Author Archives: Jay Mazza

The alt-folk artist Kris Gruen has an intergenerational connection with the 1970s rock and punk scene in New York, so it’s more than appropriate that one of the first singles off his new album is a wistful cover of the legendary scene maker Johnny Thunders’ tune “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.”

Gruen said, “When I was born, my parents were working with The New York Dolls. I grew up hearing those various, raucous Dolls anthems that drove punk (as a genre) to the forefront of pop music. Many don’t know that Johnny Thunders, the Dolls’ lead guitarist, had a solo career as a singer-songwriter.” Gruen’s father, Bob, is a one of the leading photographers of the era perhaps best known for his iconic photo of John Lennon wearing a “New York City” t-shirt.

What makes the new single stand out so clearly, besides Gruen’s tender vocal and the song’s heartfelt lyrics, is the way the singer makes the tune his own. Thunders’ version hides some of the lyrics under the explosive rock beat of the era. Gruen exposes the song revealing the heartbreak that must have inspired it.

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The Putumayo record label has a long history of fascinating compilations spanning virtually every genre of music. The latest includes ten tunes highlighting the connections between Cuba and New Orleans.

Though the album is billed as a collection of “the spicy rhythms of Cuba meet the soulful swing of the Crescent City,” the entire album features New Orleans musicians with the exception of the opener—a vibrant version of Dr. John’s classic, “Going Back to New Orleans” by the Latin jazz conga player Poncho Sanchez.

In fitting Putumayo style, the Good Doctor himself follows that cut with “Mos’ Scocious,” which is one of the grooviest tracks from his genre-defining 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo.

The rest of the album features other well-known New Orleans artists including Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, the Iguanas, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Neville Brothers. But to the credit of the producers, the album also includes killer cuts from lesser-known local players. Songs from the Cuban jazz band Otra, the Latin boogaloo group Los Po-Boy-Citos and the eclectic allstar unit Zazou City fit right into the mix with the bigger names.

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The San Francisco Bay area has been known since the seminal days of Santana and War as the midwife to generations of Latin musicians creating music that pushes genre boundaries while being culturally inclusive and politically potent. Los Mocosos made a big name for themselves back in the early aughts and now they return with a new album, All Grown Up, which brings their conscious party music to a new generation—right on time in this politically and culturally charged moment.

Los Mocosos grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco, steeped in 1970s-era Latin rock and the Chicano civil rights movement. Their first album from 1998, Mocos Locos, became an underground barrio classic that propelled the band into the limelight. In 2001 and 2004, they released two albums on Six Degrees Records and toured with Santana and Los Lobos, lifting the spirits of festers across the country.

Known for their ability to traverse musical and cultural barriers, Los Mocosos, (the “Snotty-Nosed Brats,” loosely translated and used as a term of endearment) creatively weave together rock, reggae, funk, ska, and salsa to deliver their message. The result is subversive, conscious party music—laced with Latin horns, funky bass riffs and hip-hop scratching—that pays homage to an earlier era.

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Bon Bon Vivant is one of those only-in-New Orleans bands. They are hard to categorize, write great songs, and perform with the joie de vivre inherent in the city’s musical culture and overall vibe. TVD is proud to present the worldwide debut of “Ship Is Sinking,” the first single from their new album, Dancing in the Darkness.

The song is a kick-sand-in-the-bully’s-face response to the current political, economic and cultural climate. “If this world is ending, why don’t we go out singing” is one of the telling lyrics along with “we won’t go quietly into this angry sea.”

Though the song expresses rage and frustration, the music is uplifting with a lilting groove and a great chorus. I can imagine it being a great, singalong crowd pleaser once we are allowed to dance together again.

I have seen Bon Bon Vivant live numerous times and their unusual instrumentation contributes to their singular sound. Guitar, saxophone, accordion, sousaphone and voices mingle in an amalgamation that references eastern European folk music, jazz and Tin Pan Alley songwriting amid a danceable pop vibe.

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Lawrence Sieberth is one of those great musicians that all the other musicians know about. But unless you’re involved in the jazz scene in New Orleans, you probably don’t know about him or his music. That should change with the release of his latest quartet record, An Evening in Paris. It’s out today.

Sieberth is a veteran player on the local scene and has a vast number of national and international credits as a versatile keyboard accompanist, multifaceted composer, bandleader, producer and more. Jeff Coffin, the saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, said, “Larry Sieberth is more than a great pianist, he is a great musician! I have known him for many years and have recorded with him, hung with him, and played gigs with him. His playing is legendary in New Orleans.”

His collaborations go back decades. He has performed and/or recorded with a who’s who of local players including the legendary Allen Toussaint, vocalist Johnny Adams, saxophonist Charles Neville, singer Irma Thomas, reedman Victor Goines, drummer/vibraphonist Jason Marsalis, vocalist Germaine Bazzle (featured in the above video) and hundreds of others.

