A Mardi Gras Party Playlist: My Love Affair with the Music of New Orleans, Vol. 2

Rock 'n' Roll Gumbo: the greatest album of New Orleans music ever? (image courtesy of Sunnyside Records.com)

Wow, Fat Tuesday really caught me by surprise this year. Although it’s a bit late, here’s a mix of New Orleans and Louisiana music to help you celebrate Mardi Gras in style. This mix features brass bands, piano boogie and some zydeco, all with a bit of funk on the side – good for listening to at any time of the year. It’s 78 minutes of tunes that’ll get any party started and keep it goin’! I chose these songs because I think they capture the spirit of Mardi Gras with their swingin’ grooves and all of the performers are deeply rooted in the musical heritage of NOLA. Listening to these tunes is sure to bring a smile to your face and some boogie to your feet. I swear, every time I hear Professor Longhair’s version of “Mardi Gras in New Orleans” from the album Rock ‘n’ Roll Gumbo, it makes me feel good.

Poster from Le Vieux Carre (the "old quarter," a.k.a. the French Quarter) that hangs in my office/music library.

I created this playlist at 8tracks.com and you can listen to it right here in the player below. There are limitations: it only lists the song playing at the moment, and you can skip forward to the next song but not back to previous songs. One nice thing is that there’s an iTunes “Buy” button to take you directly to the songs for purchase. (This embedded player does not work on certain mobile devices. Try going directly to the playlist at 8tracks.com) I’ve also listed the tracks in order below the player. Laissez les bon temps rouler, you all!

Oh, and Happy Second Birthday to Jukebox Delirium…

If you’re a Rhapsody digital jukebox subscriber, you can also listen to this playlist on my Rhapsody page.

Mardi Gras Party 2012! (A Jukebox Delirium Playlist)

Artist / Song /  Album / Year

1. Rebirth Brass Band: When the Saints Go Marchin’ In. Do Watcha Wanna, 1997.
2. Dr. John: Iko Iko. Dr. John’s Gumbo, 1972.
3. Professor Longhair: Mardi Gras In New Orleans. Rock ‘n’ Roll Gumbo, 1977.
4. Buckwheat Zydeco: Ma ‘Tit Fille. Menagerie: The Essential Zydeco Collection, 1993.
5. Dave Bartholomew & Maryland Jazz Band of Cologne: New Second Line. New Orleans ‘Yea Yea’ Breakdown, 1995.
6. The Neville Brothers: Hey Pocky Way. Fiyo On The Bayou, 1981.
7. Professor Longhair: Big Chief. Crawfish Fiesta, 1980.
8. Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band: Mardi Gras Boogie. In New Orleans, 1978.
9. Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Kidd Jordan’s Second Line. The New Orleans Album, 1989.
10. Dr. John: Let The Good Times Roll. Dr. John’s Gumbo, 1972.
11. Charmaine Neville Band: carnival time. Queen of the Mardi Gras, 1998.
12. Buckwheat Zydeco: Hot Tamale Baby. Menagerie: The Essential Zydeco Collection, 1993.
13. Earl King: Street Parade. Street Parade, 1981.
14. The New Birth Brass Band: Li’l Liza Jane. D-Boy, 1997.
15. BeauSoleil: Zydeco Gris Gris. Bayou Boogie, 1987.
16. Rebirth Brass Band: Do Whatcha Wanna. Do Watcha Wanna, 1997.
17. Irvin Mayfield: Old Time Indians Meeting of the Chiefs (Los Hombres Calientes With Cyril Neville, Donald Harrison Jr. & Big Chief Bo Dollis Sr.) A Love Letter to New Orleans, 2011.

'Fess doing his thing. (image courtesy of Sunnyside Records.com)

FURTHER EXPLORATION

Biography of Professor Longhair at Sunnyside Records website

Let the Good Times Roll! My Love Affair with the Music of New Orleans, Vol. 1 – The post that launched Jukebox Delirium on Mardi Gras Day, 2010.

Songs for Stuffing? The Music of Thanksgiving

by Denis McGilvray

On the drive home from school this past Tuesday, my daughter Emma was talking about her favorite holidays: Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving (and her birthday! ) She started talking excitedly about how she loves Thanksgiving because we get to spend the whole day over at her Nana’s house with aunts, uncles and cousins. We watch some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, cook and eat a fabulous feast, play board games, make music with The Beatles Rock Band, maybe watch a movie, eat some more, and this year I think an epic Just Dance battle is in the works. (Anyone can play – just check out cool Grandpa Leon here!) Good times, for sure. But Emma also mentioned that Thanksgiving is different because it doesn’t have as many decorations or its own special music. I thought that was a fascinating observation, and we talked about how Thanksgiving is a celebration of family, food and the good things in our life that are maybe not as tangible.

Paulo Lopez/NPR

That thought about the lack of Thanksgiving music was stuck in my head when I was browsing the NPR Music website and found this link: Songs for Stuffing – A Thanksgiving Mix .

I had remembered that they had put up a stream of holiday music during Christmas last year, but hadn’t seen the Thanksgiving one before. I thought, what kind of music can they have on that mix that reflects Thanksgiving? When I clicked on the link and saw the play-list that goes along with the stream, I laughed out loud: all the songs are about food! Perfect. It’s an incredibly eclectic mix of songs that includes Bobby Troup’s “Hungry Man,” Bob Dylan’s “Country Pie,” Weird Al’s “Eat It,” Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” a hip remix of Herb Alpert’s “Whipped Cream” and much, much more. Who knew there were so many good songs about cornbread? (Cornbread beat out turkey on the mix by four to one!) There are some really some great songs in the mix. One of my favorites was the very retro, funky rock song “Chicken Payback” by The Bees, an indie rock band from England that I had never heard of before. Another treat was the nearly 14 minute long “Canned Goods” by singer-songwriter Greg Brown from his Live One album. In it, he has a spoken rap about spending the holidays with his family – it’s quite entertaining. If you have a way to play that stream through your stereo system, it might make for a nice soundtrack to your turkey day festivities.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and keep on listening…

NOTE: When you go to the page for the music stream at NPR and click on the listen button, a pop up player appears where you can hear the mix, but it’s just a continuous stream – you can’t fast forward or rewind it, you can only pause it.