Jimbo Mathus talks about his "Songs for Rosetta" album being reissued

Back in 1997, Jimbo Mathus recorded at tribute to his childhood nanny, Rosetta Patton, which is finally being reissued on vinyl! 

Here's the scoop... 

Way back in 1997, Squirrel Nut Zippers' singer/songwriter Jimbo Mathus and his Knock-Down Society recorded a heartfelt tribute to his beloved childhood babysitter Rosetta Patton, the daughter of hugely influential blues legend Charlie Patton. The resulting album "Plays Songs For Rosetta" – recorded with Luther & Cody Dickinson pre-North Mississippi All Stars, Andrew Bird, Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Glenn Graham (Blind Melon) – was a victim of the CD-era and never issued on vinyl. 

To mark the 30th anniversary of its release, Near Miss Records is rectifying the situation by reissuing "Plays Songs For Rosetta" as a double-LP in a limited pressing of 500 copies. The deluxe 30th anniversary edition features the entire original album with a second LP of bonus material including an "on the record" portion in which Jimbo tells his own story of how the recording project came together.  You can pre-order a 2LP copy of "Plays Songs For Rosetta" 30th Anniversary Edition directly from Near Miss Records right here. Those interested in getting a digital copy of the original album should check the Bandcamp link below.

Listen to Jimbo's WWOZ-FM interview with David Kunian from September 1 right here: http://www.wwoz.org/listen/archive/show.php?date=2026-09-01&time=10PM

Jimbo Mathus & His Knock-Down Society – Plays Songs For Rosetta

Mathus, one of the masterminds behind the Squirrel Nut Zippers, here cuts it Clarksdale style for the sake of bluesman Charlie Patton's daughter, Rosetta. Not surprisingly, Rosetta doesn't see a dime from the sale of Patton's music, and Mathus saw an opportunity to give back. Give back to the music? Well, yes, but also to Rosetta herself, who helped raise Mathus from knee-pants. And the result is a righteous paella of roots music: rattling Delta style, jug band and parlor jazz with Dixieland and country-blues to boot. It's all so fresh and lively you may wonder how you lived your life without it. Dig the winking ragtime cover of Leadbelly's "Keep Your Hand's Off Her" or the country scrawl of Mathus' "Turkey Buzzard in a Pork Pie Hat." -Tim Sheridan

You can listen to Jimbo's "Plays Songs For Rosetta" and get a digital copy via Bandcamp right here. Check out the lead track "I Got Mine" below. 

Three For The Weekend: Bobby Marchan

Getting your weekend started right with a few hip-shakin' New Orleans R&B gems from Bobby Marchan and pals.  

Happy Birthday Cyrille Aimée!

Cheers to jazz singer extraordinaire Cyrille Aimée on her birthday! We're celebrating with a few fab performances and more.

Remembering New Orleans R&B great Smiley Lewis on his birthday

Remembering New Orleans R&B great Smiley Lewis with a couple of his jukebox gems.

Remembering New Orleans songster Snooks Eaglin on his birthday

Raising a glass to Snooks Eaglin with a New Orleans show from '85, some live clips with George Porter Jr. and more! 

Yep that's Snooks (right) tearin' it up with pianist Allen Toussaint (left) in The Flamingos (New Orleans) circa 1953. 

New Orleans radio station WWOZ FM celebrates Allen Toussaint's birthday

The work of legendary New Orleans pianist/composer/producer Allen Toussaint is celebrated today on WWOZ-FM. 

Here's the scoop...

WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans is celebrating Allen Toussaint on what would've been his 88th birthday by digging deep into the archives on Wednesday, January 14! Tune in all afternoon to hear rare and never-before-rebroadcast recordings honoring one of New Orleans’ greatest musical minds.

At 1pm CT, Missy Bowen will kick things off with a rarely-heard performance by Allen and his band at WWOZ's Piano Night concert in 2005.

At 2pm CT, hear an amazing interview from the vaults: in 1986, Allen Toussaint stopped by the radio show of the late Billy Delle, when WWOZ was located in Armstrong Park, for a wide-ranging conversation covering Allen's career up to that point.  This recording was made available to the Archive of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation by AJ Rodrigue and Marlene Delle, and was then digitized courtesy of the American Archive of Public Broadcasting.  It has never been aired on WWOZ since that evening in 1986.

At 3pm CT, we'll switch gears with another super-rare recording: Allen Toussaint's Jazzity Project, recorded in the Jazz Tent at Jazz Fest in 2010, which takes us until 4pm and the start of "Jazz from Jax Brewery."

At 5pm CT, hear WWOZ's two-part tribute to Allen Toussaint, which originally aired in 2016 on WWOZ's syndicated program "New Orleans Calling," hosted and produced by George Ingmire. Part One, "Say Yes To Music," begins at 5 pm, and Part Two, "Last Train," begins at 6 pm. 

This tribute features the voices of Irma Thomas, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr, Sarah Dash of LaBelle, Dr. Ike of the Ponderosa Stomp, and Allen himself from archival interviews, plus lots of Allen's music!

