Little Joe Ayres decided to become a musician after noticing the enthusiasm that Marshall County, Mississippi residents had for bluesmen like Louis Boga and Junior Kimbrough. After teaching himself to play the guitar, Ayres began to learn from Kimbrough, and ended up becoming a member of Kimbrough’s band, the Soul Blues Boys. After many years of performing as a sideman and a solo artist, Little Joe Ayres has released his debut album Backatchya, a welcome collection of Kimbrough standards, hill country standards, and other familiar blues tunes that are adapted to the unique hill country style. Like all Devil Down Records releases, the album captures both a moment in time and a unique sense of place. Ayres’ guitar and vocals, as well as his spoken comments, were captured not in a recording studio, but on the front porch of fellow hill country bluesman Kenny Brown’s home. The resulting album has an intimacy that makes the listener feel as if he has spent a day with Little Joe Ayres rather than just listening to a record. Backatchya is a welcome documentation of one of Mississippi’s living blues legends, and is hopefully the first of many albums to come.
Month: September 2011
Urban Music Showcases at @CuttingEdgeNOLA
My friend Rico Brooks, who manages Gorilla Zoe, was in New Orleans for the Cutting Edge conference, and after we ate dinner at the Steak Knife, we headed over to Le Roux on Louisiana Avenue for the conference’s rap and R & B showcases. The hip-hop performances upstairs had ended early due to some artists on the line-up that failed to appear, but the R & B/soul showcases were still going on downstairs, including the Austin-based band Neckbone.
The Steak Knife is a historic New Orleans restaurant that few tourists ever see, since it is in an obscure neighborhood called Lakeview, which, as its name suggests is out close to Lake Pontchartrain. The Steak Knife is neither “New American” nor trendy, just consistently good basic steak and potatoes, with some inviting seafood dishes as well. It’s definitely worth a detour from the Quarter.
The Steak Knife is a historic New Orleans restaurant that few tourists ever see, since it is in an obscure neighborhood called Lakeview, which, as its name suggests is out close to Lake Pontchartrain. The Steak Knife is neither “New American” nor trendy, just consistently good basic steak and potatoes, with some inviting seafood dishes as well. It’s definitely worth a detour from the Quarter.
The Steak Knife is a historic New Orleans restaurant that few tourists ever see, since it is in an obscure neighborhood called Lakeview, which, as its name suggests is out close to Lake Pontchartrain. The Steak Knife is neither “New American” nor trendy, just consistently good basic steak and potatoes, with some inviting seafood dishes as well. It’s definitely worth a detour from the Quarter.
Stephanie Jordan performing at the NOLA Downtown Music and Arts Festival in Lafayette Square, New Orleans, September 23, 2011
Stephanie Jordan performing at the NOLA Downtown Music and Arts Festival in Lafayette Square, New Orleans, September 23, 2011
Stephanie Jordan performing at the NOLA Downtown Music and Arts Festival in Lafayette Square, New Orleans, September 23, 2011
For the first time this year, the Cutting Edge NOLA conference sponsored an outdoor event called the NOLA Downtown Music Festival in Lafayette Square near the Whitney and Intercontinental Hotels. The first night featured zydeco, and the big band jazz stylings of Kidd Jordan’s daughter Stephanie Jordan.
For the first time this year, the Cutting Edge NOLA conference sponsored an outdoor event called the NOLA Downtown Music Festival in Lafayette Square near the Whitney and Intercontinental Hotels. The first night featured zydeco, and the big band jazz stylings of Kidd Jordan’s daughter Stephanie Jordan.