Steve Riley The Revivalists John Waters Professor Longhair
Jon Batiste Busts Out
NEW ORLEANS MUSIC, FOOD, CULTURE—DECEMBER 2018
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The Dave Bartholomew Century EVAN CHRISTOPHER's Faubourg Variations
Steve Riley The Revivalists John Waters Professor Longhair
COVER PHoto: by Rambo
JON BATISTE BUSTS OUT
NEW ORLEANS MUSIC, FOOD, CULTURE—DECEMBER 2018
Free In Metro New Orleans US $5.99 CAN $6.99 £UK 3.50
.BLAST
Without the Mask
LETTERS
6
MOJO MOUTH
7
FRESH
8
Five Questions with bassist Nick Benoit; Debbie Davis’ Christmas; My Music with Chris Stafford of Feufollet; Howlin’ Wolf turns 30; Ellis Marsalis and Germaine Bazzle with Lula Elzy; Five Questions with Evan Christopher; WWOZ’s 39th birthday and more.
14
Tony Joe White
I Did Every God Damned Thing Myself
16
The Dave Bartholomew century.
The Fess Centennial Professor Longhair’s 100th birthday.
www.OFFBEAT.com
Modern Times By Geoffrey Himes March 2007
Jon Batiste busts out of the proverbial box. Page 24
THE DAVE BARTHOLOMEW CENTURY EVAN CHRISTOPHER'S FAUBOURG VARIATIONS
Obituary
FROM THE PAST
Music is Freedom
22
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys celebrate 30 years.
OffBeat Eats
30
Restaurant Review
31
Michael Dominici reviews Jack Rose restaurant.
A Dream and Hard Work
32
Saint-Germain gets back to the basics.
REVIEWS 34 The Revivalists, Tom Hook, Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music Jazz Orchestra, Blake Miller & the Old Fashioned Aces, The Wanting, Live at Little Gem Saloon, Future Cowboys, Beth McKee and more.
LISTINGS 40 20
BACKTALK with John Waters. 45
With the Mamou Playboys 30th anniversary we went back to our 2007 interview with Steve Riley: “It’s a tricky proposition when you try to create new work in a tradition as strong as Cajun music. If you change too much, the continuity ruptures; if you change too little, the culture calcifies.” (To read more this issue can be purchased at http:// www.offbeat.com/shop/ back-issues/2007/offbeatmagazine-march-2007/)
DECEMBER 2018
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5
Without
the Mask It doesn’t concern Jon Batiste if some people tend to put him in a particular musical box. “That’s okay, I always break ’em,” declares the pianist, vocalist and composer who leads his Stay Human band nightly on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Those who know Batiste solely through his television persona see a gregarious, always smiling, stylishly dressed and extremely talented young man whose job seems to be keeping the music upbeat and in sync with the show’s comedic host. As a bandleader he also does some singing, too, usually in the mix with his group. Batiste, 32, was purposeful in taking a different direction on his new album release, Hollywood Africans, his first on the prestigious Verve label. The music—and even the album’s cover, which captures him in a contemplative pose—could best be described as serene. For the most part, Batiste is alone at the piano or backed by minimal instrumentation or other voices. “I think the people whom I’ve come in contact with over the last couple of years seemed like they needed a bit of a break or a bit more peace of mind,” Batiste explains. “The music is meditative and it gives you space for reflection but it’s also very hopeful. I think there’s a void in music like that, especially in the mainstream. The feedback has been amazing so I think my instinct was fairly accurate. There is always so much stimulus, especially with the political divisiveness of these times, and things that you just deal with on a daily basis.” Batiste views his musical life as one of phases that to some extent display a certain pattern. He was eight or nine years old when he sang onstage with the Batiste Brothers Band, stylin’ like the Jackson Five.
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Jon Batiste busts out of the proverbial box. by Geraldine Wyckoff PHOTOS BY RAMBO