An Essential Album, a must for students of the genre
05/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As Bill Evans entrances you with his solo piano albums, as Art Tatum floors you with his mastery on his solo recordings.....Dr. John will slay you with the pianistic mastery of his genre. He is a treasure, an encyclopedic connection with Americas musical past.I lived and breathed this record for almost 6 months transcribing almost all of it. My growth as a player took a quantum leap and I am indebted to the Doctor.The joy of this recording are the wonderful new discoveries with each listen....the inner voices within his incredibly challenging chordal voicings, the bewildering time keeping in the left hand, the syncopation, the octave work, the emotional sensitivity....I could go on and on...The Doctor takes no prisoners. Buy it, live it, love it and (for you players)learn it."
Fantastic solo paino CD of a "True Professor."
Kathy Kieth | California, USA | 03/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I discover this (mostly Ignored) CD after exhausting my professor Longhair and James Booker CD's, and if you like solo piano - this album cannot be recommended highly enough! True there are only a couple vocal tracks, but instrumentals like "Dorothy" have such strong melodies and heart that they make you wanna cry, they really do. I would give my left NUT to play with the soulful depth & playfulness this CD glows with. forget brightest smile in town - THIS is THE Dr. John solo piano CD! BUY IT - period."
The doctor gets all the way down
Kathy Kieth | 06/09/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"No other piano album, with the possible exception of James Booker's "Spiders On The Keys", has ever captured the essence of modern New Orleans piano like this wonderful early 80s solo effort from Dr.John. The listener is taken along on a ride through every imaginable style of Nawlins music, dirges, boogies, marches, stride piano numbers; all in all: get fonkified..."