Talk about being a long way from home. It has been a matter of circumstance that has led to me heading to New Orleans (or, "Nawlins", as it's affectionately known) this year for my first ever Jazz Fest. A city which continues to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina in the outlying areas, here on Bourbon Street where we're staying - at the famous Royal Senesta - you'd never know anything had happened. The lights are bright, the music is fine, the food phenomenal, the beads flowing and the drinks cheap (and potent). This is, as it has ...

Special guest Aaron Neville and a 20+-piece orchestra give classic songs a new twist

The week’s teetering stack of piping hot freshness in music is topped by Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding and Lost in the Trees, along with notable reissues and live stuff from Aaron Neville, Impala Syndrome, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne (on his original solo date with the late Randy Rhoads, appropriate on this anniversary of his untimely passing) and the B-52s. Also hitting [...]

All night long. DJ Ben Smith (Proper Songs // Echo Empire) Friday 09.03 + 13.04 + 11.05.12 The CAMP // 70-74 City Road // EC1Y 2BJ 21:00-02:00 // No door tax RSVP: FB 1. Aaron Neville – Hercules 2. Beastie Boys - Get It Together 3. CFCF - Invitation To Love 4. Django Django – Storm 5. Electric Light Orchestra – Evil Woman (Proper Songs Ha Ha Re-edit) 6. Fleetwood Mac – Angel 7. Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX – I’ll Take Care Of U 8. Hot Chip – My Piano 9. Iggy Pop – The Passenger 10. J Dilla – Crushin’ (Yeeeeaah!) 11. Kim Weston – You Hit Me Where ...

Two concerts and gala; Aaron Neville to be special guest

New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center will celebrate The Paul Simon Songbook over three nights this April. The performances will feature Paul Simon and Jazz Lincoln Center mastermind Wynton Marsalis as well as special guest Aaron Neville on select songs. T...

What’s sure to be one of the more interesting pairings of 2012 is getting together for three performances at Rose Theater in New York City, when Paul Simon teams up with Wynton Marsalis and Aaron Neville for concerts billed as “The Paul Simon Songbook” on April 18, 19 and 20. [Photo via Jazz at Lincoln Center] The trio will perform new orchestrations of Simon’s classic material backed by both the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and members of Paul’s band. Ever since Marsalis took over as leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the ensemble has ...

educe \ih-DOOS\, verb: 1. To draw forth or bring out, as something potential or latent. 2. To infer or deduce. Related to educate, educe is derived from the Latin roots ex- meaning "out" and ducere meaning "to lead." Shakespeare was the first writer to use it in the sense of "to provide schooling" in Loves Labours Lost. fartriloquism Art of “throwing” one's farts in such a way that the sound and/or smell seems to come from a source other than the farter. A person who practices the art is called an ventriloquist. "Trey,I was in the middle ...

Aaron Neville of iconic New Orleans band The Neville Brothers at 70.

When Stern magazine declared his “the most beautiful voice in the world,” it was in reference to achievements like his Grammy-winning recordings of Schubert, Mahler and Bach. But early on, thanks to older brother Michael, Quasthoff offset his classical education with keen appreciation for Coltrane, Miles and Dizzy, and forged a lifelong fondness for American soul hits that poured forth from the radio in his native Germany. Five years ago, the celebrated bass-baritone recorded his first, exceptionally good, jazz album. Now, at 52, he strays again, this time to salute the soul brethren, with equally fine results. But unlike the ...

Each spring music fans from across the globe descend upon The Crescent City for the annual New Orleans Jazz Fest . The festival attracts a diverse and impressive roster of acts each year and the 2012 will be no different. Set to take place between April 27 and May 6 (1st Weekend = 4/27 – 4/29, 2nd Weekend = 5/3 – 5/6), this year’s headliners include the Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, John Mayer, The Neville Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, John Mayer and the Levon Helm Band with special guest Mavis Staples. HT faves Bruce ...

