Clearwater, FL (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) - From street parades to nightclubs, from church houses to dance halls, music has been essential to the unique culture of New Orleans, and Smithsonian Folkways honors the Crescent City's heritage with its 'Classic
Sounds of New Orleans' CD, out July 27.
Some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century emerged from New Orleans, including such legendary figures as Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Sidney Bechet, 'Fats' Domino and Professor Longhair. The tradition continues in the 21st century, with New Orleans artists such as the Marsalis family, the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, the Dirty Dozen, Preservation Hall, Irma Thomas, The Wild Magnolias, Terrence Blanchard, Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews and Kermit Ruffins leading the second line.
'Classic Sounds of New Orleans' is testimony to the rich and varied history of what could be America's most musical city (and the birthplace of jazz) and to the legacy of the Folkways mission to preserve it. The CD opens and closes with the distinctive brass band sound that turns the streets of the Big Easy into a big party, and also presents the sounds of the city's streets as chronicled by music historians Frederick Ramsey Jr. and Samuel Barclay Charters, who worked closely with Folkways Records founder Moses Asch. The sounds of a shoe-shine boy, a blackberry vendor, a down-and-out jazzman blowing a harmonica, the ritual chants of Mardi Gras Indians, and a street-corner evangelist illustrate how integral music is to everyday life in New Orleans. Three tracks bear witness to the city's deep roots in the tradition of African-American sacred music.
The remainder of the CD's 26 tracks are dedicated to the city's jazz and blues sounds. They include recordings from the Folkways archives of New Orleans notables such as Doc Paulin, Emile Barnes, Snooks Eaglin, Lonnie Johnson, Champion Jack Dupree, and staples of the New Orleans repertoire such as "Corrine, Corrina," 'Saint James Infirmary' and "Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone."
The CD package includes a booklet with detailed track-by-track liner notes by Robert H. Cataliotti.
"We Shall Walk through the Streets of the City (March)" by Doc Paulin will be available for download from https://Folkways.SI.EDU on the day of release.
Track Listing:
Classic Sounds of New Orleans from Smithsonian Folkways
1. Just a Little While to Stay Here - Eureka Brass Band
2. Shoe Shine Hambone - Shoe Shine Boy
3. Tiger Rag - Freddie L. Small
4. Blackberries! - Dora Bliggen
5. Red White and Blue Got the Golden Band - Mardi Gras Indians
6. Times Done Changed - Sister Dora Alexander
7. Dark Was the Night - Rev. Lewis Jackson & Charlotte Rucell
8. Back to the Time - Choir of Pilgrim Baptist Church
9. We Shall Walk through the Streets of the City (Dirge) - Doc Paulin
10. We Shall Walk through the Streets of the City (March) - Doc Paulin
11. Bucket's Got a Hole in It - Punch Miller with Samuel B. Charters
12. Spooky Drums #1 - Baby Dodds
13. Millenberg Joys - Emile Barnes
14. Clarinet Marmalade - Six & Seven Eights String Band
15. High Society - Snooks Eaglin
16. Careless Love - Lonnie Johnson
17. Lonesome Road - Billie & Dee Dee Pierce w. Emile Barnes
18. Corrine, Corrina - Kid Clayton
19. Saint James Infirmary - Snooks Eaglin
20. Take Your Big Leg Off Me/Easy Rider/ Mama Don't 'Low No Music Playing Here - H. J. Boiusseau
21. Rattlesnake Boogie - Champion Jack Dupree
22. Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone - Roosevelt Sykes
23. Jimmy's Blues - Kid Clayton
24. C. C. Rider - Lonnie Johnson
25. Shake It and Break It - Emile Barnes & Lawrence Tocca with Billie Pierce
26. Lord, Lord, Lord - Eureka Brass Band.
