R.I.P. Dr. John

A little bit Jazz, a little bit R & B, and a whole lotta Nawlins. One of a kind, like all great artists. I fear Van Morrison will also soon leave us, and the world will really be a poorer place.

He died "towards the break of day" on Thursday, of a heart attack, a statement has confirmed. He was 77.

Dr. John was the soul of "Nawlins"; his music personified that city and all the great musicians it produced that went before him; he stated that out of all the great cities in the world, there was no place that he would rather live than "Nawlins".

I would like to share with you one of my favorites by Dr. John. This one is about someone else who died "towards the break of day";


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb8DlC3utYE


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP4f3nJaAvw


           

That sucks, man.  Pick up a copy of Dr. John plays Mac Rebennak on vinyl.  Just him playing the piano with a few vocals.  Amazing player.  I hope it went easy for him. 

Although my preferred genre of music is jazz, I always got a kick out of "The Night Tripper's" music. He was "Nawlins" through and through and that included "Hoodoo"; his album Creole Moon has a picture of "Baron Samedi" on the cover; he's one of the spirits of Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Dr. John was a powerful hoodoo practitioner in Nawlins, which is where the night tripper got his name. My favorite music comes from his two albums where he explores "Gris-gris".


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-ZaD7QtGw


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4J8VrprrGE&list=PLD8F09E69CC645A15




Without a doubt, Dr. John will have one of the biggest funerals Nawlins ever saw with the longest "Second Line"; RIP Dr. John.

Gris Gris lp perfect mix of New Orleans and psychedelic with a little voodoo throw in.