As one of the leading lights of New Orleans music,
Dr. John deserves a splashy, star-studded celebration -- which is precisely what producer
Don Was assembled on May 3, 2014 at New Orleans' Saenger Theatre.
Was led a house band featuring drummer
Kenny Aronoff, trombonist
Sarah Morrow, keyboardist
Chuck Leavell, guitarist
Brian Stoltz, and pianist
John Gros, then invited a host of rockers, blues musicians, and Big Easy legends to the party.
Concord released the whole shebang in October 2016 as
The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac & His Music, a double-disc live album accompanied by a live concert movie, and in either incarnation, it's a blast. Granted, it's the kind of party that's relatively low-key, appropriate for the easy roll behind so much of
Dr. John's music, but the neat thing about
Musical Mojo is how it shows the breadth of
Mac's musical diversity. Naturally, there's plenty of room for such fellow New Orleans legends as
Irma Thomas,
Allen Toussaint, and
the Neville Brothers, but straight blues players like
Tab Benoit are here alongside a jazzman like
Terence Blanchard, not to mention Americana all-star
Jason Isbell, jam band stalwarts
Widespread Panic and
Warren Hayes, plus classic rockers
Bruce Springsteen and
John Fogerty. Throughout it all,
Dr. John remains at the center, occupying attention even when he's offstage because it's clear that this blend of jazz, soul, R&B, rock, and pop is distinctly his. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
