mind-blowing,” said Ricky Riccardi,…
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