These recordings all appear on WWOZ courtesy the Archive of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

Tune in and spend the afternoon celebrating the legacy of Allen Toussaint with us! Listen locally at 90.7 FM or from anywhere at wwoz.org. The entire afternoon will also be available after-the-fact on our 2-week archive.

Watch a couple of Allen Toussaint's performances and recordings below including the overlooked gem "Mind Over Matter" from Hamilton's own Richard Newell aka "King Biscuit Boy" written, arranged and produced by Allen Toussaint in 1974. 

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue tear up Massey Hall, Wednesday

New Orleans trombone blaster Trombone Shorty brings the Crescent City heat to Massey Hall tonight. Check the clips below.  

Here's the scoop...

Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty’s proven he’s more than just a horn player, though. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night or morning TV show and you’ll see an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural born showman who can command an audience with the best of them.

Since 2010, he’s released five chart topping studio albums (his most recent being 2022’s Lifted); toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival; performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards, six times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honoured with his own Muppet; launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education; and received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first children’s book.

Meanwhile in New Orleans, Shorty now leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness, hosts the annual Treme Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests including Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band, and has taken over the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys, and Kings of Leon.

In addition to touring across the globe nearly year-round, Trombone Shorty has started a very special tradition: a cultural exchange trip to Cuba with his Trombone Shorty Foundation. The fourth trip of his kind will take place in January of 2025, and includes an ever-expanding group of special guests artists who join Shorty and his Foundation to host workshops and play concerts in Cuba over a 5-day period, as well as nearly 100 students. 

Lifted, Trombone Shorty’s second release for Blue Note Records and 5th solo LP, was released in 2022. Recorded at Shorty’s own Buckjump Studio with producer Chris Seefried, the album finds the GRAMMY-nominated NOLA icon and his bandmates tapping into the raw power and exhilarating grooves of their legendary live show, channeling it all into a series of tight, explosive performances that blur the lines between funk, soul, R&B, and psychedelic rock. The writing is bold and self-assured, standing up to hard times and loss with grit and determination, and the playing is muscular to match, mixing pop gleam with hip-hop swagger and second line abandon. Wild as all that may sound, Lifted is still the work of a master craftsman, and the album’s nimble arrangements and judicious use of special guests—from Gary Clark Jr. and Lauren Daigle to the rhythm section from Shorty’s high school marching band—ultimately yields a collection that’s as refined as it is rapturous, one that balances technical virtuosity and emotional release in equal measure as it celebrates music’s primal power to bring us all together.

Get tickets for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue's show at Massey Hall tonight right here. Watch the clips below. 

 

One For The Weekend: Charlie Halloran & The Tropicales

Watch New Orleans-based Charlie Halloran and his Tropicales crew swing through "Tabu" calypso style at the Spotted Cat.  

Iconic New Orleans pianist/producer Allen Toussaint gets a stamp!

Legendary New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint is the 48th honouree in the USPS Black Heritage stamp series – and maybe the last. 

Remembering New Orleans bandleader Dave Bartholomew on his birthday

Remembering the great New Orleans trumpeter Dave Bartholomew who co-wrote and produced many of Fats Domino's hits. 

Remembering New Orleans piano great James Booker on his birthday

Raising a glass to the amazing James Booker on his birthday with a BBC performance (audio) from 1978 you may have missed. 

Watch Neil Young play "Ohio" solo at New Orleans Jazz Fest

Neil Young played a powerful solo version of his CSNY classic "Ohio" at New Orleans Jazz Fest yesterday. Check it out. 

Watch Irma Thomas sing "Time Is On My Side" with the Rolling Stones in New Orleans

Mick Jagger brought Irma Thomas on stage with the Rolling Stones to reprise her classic "Time Is On My Side" at Jazz Fest. 

Watch Cedric Burnside live at the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Fest

Cedric Burnside's new album Hill Country Love is out April 5th. Check out his 54 min. New Orleans performance below. 

You can pre-order a copy of Cedric Burnside's new album Hill Country Love via your favourite platform right here.

Remembering New Orleans legend Danny Barker on his birthday

Remembering New Orleans guitar and banjo boss Danny Barker with a couple of interviews and performances. 

Happy Birthday James Booker!

Remembering New Orleans piano wizard James Booker on his birthday with a few brilliant performances circa 1978.

R.I.P. soul singer Jean Knight, 1943-2023

Sadly, New Orleans born soul singer Jean Knight, who hit with "Mr. Big Stuff" in 1971, has passed away at the age of 80.

Watch a documentary about New Orleans banjo boss Danny Barker

Here's an informative 25-minute doc on banjo player Danny Barker who worked with Pops Foster, Baby Dodds, Cab Calloway, etc.

DāM-FunK in New Orleans: Have Keytar, Will Travel!

Here's DāM-FunK tearing it up at the Ace Hotel's Three Keys club in the Warehouse district of New Orleans back in May. 

Watch Robert Plant sing a jazz version of Led Zep's "Black Dog" in New Orleans

Here's Robert Plant performing an impromptu version of "Black Dog" with help from the amped audience in New Orleans.