Friday: WWOZ 34th birthday with Davell Crawford, Ivan Neville, 10 p.m., Tipitina’s: Davell and Ivan will lead two appropriate tributes, Crawford to James Booker and Neville to the Neville Brothers.
Our favorites for the week include Lana Del Rey, Pretty Lights, Mogwai, Flamin' Groovies, The Wailers, Tom Jones, Kidd Jordan and Hamiet Bluiett, American Roots, and the anniversary of Uniquity.
Questlove's Blues: In the Spike Lee film Mo’ Better Blues, Denzel Washington plays an old trumpet player purist angered at the black community’s apathy towards the jazz he loves until a young saxophonist, played by Wesley Snipes, responds that the community is uninterested because Washington’s style is outdated and irrelevant.
[Updated]Sports & Leisure aren't in a hurry, and you can hear that in "Devil," the lead track of their new EP, Fitness. One guitar patiently saws a note while band members oooooh behind it, with only held chords to mark off time. When the song kicks in, it does so with an easy reggae that is a musical choice, not a touristy jaunt into another genre. But don't mistake the musical patience for a lack of urgency.
Today, drummer Bob French passed away. He had been in poor health in recent years, and handed the leadership of the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band to nephew Gerald French in 2011 after he was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease.
DJ Soul Sister has become an empire. Not one that pays well enough that she doesn't need a day job, but one that establishes her as a presence around town. She does her Saturday night radio show on WWOZ.
