Tasty New Orleans Swamp Jazz
Martin S. Hennessee | Knoxville, TN | 06/22/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Dr. John is in rare form on this live disc, recorded with the Donald Harrison Band at NYC's legendary Birdland. Some of these songs are straight-forward blues numbers, while others are Mardi Gras chants given a jazz workout. Taking a break from the piano bench, the good Doctor plays guitar and growls out voodoo mumbo-jumbo while the rhythm section keeps the pulse pounding. This is easily Dr. John's best album since "Goin' Back to New Orleans" (and that's saying something, since he's released 4 or 5 good records since then). Outstanding tracks include the gambler's tale, "Shave 'Em Dry," and "Jac-A-Mo-Fi-Na-Hay," which takes a phrase from his classic "Iko Iko" and reworks it into a whole new song. This album is a stellar combination of deep, swampy funk and tight jazz ensemble playing. And you can't go wrong with an album that contains the following lyric: "I'm only 38 / My woman's 93 / My friends all think I'm crazy / But the will's made out to me!" Highly recommended."