Gwen Thompkins

Sonny Landreth: Master Of The Slide Guitar

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

If you've never seen Sonny Landreth's hands glide over the fret of his slide guitar, you should. It's like watching someone touch the finest of silk.

Marcia Ball: Make 'Em Dance

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:06:39 +0000

A Look Back At Jazz Fest, Where Ages Were Made

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:35:58 +0000

Some music festivals are known for certain specific things; others are known for a broad assortment. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is known for everything. The city's arms are just that wide.

Every performer is welcome. This year, singer Patti Smith held a crowd spellbound in the mud just as easily as Billy Joel lifted his audience off dry ground. Jazz stylist Diane Reeves sang a Fleetwood Mac song on the first weekend just as compellingly as Fleetwood Mac sang its own songs the following weekend.

Road-tested: Stories & Songs

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:17:40 +0000

This week, Music Inside Out features Louisiana musicians telling stories of their experiences around the world.

Jon Cleary's Alchemy of the Groove

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

This week, we bring you that funky gentleman in the Ninth Ward, Jon Cleary, who joins us to talk about his native England, his grandmother, the piano back home, his mother's songwriting chops, and a variety of other loves.

Shannon Powell & His Drums

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

The only thing more fun than talking to Shannon Powell is listening to him play. Powell is one of the most charismatic drummers to ever grace a stage. His secret? "I'm happy," Powell tells Music Inside Out. "I was a happy child. I'm a happy spirit."

Welcome to Alex McMurray's Strange World

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

As noggins in New Orleans go, there is no noggin like that of singer-songwriter Alex McMurray. He's got more original characters in his head than a Hollywood film library.

The Pfabulous Pfister Sisters

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Harmony, thy name is Pfister!

This week, the Pfister Sisters sing out and occasionally act out during a rollicking hour spent on jazz vocal harmonies.

Givonna Joseph's OperaCréole

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Mezzo sopranos are often the bad girls of opera — the floozies, the gossips, the witches, the like. So how did a good girl like Givonna Joseph get mixed up with such characters? Turns out, bad girls have the most fun.

Spend An Hour with John Boutté

Gwen Thompkins — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000