Album Description
New Orleans has a long musical history and the new Putumayo collection New Orleans captures the ambiance of this city where jazz was born. The musical traditions that New Orleans has nurtured are legendary, but music is not just the stuff of legend there. In the city’s streets, it is a vibrant, ever-evolving art form. New artists regularly learn from their predecessors, and inject those lessons with fresh energy and ideas. For New Orleans, Putumayo founder Dan Storper researched traditional jazz and blues in forms both old and new after becoming a part time resident of New Orleans in 2003. The collection includes legends Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Doc Cheatham, Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Hot 4 with Duke Dejan alongside local favorites Nicholas Payton, Kermit Ruffins, Deacon John, Dr. Michael White, Topsy Chapman, Kevin Clark and Greg Stafford.
The descriptive liner notes, written by New Orleans musicologist Baty Landis, are in English, French and Spanish. They feature striking photographs by respected New Orleans photographer Michael Smith, as well as a resource guide for New Orleans music, travel and entertainment. Renowned New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme has a contributed a recipe for seafood gumbo.
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The Putumayo label is known for its easily recognizable packaging and accessible collections of music from around the world. Here the label takes a broad survey of one of the most storied music towns in the world. Household names like Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Dr. John do their version of some Crescent City classics. Local favorites like trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and singer Topsy Chapman offer up traditional flavor as well. Music fans knowledgeable about the local scene will likely be happy about the inclusion of the swingin' December-May collaboration between trumpeters Doc Cheatham (who was 91 when he recorded "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues") and Nicholas Payton (who has 23). Highlighting a vibrant diversity of old and new talent, this album is a musical and cultural tour of a town filled with French Creole culture, a Spanish tinge and some good old American jazz and blues. –-Tad Hendrickson
