CD Review
Various
Putumayo Presents New Orleans
(Putumayo World Music)
by Mark Halverson
Review date: July 2005
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"Keeping the Blues Alive Award" Achievement for Blues on the Internet Presented by The Blues Foundation
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New Orleans is one of over twenty releases in the Putumayo World Music series. Each release features a different, sometimes very specific, genre of music. According to Putumayo, they have “become known primarily for [their] upbeat and melodic compilations of great international music characterized by the company's motto: ‘guaranteed to make you feel good!’ “ The product is distributed throughout the world. I most recently saw a display of Putumayo releases at an airport in Europe. The CD I examined for this review had the liner notes in three languages!! The liner notes are very educational in nature, providing a wealth of information.
New Orleans focuses not on the entire wide breadth of New Orleans music, but looks at the traditional jazz of New Orleans, as embodied by recordings both old and new. The release prompts one to envision a New Orleans parade, with several bands passing by, playing the funky, uptempo “Dixieland”style music that evolved in the city. The eleven cuts by different musicians are heavy with horns, particularly brass – although we do also find Dr. John pounding on the piano. Louis Armstrong is representative of the old guard, Kermit Ruffins the new. Most of the cuts are what one would consider New Orleans standards.
The tracks are: Drop Me Off in New Orleans, Kermit Ruffins; I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues, Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton; Basin Street Blues, Louis Prima; Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams, Preservation Hall Hot 4 with Duke Dejan; Baby Won’t You Please Come Home, Topsy Chapman and the Pros; The Devil Done Got Me Blues, Kevin Clark and the Jazz Revelation; Tin Roof Blues, Louis Armstrong; Basin Street Blues, Dr. John; Give It Up, Dr. Michael White; Going Back to New Orleans, Deacon John and Bye & Bye/Saints, Gregg Stafford and Dr. Michael White.
While not providing any new material, New Orleans does provide an excellent survey of this specific sort of music. It would be a good introduction to the music or addition to a collection short on such content. It would also provide a good stand-alone “party disc” or serve simply to raise one’s spirit on a slow day. For more info see: www.putumayo.com. Putumayo also has an ambitious series of children’s music, using the same general format as the world music series.
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