One of the greats has passed. The very excellent Keith Spera captures him best ably supported by the very excellent Wayne Curtis: NYT BBC The Guardian The Atlantic OffBeat Allen ToussaintfunkKeith Speramusicnew orleanspianorhythm and bluessoulwayne curtis
Died on this day — without doubt one of the greats. No one has ever played the piano like Booker. In an email referring to the new deluxe Classified record, Harry Connick Jr. put it like this: “This CD is yet another example of the powerful genius of a unique and complex mind. I hear joy…
A New Orleans gastronomic titan (and by definition, one of the world’s greatest chefs) has died. He put New Orleans food on the map for me via Keith Floyd, a gastronomic love affair that has continued unabated for almost 30 years. This gentle man was kind enough to sign a table cloth for me from a…
Smokey Johnson, longtime Fats Domino drummer, has died. Jon Cleary, superb N.O. pianist writes: “Smokey playing a simple 12/8 New Orleans groove, check the way he hits the back beat. I’ve played that groove with so many great New Orleans drummers but none of them could make it as mean and tough as Smokey.” Dave BartholomewdrummerFats…
NOMA (H/T to Cory MacLauchlin) While in Louisiana, Youd will be performing live in NOMA’s galleries and in locations throughout the state, retyping a series of novels set in Louisiana that will include everything from Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer to John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. a confederacy of duncesJohn Kennedy Toolenew orleansphilosophical literaturethe moviegoerTim You’dWalker…
Stuart Mitchner in Town Topics Percy intuits the possibility of a Katrina might seem a given, but what sets his book apart is its fortuitous all but prophetic awareness of something that did not take place until 15 years after his death. It’s as if the book had been created in the shadow of imminent…
Larry Blumenfeld reports: During a press conference at last year’s Jazz & Heritage Festival, Mayor Landrieu told me, “There is a way to organize culture without killing it.” Those words are either comforting or alarming, depending upon whom you ask. As David Freedman, the general manager of listener-supported WWOZ-FM (self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Groove”), told…
This from OffBeat — yep, especially sad about the Karnofsky store! It’s hard to believe, but when it comes to landmarks from Louis Armstrong’s childhood and his teen years in New Orleans—the years where he learned to play and he formulated his wisdom, ideas, and the great humanity that drove him for the rest of his…
This in the New York Post Last year, the Wall Street Journal called the book “the Big Easy slacker’s manual” and recommended it should be given to recent college graduates as “a comic and cautionary lesson in how not to get a job.” a confederacy of duncesJohn Kennedy Toolenew orleansphilosophical literature
This begins today. Be sure to check out Satchmo: His Life in New Orleans a collaboration between the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Louisiana State Museum that was co-curated by the amazing Ricky Riccardi and his Archives Assistant, Brynn White. JazzLouis Armstrongmusicnew orleansRicky RiccardiSatchmo Summerfest
manwithoutqualities 