Review Summary: An insight into a vibrant and creative forgotten scene
New Orleans has a unique musical background. With its tradition of Mardi Gras and the famous funeral parades, the so called ’Jazz Funerals’, music has always been inextricably linked with the city. New Orleans formed a melting pot for various styles with European, African and Latin forms all influencing musicians in the area. One of the reasons for the amazing musical history is that it was the only city in North America that let blacks come together and perform music, an act which undoubtedly changed the course of music. This environment has kept on creating new forms of music, from early jazz to modern southern rap and cowpunk.
It was in this environment that the music that makes up this album was formed. And it is the environment that explains the unique sound of the music that makes up this album and the variety of sounds contained within. Although being within the genre of funk , this is vastly different from George Clinton’s P-Funk sound or that of James Brown, due to the variety of influences.
A couple of the best contributions on the album come from the legendary Meters, who’s image adorns the back cover of the album, and they showcase some choice cuts. The sparse ‘Handclapping Song’ is clearly influenced by the participatory nature of the Funeral Marches, with the clapping forming the basis of the track, as would be expected from the title, yet has a deep and almost hard rock groove. ‘Just Kissed My Baby’ is more characteristic of the later Meters sound and is a more stereotypical funk groove, with wah-wah guitar and lots of syncopation. However it is clear from this track that the most outstanding performer is the drummer, ‘Ziggy’ Modeliste. His syncopated rhythms thrust the track forward and you find yourself following the catchy, groovy beat.
Another standout track is ‘Hercules’ By Aaron Neville. A cool smooth song with a kick arse groove, the fusion of jazz and funk being driven by some low, deep bass which is complemented by some keyboard and guitar and featuring intermittent brass to add colour. Neville’s high voice seems to float above the music, occasionally swooping down to swirl amongst the sound before rising up above again.. The frailness of his voice seems to add to the feel of the song and provides an interesting contrast to the main refrain ‘Talk about me if you please, but I must be Hercules’
Professor Longhair’s ‘Big Chief’ provides something completely different, a simple bar blues style chord sequence elevated to something far greater by some brilliant piano playing, a simple yet irresistible drum beat and a great brass section. The whistling solo is the icing on the cake. The self described fusion of ‘mambo, rumba and calypso’ perfectly blends with the funk , which Dr. John, who’s smouldering jazzy ’Mama Roux’ is another highlight, has credited him with being the father of.
‘Here Come The Girls’ is based around the marching drum beat which introduces the track, a clear funeral parade influence. It’s pleasant enough, with some nice key changes and a catchy ascending then descending brass riff that pretty much makes up the whole of the instrumentation, bar a bass track that follows the brass for the most part. This is possibly the most famous track on the album, in the UK at least, where it featured in a Boots advert and was sampled by the Sugababes. In fact it seems like someone in the British TV industry must have a copy, with ‘Handclapping Song’ used in the movie Magicians, and ‘Big Chief’ on E4.
A clear soul vibe pervades through the entirety of the album, but it is a different one to the more well known and popular Motown or Stax sound, bringing together the aforementioned influences. The general tone of the album is positive with songs often combining an uplifting message with a joyous sound and in the case of ‘Dap Walk’ ***ing awesome bassline.
The album is not without its downsides. Not all of the tracks are particularly memorable and it is often difficult to remember what some sound like. This is at least in part due to the aforementioned joyous sound, which, while enjoyable, doesn’t really vary, and a couple of more downbeat tunes may have made things a little more interesting.
However, the songs that do stand out, and there are quite a few, will stay with you for a long time, and the album can work as an eye opener to an massively underappreciated style, and a view into a particular time and place that may act as a revelation to some who have never heard anything like this before.
