NolaFunk Lagniappe

Jazzfest "Cubes" Released















Jazzfest food list for 2008 released


See also: Anticipation is building for star-studded Jazzfest







Typical Midtown Lunch With Ralph Brennan

The owner of Bacco, Red Fish Grille and Ralph’s on the Park, and member of the famous Brennan family- who collectively own some of the best New Orleans food institutions (Commander’s Palace, Brennan’s), was in town and challenged the Midtown Lunch blogger to take him out for the best sandwich in Midtown.

The Challange: HERE

The Wrap Up: HERE



The Keys to the City: A Profile of Tom McDermott

McDermott's playing is encyclopedic, referencing everything from 19th Century composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk through ragtime, early jazz, brass band, boogie woogie and the eclectic post-WWII R&B of Professor Longhair and James Booker.

Marsalis, Mayfield sparkle on "Love Songs, Ballads and Standards"

There is nothing deliberately avant-garde or self-indulgent here. This is not jazz engineered to impress, or even challenge. Instead, an old master and a brash student find common ground on an absolutely gorgeous and eminently listenable program.

Come on Down to Nawlins: A Photo Essay

In New Orleans brass bands are not just for football fight songs and halftime shows. Here the ensembles are a highlight of neighborhood parades organized by the city’s famous black social clubs. They also preside over jazz funerals, in which music accompanies the procession to and from the cemetery. Over the years, the city’s brass bands have molded young musicians, teaching them not only how to play but also about music’s powerful place in New Orleans culture. Old-timers like “Uncle” Lionel Batiste, 77, of the Tremé Brass Band, are making sure that this tradition of learning continues by mentoring children like seven-year-old Jaw Zansey Ramsey of the Young New Orleans Traditional Brass Band.

Q&A with Bonerama's Craig Klein

“The music we play takes a different shape every night, so it’s not the same show every night. Live shows are the best way to experience music from a band you really enjoy. That’s one thing that is very nice for us. And plus, for people to come out to dance and get down to the music we play is a lot of fun."

See also: Flesh & bones: New Orleans' Bonerama Gets Down to Brass Tactics"



Joey Williams: Down In New Orleans With The Blind Boys of Alabama

The use of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Toussaint and the Hot 8 Brass Band, was that an effect of recording in New Orleans?

JW: Our manager Charles Driebe is from New Orleans so that's right down his alley. He knew some of the people personally, and he knew his way around New Orleans. (laughs) So, he was able to get things done and get some people in the area. It got a little easier as it went along. And the people in New Orleans were so helpful. They were so willing to do what we needed to be done. So, it would be fitting so well.

R.I.P. Al Copeland: Founder of Popeyes Chicken

"Realizing that bland fried chicken was going nowhere, Mr. Copeland started using the spicy recipe. To show that he was operating a new enterprise, he decided to change its name. According to corporate lore, he was stumped until he saw "The French Connection," in which Gene Hackman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, a brusque, no-nonsense New York City policeman. At that point, Mr. Copeland knew the business had a name: Popeyes Mighty Good Fried Chicken. There is no apostrophe in the name, Mr. Copeland often joked, because he was too poor to afford one."

funky Meters: A Blog Post



Another collection of Original Mardi Gras Indian Photos

See also: "Indians, Fish, & Clinton"