It was the Jazz funeral opening scene in Live and Let Die that so captivated me, a kid living a world away — the dirge, the sashay, the exuberance — a love affair that has never dimmed. Thus I’m very pleased to learn about this crowd-funded work-in-progress City of a Million Dreams (H/T OffBeat). I’d imagine…
Commemorating the birth of the master. I think that of his more recent recordings The Bright Mississippi stands as his best, far exceeding his posthumous American Tunes. I must be the only one who thinks that Toussaint’s collaboration with Elvis Costello is thoroughly overrated, though that doesn’t compromise AT at all. Though he has his moments Costello for the most part comes off…
John Lydon thankfully has the balls, the independence of mind, the honesty, the integrity and the intelligence to carry the baton that Frank Zappa held for so long — they have the same vested interests and moral hypocrites in their sights. John called out that fucker Jimmy Saville way back in ’78 but of course…
I’m in accord with these exceedingly warm reviews. This record was produced by Leo Sacks, the man behind the documentary of another N.O. character Raymond Myles, about whom I’ll write about sometime in the near future. Wall Street Journal PopDose OffBeat PopShifter SoulTracks Glen David AndrewsgospelJazzLeo Sacksmusicnew orleansRaymond Mylessecond lineTreme
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…
This from Rolling Stone. bluesfunkgospelJazznew orleansrapTremeWendell Pierce
An eloquent review of the final season of Treme from the LA Times. the series takes its form from the city’s substance; it does not so much present a point of view as embody a perpetual argument….It is romantic and naturalistic at once, as dreamy and earthy as the place in which it takes place…
This documentary has been a long time coming. Great that it’s finally seen the light of day. Here is a previous post that has links to the trailers. Hearing a horn being played in the distance of any street in New Orleans is probably one of the most life-affirming experiences I can imagine. It communicates…
Lolis Eric Elie’s latest. It’s the cookbook of these characters. foodLolis Eric Elienew orleansTreme
Sums it up really: But the best concert I saw cost nothing, at what has to be the best free venue in New Orleans, Three Muses on Frenchmen Street, in the Seventh Ward, just outside the French Quarter. Why? It’s intimate but not crowded. (While the staff members at the door don’t collect covers, they…
manwithoutqualities 