Jason Berry

Jazz In Its Time 07 08 08
In a new book, noted jazz historian Samuel Charters changes his tune on how the genre began.

Pass It On 05 27 08
Traditional jazz lives. Michael White's new CD, Blue Crescent, soars with original compositions that recapture the dawn of jazz.

Payday Saturday 05 06 08
John Sayles' latest film, Honeydripper, retells one of the legends of Guitar Slim and opens a lens to the early days of R&B.

Heavily Entrenched 04 29 08
Big Easy Awards Entertainer of Year Terence Blanchard is glad to bring his Grammy-winning talent back home.

The Rise and Fall of Bill Jefferson 12 11 07
The once-powerful congressman is scheduled to stand trial on corruption charges in Virginia next month, but the political tide has already turned against him at home.

Doc Paulin's Long Goodbye 12 04 07

Remembering Lester Young 11 27 07
This is the second in a periodic series about jazz by author Jason Berry.

The First Horn 10 30 07
The idea of a National Jazz Center downtown is like a song waiting to be played. What's lacking is the political vision " and the will to blow the first note.

Writing Out Katrina 09 11 07
Sally Forman's self-published book on Nagin and the storm is not a kiss-and-tell, and that's to the writer's credit.

The Pathologies That Govern Us 08 21 07
Katrina's long, aching aftermath has proved that we are no longer the country that put men on the moon. We're too busy taking care of our own.

'A Wake-Up Call' 08 21 07
New Orleans Recovery Director Ed Blakely says 'recovery' is going to require changing a lot more than the landscape. Attitudes will have to change, too.

Current of Hostility 07 24 07
A year after state Attorney General Charles Foti ordered the arrests of Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses on second-degree murder charges, the strange case drags on -- into the state and local election seasons.

A Legend After His Time 06 12 07
A new biography of photographer Clarence John Laughlin examines the life and work of an artist whose full measure has not yet been realized.

Culture, a Saving Grace 05 29 07

Sendoff for Alvin Batiste 05 22 07

Bringing It Home 05 15 07
Alvin Batiste carved his place in the jazz continuum by teaching others how to take their place there -- and by showing that those who teach can also play.

Looking for the Resurrection 04 24 07
Trumpeter and New Orleans Jazz Orchestra founder Irvin Mayfield lost his father -- but found a new purpose -- in Katrina's floodwaters.

History and Ray Nagin 04 10 07
Black leaders from the Civil Rights era weigh in on Hizzoner's place in The Movement -- and local history.

An Uncanny Resemblance 03 13 07
New Orleans' criminal justice system in the Gilded Age offers a window on today's fractured efforts to cap crime.

Birth of a Movement 01 30 07
The Jan.11 march on City Hall, which united blacks and whites against crime, has started something that may be New Orleans' best shot at redemption.

A Sense of Place 01 09 07
A series of books by The Neighborhood Story Project explains why the poor want back in New Orleans -- in their own words.

Charles Foti vs. The Memorial Three 10 31 06
The attorney general isn't talking any more about his controversial medical-murder investigation, but the doctor and two nurses he charged with killing four elderly patients after Katrina break their local silence in exclusive Gambit Weekly intervi

Huey and Willie 10 10 06
On the silver screen, as in real life, portrayals of The Kingfish and Willie Stark show many sides of Louisiana's legendary governor.

Memory of the Flood 08 22 06
A year after Katrina, what has America really learned -- and what's to become of New Orleans?

Katrina Troika 08 01 06
Three new books on the storm offer keen insights into Katrina, its impact and New Orleans' prospects.

Insult to injury 08 01 06

Tremé's Cultural Heartbeat 03 07 06
The Backstreet Cultural Museum, like its battered Creole neighborhood, struggles to hang on post-Katrina.

Pompeii on the Mississippi 12 13 05

Conversations with John Paul 04 12 05

Purification Rites 11 16 04
Pope John Paul II has sought to reconcile the church and history. Will his mission survive the pedophile scandals?

Vision Seekers 11 09 04
Outsider artists such as Sister Gertrude Morgan often come to public attention thanks to their unique -- and sometimes controversial -- relationships with art world insiders.

What Would Jefferson Do? 01 20 04
Controversies ranging from New York City to Tangipahoa Parish highlight ongoing questions of church and state.

The Road From Hackberry 01 06 04
A grand new documentary tells the colorful stories of the legendary Hackberry Ramblers.

Not a Trivial Pursuit 12 30 03
To journalist and author Carl Cannon, the pursuit of happiness remains an unalienable right.

Musical Heirs 12 09 03
The Viator family on moving to the country, home-schooling and making Creole music as Eh, La-Bas!

The Continuing Crisis 12 02 03

X Woman 10 07 03

Remembering Bill Elder 09 23 03

Rights and Wrongs 09 16 03
A new book sheds light on the musical genius of Jelly Roll Morton and the corrupt businessmen who took advantage of him.

The Outsiders 05 27 03
For Charles Smith and Charles Gillam, the winding path of folk art starts at Algiers Point.

Long Remembered 03 25 03
More than four decades ago, Jay Chevalier performed his song "The Ballad of Earl K. Long" for Uncle Earl's stump speeches. Four decades later, he's written a book about his old employer.

Tourists in Love 02 11 03
Star-crossed lovers Nelson Algren and Simone de Beauvoir's romance spanned an ocean and tumbled through Paris, Chicago and New Orleans.

A Matter of Conscience 09 24 02
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills' latest work, Why I Am a Catholic, attempts to explain his church connection.

Divine Inspiration 12 04 01
Flannery O'Connor once called the South 'Christ-haunted.' The region's contemporary writers -- including Words & Music participants Valerie Martin and John Gregory Brown -- remain under the spell.

Images of Mike 10 23 01
For decades, photographer Michael P. Smith has provided a window to a hidden city. As a new exhibit presents the scope of his work, he talks about his life and art -- and about living with memory loss.

Apocalypse Now? 10 16 01
Ten days after the terrorist attacks, a new 'Christian apocalypse' movie opened in the nation's cineplexes. Some are wondering if the Book of Revelation is a curious allegory -- or a roadmap for troubled times.

Collaborative Effort 07 24 01
In the new book The Algeria Hotel, local writer Adam Nossiter explores the memory and the amnesia of the French people regarding World War II.

The FBI, From Birmingham to Oklahoma City 06 12 01
The conviction of Thomas Blanton Jr. and the prosecution of Timothy McVeigh and even events in Waco point to the emergence of a more evolved bureau.

Night Moves 03 13 01

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