I've now gravitated to the second disc 'Babylon' in my box set. Wow again. Different vibe but equally as impressive imo. Dr John is my most enjoyable musical find for some time.
Could there ever be a Songs Dr. John Taught Us? Where was Mac Rebennack getting some of this stuff? Was Mama Roux a real known character in New Orleans? Jump Sturdy some kind of pre-existant Louisiana bayou Stack O'Lee type folk song (itself later covered on Dr. John's Gumbo)? Was there a Dr. John from Senegal who practiced Santeria/Vodou that he based his Night Tripper personae upon? Did he meet and work with professor Longhair from age 13? Did Ahmet Ertegun call his Gris Gris music "boogaloo carp"? I've read he switched from guitar to piano when a finger was shot off, ouch! How was he judged as a guitarist, and could he have developed further and been one of the greats on the instrument? I think The Sun, Moon & Herbs album might be my favorite... love the textured LP sleeve and artwork best of them all, and you have the Memphis Horns plus Clapton and Jagger. This stuff seems deep to me anyway...
Most f this is indeed true. Except that he could and did play piano before the finger, and still played guitar afterward, but it cause a shift in emphasis.
Heard the Paul Weller cover version first, then took a gamble on Gris Gris, loved it immediately, so different to anything else I'd heard. Ended up getting the 5 original album set. I read that one of Dr John's band member's ended up in jail for some indiscression and after quitting the group remarked that he felt much safer in there.
That would be James Booker, one of New Orleans' great musical geniuses but a highly eccentric character. Dr. John's book described one incident where Booker managed to get the band paid twice for the same show. He then said "Well, if that worked..." and tried to get them paid a THIRD time. Hence Booker''s eye patch.
Most of those questions are true and mostly true. Mac (what he is called here) was from a musical family that was heavily connected. He was a page for the Rex King of Mardi Gras when he was 3 years old. He was also connected with important local black musicians that aren't as famous, since he was a kid running around chasing the music. He refused to obey Jim Crow (segregation) along with many musicians. His finger was shot off when he was protecting a young musician in the dressing room one night. He had told his Mama he would take care of him when she let him in the band. I met him casually a few times. He was one of my absolute favorites long before I moved to New Orleans. One of the guys from his band I knew during Katrina times said he was still talking about cutting somebody (razor fight) for whatever reason, it was part of him and his mojo, and also part of his shtick. He made up his words and phrases on the spot in the normal course of conversation. One time a sax player I knew got excited about meeting him and shook his hand too hard, so Mac threatened to cut him there on the spot in broad daylight. But they played together that day (many musicians are like that - protecting the hands). He also had a monster work ethic that many people don't know about. He came up playing all night (like 6 two hour) gigs on Bourbon St, which was not easy. He is very fun to read about, including some of the stories you mentioned.
There was no one like him, and probably never will be. Mac was a brilliant shaman/ writer/ musician, and his catalog includes some of the most satisfying music ever created. Enjoy the journey, its a rest trip/ treat.
I was on a tear a while back of cooking and finding music to pair with different types of cooking. One of my favorites has always been cajun and creole food, and I realized I had very little Louisiana music and not a lot of swamp rock even, so I went down that rabbit hole for weeks. Anyway Dr. John was on that list, and Gris-Gris ended up being not just my favorite Dr. John record (of eight that I ended up buying), but my favorite cajun/creole cooking soundtrack, period. Really weird, adventurous, one-of-a-kind music that establishes an atmosphere all its own, yet is rooted enough in rock 'n roll and R&B idioms I already knew that it didn't feel totally alien.
Mac was a great dancer too. You can see it in some of the videos where he gets up from playing when the spirit moves and gets to dancing. One time I saw him at the Tangier in my hometown of Akron Ohio. It was a cool old restaurant built in 1948 with a great atmospheric club, red banquettes, moroccan chandeliers, the whole thing. Everyone stayed put and chain smoked cigarettes during the gig. He tried to get people to dance. My sister and I got up and danced, but that was about it. He got more and more agitated and cut the show off after 45 minutes. That would never happen in New Orleans. The last time I saw him at a night show was at Tips with a packed crowd that never stopped moving.
Danse Kalinda Ba Doom is annoying, I burned a CDr without that song, rest of the album could be my desert island record some days. Huge classic.
One of the things I'll always remember is what Shannon McNally quoted on his live radio eulogy on WWOZ. He was a great collaborator/champion/mentor of hers. "Life has it's ups downs - the downs are more fun!" So many great comments and stories on that show from New Orleans musical luminaries - lifelong friends.
Wow, thanks for sharing all this! I've heard a few musicians mention cutting someone deep, old jazzers... usually doesn't occur but hey, you never know, better not to get on anybody's bad side (and see they get paid)!
The world is a little colder without Mac around to tickle the ivories. I hope he's enjoying himself in Anutha Zone!
I haven't heard all of Dr.John's work, but I haven't come across a bad Dr.John record. Mac had voodoo magic in his fingers and voice.
Well, it had to happen....I have now purchased the Atco Albums Collection 7CD set and listening to Gris-Gris right now. This is a better mastered CD than the one from the 5CD box set. It is a quite noticeable upgrade. Happy times!
Clapton plays on most of The Sun Moon Amd Herbs. Don't think Taylor is on it. Bobby Whitlock is on it.
My faves are Gris Gris up to Hollywood Be Thy Name. Later years is more a cherry pick - Going Back To New Orleans, Anutha Zone, Locked Down - which is stunning. I saw him live once only, when he toured the Ellington album. It was fine, but honestly I would have preferred a more eclectic set list. Recently got a US original copy of Babylon, a very weird and fine album that's not as we'll known as its predecessor Gris Gris.
I've got it playing right now. Great record, totally 'out there' but also plenty of hooks, never gets boring.
Dr. John recorded two songs with the title "Zu zu Man". Here`s the other one, from 1966, with Jessie Hill billed as the Zu Zu Blues Band :
