Trumpeter and vocalist Jeremy Davenport brings St. Louis swing down to Basin Street with his newest release, We’ll Dance ’Til Dawn. The album is a mix of standards, such as the sprightly rendition of “The Lady is a Tramp,” and Davenport’s own compositions. One of Davenport’s originals is the lighthearted “Mr. New Orleans,” a duet with Kermit Ruffins. George Porter Jr. also lends his talents, playing bass on two tracks.
Reprint l Garrett County Press has reprinted in 2009 the New Orleans City Guide (1938), originally written by Lyle Saxon as a venture of the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration. An agency of the WPA, The Federal Writers’ Project, produced the book as part of the American Guide Series to make record of valuable information.
“New Orleans is, perhaps, best known for its liberal attitude toward human frailties, its ‘Live and Let Live’ policy,” Saxson wrote. “To the tourist, the city is first of all a place in which to eat, drink, and be merry.”
Cookbook l It’s July! That means ’tis the season to be saucy – barbecue-saucy, that is – and Gary Wiviott’s Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons is a good place to start.
Wiviott provides separate instructions for cooking meat on three types of grills – Weber Smokey Mountain, offset smoker and kettle grill – as well as handy tips, such as using vinegar to take the stickiness off of raw ribs.
The book also covers cleaning, temperature ranges, the best way to start – and tend to – a fire, essential tools, tools that are never helpful and recipes that include marinades, brines, rubs, side dishes, appetizers and meat. Lots of meat.
Autobiography l It Happened by Design: The Life and Work of Arthur Q. Davis is an autobiography of the New Orleans architect who designed the Louisiana Superdome.
Photos and text follow Davis’ service in the Navy, studies at Tulane and Harvard universities, and finally, formation of Curtis & Davis, the firm that designed buildings including the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, the IBM building in Pittsburgh, Pa., the New Orleans Public Library and the now-demolished St. Frances Cabrini Church.
– Leigh Ann Stuart
