Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack: The Legendary Sessions, Vol. 2

by Dr. John

Overview

It's easy to forget under all the grigri that Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) is first and foremost a piano player, solidly in the line of great Crescent City piano players, and it isn't too hard to draw a direct line from Professor Longhair to Rebennack's Dr. John persona. In 1981 Rebennack stepped out from behind all the smoke and mirrors and released an album of solo New Orleans piano called Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, which was a revelation only to those who never bothered to look too deeply past the Night Tripper image. A second album of solo piano pieces called The Brightest Smile in Town followed in 1983, and it is that album, retitled Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack: The Legendary Sessions, Vol. 2, that is presented here, with six additional tracks added. These were relaxed, intimate sessions, and Mac's piano sounds wonderfully clear and full. The vocals are somewhat muted (most of the tracks are instrumentals), perhaps because they're being picked up through the piano mic, but that only adds to the intimacy here. Highlights include the opener, "Saddled the Cow," a hushed take on Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting for a Train," an impressive version of "Average Kind of Guy," a song Rebennack wrote with Doc Pomus, a stately instrumental rendition of the traditional "Key to the Highway," and a striking -- maybe even definitive -- "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Blues." The obvious thing now is for Clean Cuts to package the two volumes of solo piano into one set. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	02/21/2006
Label:	Clean Cuts Records / Cleancuts Music
UPC:	0824594011125

Tracks

1. Saddled the Cow
2. Boxcar Boogie
3. The Brightest Smile in Town
4. Waiting for a Train
5. Monkey Puzzle
6. Touro Infirmary
7. Medley: Just a Closer Walk with Thee/Didn't He Ramble
8. Your Average Kind of Guy
9. Pretty Libby
10. Marie La Veau
11. Come Rain or Come Shine
12. Suite Home New Orleans
13. Key to the Highway
14. Mississippi Mud
15. Lowdown Worried and Blue
16. Sippiana Midnight
17. Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu
18. Yesterdays

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dr. John   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Jack Heyrman   Producer
Traditional   Composer
Ed Levine   Producer
David McGee   Original Liner Notes
Deborah Feingold   Photography
J.A. Black   Composer
Ritchie Gold   Reissue Producer
Francisco Rodriguez   Remastering
Dean Roumanis   Engineer
W.C. Handy   Composer