At the very moment that I write this, plans for the distribution of tickets to 2007’s top grossing concert tour — scheduled to visit New Orleans Saturday, Jan. 26 — are being unleashed by the New Orleans Arena on a surely rabid public. Care to guess the artist?

Did someone say Van Halen? Nope, sorry. Eddie, David and Co. won’t hit NOLA until Feb. 8, and without even sniffing the summit of the earnings pile. (Somewhere a single tear falls into a shot of Cabo Wabo Tequila.) Could it be the hip-hop five-top led by Bow Wow, Chris Brown, Lil’ Mama, Sean Kingston and Soulja Boy? Warming (Jan. 12), but wrong again. Read the rest of this entry »

It was not at all like Frank Costanza described it to Kramer. There were no “Feats of Strength.” Unless you count the little poles holding up some of the vendors’ tents, there was no official “Festivus Pole” to speak of. (I had heard there would be one, but I never saw it.) And I didn’t overhear any exchanges that would qualify as the “Airing of Grievances.”

But Seinfeld disparity aside, make no mistake, there was a Festivus miracle last Sunday. In my eyes, the miraculous thing about this bustling holiday arts market at the corner of Magazine and Girod streets was just being there! Being there and perusing the wares of a good number of indie artists and artisans — jewelry, ceramics, textiles, artwork, house wares, etc. — and seeing all of the other shoppers who came out, not just to support the local arts community, but to buy some really cool stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

Y’all don’t forget to pop by the Dragon’s Den on 12/16 (Philip K. Dick’s birthday) to see the high energy and deep conviction of saxophonist Edward “Kidd” Jordan and his cohorts who include drummer Alvin Fielder, bassist Elton Heron, trumpeter Clyde Kerr Jr. (all of those folks have been playing together for 30 years) and relative newcomer Brian Quezerque on bass. This will be entirely improvised music, but don’t be scared. It takes a moment to get used to, but it’s powerful and full of moments of overwhelming beauty.

Kidd is one of the great saxophonist living today and is acknowledged as such around the world. He rarely plays here and that is a shame, but that is reality. Music like this can blow your mind and change your whole perspective. Read the rest of this entry »