The new album features all Sieberth originals, mostly new, brimming with melodic and rhythmic invention. He has a long history of playing and recording in France and this album, which delves deep into modern acoustic jazz, features the stellar French musicians Stephane Guillaume on tenor/soprano saxophones and Michel Benita on double bass, as well as longtime Paris-based expatriate and fellow Louisiana native Jeff Boudreaux on drums.

On September 22, 2017, seven of the most celebrated musicians in New Orleans came together for only the fifth time to perform as The Magnificent Seven at Tipitina’s. The band, which includes guitarists and vocalists Dave and Tommy Malone, trombonist and vocalist Mark Mullins, keyboard player and vocalist John Gros, drummer Raymond Weber, bassist Rob Mercurio, and percussionist Michael Skinkus, has released a live album of that show with the proceeds going to support Tipitina’s during the travails of the pandemic. It is available here.

The term super group is certainly overused, and full disclosure, I have been guilty, but this aggregation of the players certainly fits the bill. However, despite the seven musicians long history playing in their own groups and in various aggregations with each other, they came across as a real band, not just a collection of musicians. The show was epic on many levels. I was there and covered it for TVD. The link is here.

From the opening notes of the great soul song, “You Got Me Hummin’” to the closer, a long medley of the Radiators’ song “Lucinda” jammed together with the theme song of the film from which the band takes its name and the Meters’ funk classic, “Cissy Strut,” the recording sizzles with great vocals, killer guitar solos, rock solid grooves and more.

Mark Mullins of the great funky rock band Bonerama adds some wonderful trombone solos driven into the stratosphere with wah-wah pedal effects. John Gros adds some downright nasty organ fills and solos with aplomb. Throughout the eight song, 70 minute album, the rhythm section percolates and pulses.

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Though Dirk Powell may be best known in Louisiana for being one of the founding members of Cajun band Balfa Toujours, he has had a long and varied career. Most recently, his collaboration with Rhiannon Giddens has earned him new accolades as an in-demand sideman and producer including a great performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2016 that brought the house down.

On his latest album, When I Wait For You, his first since 2014, Powell explores the connections between roots Americana music and the folk music of British Isles. He brought several British musicians to his studio on the banks of Bayou Teche to create compelling music that sounds universal.

Powell wrote twelve of the thirteen songs on the album and he plays guitar, fiddle, bass, piano and keyboards and sings in his distinctive voice. The album teems with lilting strings, subtle harmonic touches, and tender backing vocals. Giddens plays viola and minstrel banjo and adds backing vocals on three tracks including the intimate and wistful childhood recollection “Say Old Playmate.”

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The world of Brazilian music is a vast one that Putumayo Records has explored in previous releases. This latest collection spans the vast country’s wide range of styles of music.

The album opens with the velvety voice of Vania Abreu, sister of superstar Daniela Mercury, who gives a silky rendition of the Djavan classic “Embola Bola.” Abreu’s laid-back Afro-Brazilian rhythms transition to the bossa nova of Rogê’s, “Fala Brasil,” a love song to his home country. The nomadic songstress Bïa follows with “Beijo,” an ode to Brazilians’ passion for kissing. It blends the forró style of Brazil’s Northeast with the laidback charm of a Parisian café.

The exploration of Brazil’s diverse multicultural influences continues on the rest of the ten cuts on the album. There’s heavy samba with killer brass arrangements, a homage to traditional West African saints, a flashback to 1970s Brazil, the golden era of samba soul, and a traditional candomblé song among others.

If you were active on the New Orleans music scene in the late 1990s, you were privy to a golden age of funk and world music. Young musicians were rewriting the musical landscape of New Orleans and the New World Funk Ensemble was right in the middle of an era that spawned Galactic and many other bands and musicians. Their new live album is available on Bandcamp here.

Everyone in the band was a first class musician and most have gone on to have stellar careers. One, the guitarist and band co-founder Todd Duke, passed away recently. So in a way, this release of live performances from Snug Harbor, the House of Blues, Tipitina’s, the Funky Butt, and the sorely missed Mermaid Lounge is an elegy for him.

The New World Funk Ensemble released one studio album and had a record release party at Snug Harbor on May 20, 1998. I was there and it was one of the fifteen or so times I saw the band live from their inception in early 1997 to their reunion shows in 1999. At that time it was rare for a band that was highly danceable and played African-inspired original music to play at the premier jazz club in town.

But most of the musicians were jazzers at heart and when you listen to these live cuts you can immediately tell how intense they were live. The studio album, while a fine document of the band, just doesn’t do justice to the musical interplay between the musicians and the strength of the group.

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This new narrative series focuses on the history and impact of New Orleans music and the annual jazz festival, featuring interviews with 25+ leading musicians, writers (including yours truly!) and more. The 5-part series will explore everything about the music of the city and about the jazz festival that just celebrated its 50th anniversary.

You can listen to the trailer below. Some of the musicians interviewed include Ivan Neville, George Porter, Jr., Irma Thomas, Anders Osborne, Ben Jaffe, Papa Mali and dozens of others. There are also interviews with writers, academics, and music fans about what makes the music of the city so unique.