This week's look at AM Gold (1967) showcases the man, the myth, the mole -- Aaron Neville

This week's look at AM Gold (1967) showcases the man, the myth, the mole -- Aaron Neville

Legendary New Orleans soul and R&B; singer Aaron Neville is coming to metro Detroit to warm the holiday stage at the WCCCD Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center in Taylor on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The performance is part of a national tour that will take Neville and his quintet from

Rusted Wheel - The Belle Brigade (mp3) At Least I Have You - Mates of State (mp3) Chances Are - Bob Seger & Martina McBride (mp3) My single most favorite trend of the past 20 years in music is the surge in male-female musical groups. Boy-girl duets is nothing new, mind you. Helloooo, Sonny & Cher? Donny & Marie? The history of pop music is replete with duets, from Kiki joining Elton to Rihanna guesting with Eminem or Coldplay. But the fact is this: You put a male and a female in a song, singing into one another, singing around one another, singing on top of one another, and I’ll give your song five times the chance of success. The song doesn’t have to be overtly sexual, because the allure of male-female singing goes far deeper than mere genitalia. It follows a rule similar to Jules' explanation of foot massages in "Pulp Fiction." A male-female duet hits me in the same core as bagpipes or African drums; something primal in me is instantly drawn to it. Trying to name all the current bands on my radar which exploit this weakness is virtually impossible. The Weepies, The Civil Wars, The Rescues, Mates of State, The Belle Brigade, The New Pornographers, Buddy & Julie Miller. Those are all bands who earn chronic rotation in my musical life. Others include The Ting Tings, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Swell Season, Acid House Kings, Sleeper Agent, Black-Eyed Peas, COYOL. These are all without even looking at my iTunes collection. There’s no telling how many I’m missing. Glee , the entire show, the cultural phenomenon, rocketed into instant success the minute they turned "Don't Stop Believin'" into a male-female duet. As much as I adore ‘80s music and its place in my heart and history, its male-female combos kinda sucked unless they were one-shot deals. Roxette? Animotion? The Human League? Ace of Base? Just about the only one that comes to mind that earned much respect was Timbuk 3, and that’s a stretch. The ‘70s and ‘80s seemed better about single-gender combinations, groups where multiple dudes shared singing duties or sang on top of one another. Hall & Oates, Tears for Fears, Wham, Alabama, The Eagles, Flock of Seagulls... the Beatles, even. Almost the only obvious exception that stands out is Fleetwood Mac. But you sit me down and ask me to start rattling off all the songs from my life I’ve loved that harnessed the power of a male-female duet, and I might never find time to eat a meal again. Here’s what I came up with just on the way home from dinner tonight: “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” - Elton John & Kiki Dee “After All” - Peter Cetera & Cher “The Next Time I Fall” - Peter Cetera & Amy Grant “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” - Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks “Endless Love” - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Islands in the Stream” - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton “Kid Fears” - Indigo Girls & Michael Stipe “I Knew You Were Waiting” - Aretha Franklin & George Michael “It’s Only Love” - Bryan Adams & Turner">Tina Turner “Up Where We Belong” - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes “Chances Are” - Bob Seger & Martina McBride “U Got the Look” - Prince & Sheena Easton “Summer Nights” (and most of GREASE) - Olivia Newton John & John Travolta “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes “Don’t Know Much” - Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville “Almost Paradise” - Mike Reno & Ann Wilson These all popped up in 15 minutes or less of driving. I’ve thought of at least several dozen more since then, and I haven’t even Googled “greatest duets ever” or anything yet. I only made this connection, about my deep instinctive love for male-female songs, because I wrote about both Turner">Tina Turner and Bryan Adams. The truth is that I love their duet, “It’s Only Love” as much as if not better than anything the two of them created individually. Which is absurd, by the way. It’s not that great. Which means this is more about my own Kryptonite, my own Achilles’ Heel. But I wouldn’t trade it. Rap and Hip hop men have always sensed the value of a well-placed woman. We would never know Rob Base or DJ EZ Rock if they didn’t enlist the assistance of a woman to tell us exactly What Took Two. C&C; Music Factory never sells 10,000 CDs without a woman belting out that chorus. This continues today with B.O.B.’s “Airplanes” and Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie,” just as examples. I love all these ...