Product Description
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and six-time GRAMMY®-winner Dr. John is New Orleans' most prominent living musical icon. The embodiment of his hometown's freewheeling creative spirit and multiple musical traditions, he's built a visionary, idiosyncratic body of work that's deeply rooted in the Crescent City's myriad blues, R&B, jazz and rock 'n' roll traditions.

So it's fitting that Dr. John's August 19, 2014 debut on Concord Records, Ske-Dat-De-Dat...The Spirit Of Satch, pays heartfelt tribute to another larger-than-life New Orleans legend: the seminal trumpeter and vocalist Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, whose musical innovations created the template for 20th-century jazz, and whose playful attitude and life-embracing spirit made him a beloved figure whose worldwide appeal transcended music. (International release dates may vary)

"He's the most famous guy that ever came out of my neighborhood," notes Dr. John. "He became a legend all over, for his trumpet playin' and everything else, and he was the United States' ambassador to the world."

Produced by Dr. John and Sarah Morrow, Ske-Dat-De-Dat...The Spirit Of Satch honors Armstrong's musical genius as well as his effervescent personality with 13 quintessential numbers drawn from various phases of Armstrong's five-decade career, with Dr. John joined by a stellar supporting cast that manages to update the material while maintaining the music's timeless emotional appeal.

"The whole thing felt pretty special, and I desitively was in a different zone for this record," says Dr. John, who co-produced the album with his longtime trombonist and Nite Tripper band directoress Morrow, who also arranged the album. "I wanted to pull together some of his hits and some of the songs he wasn't as well known for, and make them feel fresh and different. Sarah wrote some slammin' charts that kept everything spacious and hip. And everybody played and sang great, and gave it their own spirit."

"It’s an honor to produce and write for Dr. John—he's open-minded, adventurous and positively-spirited,” Morrow says. “The combination of my writing and his one of a kind voice keeps things fresh and over the top!" Adds Dr. John, "Sarah and I are one of those rare and hiply waited duos that make a truly great musical combination. She's a genius-ocity of the highest order."

The subtitle The Spirit Of Satch is particularly appropriate given the album's birth cycle, which Dr. John says was set into motion when the late Armstrong—whom he'd only met once during his lifetime, in the office of their mutual manager Joe Glaser—came to him in a dream.

"Louis' spirit came to me and told me to do something, that's how this whole thing started," says Dr. John, who's previously released tribute albums to musical giants Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer. "Louis told me, 'Take my music and do it your way.' It was the most unexpectable thing in the world to me, to have Louis' spirit show up like that, but he gave me a concept of where to roll with it that was spiritually correct. That made me feel very open to try some different things, because I felt was that his spirit had ok'd this record."

Prior to making the album, Dr. John honored Satchmo on stage, presenting rapturously received tribute concerts, dubbed "Props to Pops," at New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music in March 2012 and at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2013.

In addition to Dr. John's trademark vocals and piano, and backup from some of New Orleans' finest musicians, Ske-Dat-De-Dat…The Spirit Of Satch features a stellar assortment of guest singers and players. Bonnie Raitt shares the spotlight on a swinging reading of "I've Got the World on a String," Ledisi and the McCrary Sisters lend gospel authority to "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," Anthony Hamilton is featured on a mournful "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," Shemekia Copeland trades verses with Dr. John on a playful reworking on "Sweet Hunk O' Trash," and the Blind Boys of Alabama lend their powerful voices to "What a Wonderful World" and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams."

Since Ske-Dat-De-Dat…The Spirit Of Satch is a tribute to the man who popularized the trumpet for a worldwide audience, it's fitting that the project should feature some of today's greatest trumpeters, namely Nicholas Payton (on "What a Wonderful World" and "Gut Bucket Blues"), Terence Blanchard ("Mack the Knife," "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"), Arturo Sandoval ("Tight Like This," "Memories of You"), Wendell Brunious ("Thats My Home") and James Andrews ("Dippermouth Blues"), along with New Orleans' legendary horn ensemble the Dirty Dozen Brass Band ("When You're Smiling").

1. What A Wonderful World [feat. Nicholas Payton]
2. Mack The Knife [feat. Terence Blanchard]
3. Tight Like This [feat. Telmary]
4. I've Got The World On A String [feat. Bonnie Raitt]
5. Gut Bucket Blues [feat. Nicholas Payton]
6. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child [feat. Anthony Hamilton]
7. That's My Home [feat. The McCrary Sisters]
8. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen [feat. Ledisi & The McCrary Sisters]
9. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams [feat. Blind Boys of Alabama]
10. Dippermouth Blues [feat. James "12" Andrews]
11. Sweet Hunk O'Trash [feat. Shemekia Copeland]
12. Memories Of You [feat. Arturo Sandoval]
13. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) [feat. Dirty Dozen Brass Band]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L0DKPD8/?tag=imwan-20