Here’s some info from the producers about the company: “Osiris Media is transforming how music fans connect with the music they love. We deepen the connection between artists and fans through the power and intimacy of audio storytelling, and bring people together for unique musical experiences. Our 35 podcasts, which reach over 250,000 downloads per month, include shows with high-profile artists, stories about music, and interview-based shows on various musical and cultural topics. We also host live music interviews and performances. Deepen your connection here.”

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Sam Doores will celebrate the release of Sam Doores on Friday March 13, 2020 at the Hi Ho Lounge. The album is available in all formats from New West Records.

Doores and his band will be joined by special guests including the innovative traditional jazz band Tuba Skinny and Alynda Segarra the leader of Hurray For the Riff Raff. Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes will close the night with a set with his band. Doores’ set will begin at 10:30 PM and Barnes will follow at 11:30 PM. The Mashed Potato Records Review will open the evening at 9 PM.

Sam Doores has built up a strong reputation as one of the most significant up and coming songwriters hailing from New Orleans. He was a founding member of the Hurray for the Riff Raff and has also performed with two other seminal New Orleans new folk revival bands, the Tumbleweeds and the Deslondes.

His latest and most personal record was released on New West Records. Here’s what OffBeat magazine had to say about the album. “Recorded over several years in Berlin with copasetic producer and project instigator Anders ‘Ormen’ Christopherson as well as an international cast of co-conspirators, the album uses strings, vintage organs, marimbas, vibraphones and even an autoharp to create a moody, psychedelic vibe. Doores has fashioned an intimate, personal album that uses the studio as an instrument.”

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In the spring of 2020, Color Red will release Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal’s latest full-length album Changing on vinyl and other formats. But today, TVD is happy to present the world premiere of the lead single off the album. For readers in the Denver area, there will be a single release show at Ophelia’s on February 12.

“Automatic” is a testimony of true love and its ability to make all of life’s woes evaporate when you are in the arms of your lover. Co-produced by Eddie Roberts of the New Mastersounds and Hoyer, the song is equal parts 1950s doo-wop and Daptone-inspired modern soul.

For New Orleans readers and fans traveling to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in late April and early May, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal will be opening for the New Mastersounds at House of Blues on May 1.

Local singer, guitarist and songwriter Dave Jordan is getting a lot of props for his latest album, Burning Sage. Yours truly reviewed it in December issue of OffBeat magazine writing, “Dave Jordan has crafted a great album; perhaps the best of his long career as one of New Orleans’ foremost roots-rockers.” You can read the full review here. He will celebrate the vinyl release on Saturday night at the Maple Leaf Bar.

The editors of OffBeat also selected the album as one of the Top 40 of the year. He is up for two awards at the Best of the Beat on Thursday night, and is also playing as a trio at the Ogden Museum this evening, 1/30.

The show at the Leaf, which is also Jordan’s annual birthday celebration, will feature a seven-piece band including Alex Mallet on guitar, Rurik Nunan on violin, Will Repholz on bass, David Shirley on drums, and Jeff Watkins and Sage Rouge on saxes. This is the core group of musicians that appear on the album.

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Keyboardist Marco Benevento is no stranger to New Orleans. He collaborates with New Orleans artists and his shows in the city always attract the musical cognoscenti. Saturday night he returns to the Blue Nile to celebrate the recent release of his seventh studio album, Let It Slide.

Dubbed “one of the most talented keys players of our time” by CBS Radio, Benevento’s released critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade and performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.

Let It Slide continues in the direction Benevento started with his last record, Woodstock Sessions, by featuring vocals. Earlier in his career he was bunched in with the jam band genre, but as of late he has been focusing on more pop-oriented songwriting.

Though known as a virtuoso keyboardist, he focuses on the groove on Let It Slide allowing sparse drums and minimalist bass lines to create a blend of modern indie rock and elements of old school R&B. To these ears, the music on this album and particularly the cut “Say It’s All the Same” with the great line, ‘You’ll feel better, I’ll just say / When you finally let it go,” is reminiscent of some of Beck’s more lo-fi work.

Showtime is 9 PM.

The Jazz Education Network, a well-known organization dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences, is holding their annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown New Orleans.

Though the event is only open to registrants, the city is teeming with jazz educators and performers many of whom will be playing in clubs and at concerts all over town including at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro and SideBar. Check the links for the full schedules.

Full disclosure, my high school-aged nephew, trumpeter Benjamin Chaddha is in town and will be performing at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint on Wednesday at 1:30 PM with his jazz camp band. It is free and open to the public and also includes local students from the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp.

Among local acts performing at the conference are the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Ricky Sebastian Quintet featuring guitarist Steve Masakowski, bassist Brian Quezergue, saxophonist Derek Douget and pianist Oscar Rossignoli. Nationally and internationally known artists like bassist Victor Wooten, trumpeter Bria Skonberg, and guitarist Gabriel Espinosa are also featured.

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