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I found the age of 25 to be pivotal. It was a point where I really started to recognize how much of what I did resembled those who had an influence in my upbringing. And I wasn’t inclined to automatically discount those influences anymore. I may still work toward independence in self-definition, but I found that age was a bridge to a different consideration of myself that weighed in and recognized more of my roots.
The release of Dirty Dozen Brass Band's 9th album celebrates the 25th Anniversary of a band that’s more of an institution. In 1977, the Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It helped to revive the brass band and social club traditions and has since been followed by other local, neighborhood based brass bands into the realm of popular consciousness.
Medicated Magic, due out in stores on April 23rd through Ropeadope Records, is a pivotal release for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in that it shows so many of the ingredients in the stew of New Orleans music yet indicates just as much that they are an enduring and evolving force. Anyone who’s been to NOLA knows of the vitality and victuals in the air and, even when you leave, you know you’re only taking a break from an ongoing party. No one can say when the celebrating started but everyone knows it’s never going to end.
Fittingly, the first track on the album is “Ain’t Nothin’ But a Party” which never lets up on the string of tuba loops on the bottom or high end rhythm guitar. It’s in the middle where the major changes of this song happen. After a more delicate, jazzier opening, this only song with no guests is a family portrait of the band. It shows what the group can do together but also shows how easily they can get a crowd into their show by chanting the song’s title and clapping which any fool can do to contribute right back and keep things going.
“Walk On Gilded Splinters” is an ambling street tour narrated by John Bell of Widespread Panic. Bell’s characteristic raspiness is infused with mud from the riverside while thick curtains of extended notes from the horns blow through the upstairs windows. He’s an experienced cruiser versed in both English and French but his words can’t all that clearly be understood which increases the aesthetic nature of the piece. Most of the instrumentation is background to this, however, the guitar solo sings out above the trees lining the walk indicating that it’s time to get together.
When I first received this album and saw “Cissy Strut” on there, I admit it curdled me a bit but it’s inclusion does make sense now that I’ve listened to the whole thing. Not a day goes by where at least a dozen bands all over the country are playing this song but there’s a reason that’s so. It’s a cornerstone in the modern New Orleans sound this time featuring Robert Randolph on pedal steel. Randolph takes the shuffle of the main portion which runs from trombone to guitar to sax solos, to a jog and then a full out run. You don’t hear that familiar “Cissy Strut” melody too often in this version, you just start off with it and then the band helps you find your way back.
Norah Jones is the Strokes of the blues/jazz vocals scene. In one year since I caught her sit in with Charlie Hunter, she has a very well selling album out and her name is everywhere. It's one of those instances of natural talent being spread by word of mouth because her sultry crème of a voice slows down the streets. “Ruler Of My Heart” is a short tune with Norah coolly calling out to the winds to bring back the person who makes her feel like a queen. To me, the character Norah’s voice creates is already regal because this is no impassioned plea, more a day-dreamy reminder of the power they share over each other
“Everything I Do Gon’ Be Funky” (with Dr. John) and “We Got Robbed” (with DJ Logic) represent a tandem of the old and new at the middle of this record. The first represents the maturity of the album in that it’s all about slowing down to recognize the bit of historical influence still around in pure genre types like “Funky’s” down home porch blues. “Robbed” opens with a sample of sirens and some scratches that fade in and out of a much higher, shimmy from the hip tempo and climaxes off of a factory’s worth of trumpet blow.
The only information I could find about the origins of “Junko Partner” is that it’s an old school jug band tune. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is as straight forward to the tradition of early R&B as Ray Charles was and Olu Dara’s vocals on this song give a strong reminder of him. It’s a perfect 5am song to lightly twirl your body around an upraised glass of brown liquor. Moving just up the scales of time from there, the Dozen hits on “Tell It Like it Is” which I, unfortunately, couldn’t find anything on. I can hear it in my head I’ve heard it so many times and it was obvious that the band feels it too as we played together. Rim/snare work, here, sets a nice sway to the stage where the melody of the lyrics is played out by the horns and then Randolph, as seen through refracted swamp mist. Take the song out of black and white televised suits and grab someone so you can hold each other up to this song’s laconic rhythm or just sit back and let it take you leisurely down the river to a dream
You can hear “Africa” most commonly out on Galactic tour these days but the "Medicated" version boasts multiple vocalist and DJ Logic who takes a strong lead on it’s outro. The song’s title makes it understandable that this version resembles Earth, Wind & Fire at moments but it doesn’t stop there. The lyrics take you back to the origins of the origins of brass band music in New Orleans and then around again via the Caribbean with a short passage of “Get Up, Stand Up.”
“Big Chief” (with Dr. John) starts out with some brothel piano over the snare roll call which continues over the two tiered firing squad of horns. The piano comes through much stronger than the organ did at any other point in the album and takes lead for a while over the cauldron of blubbering brass and sax using a scratch tempo to hold it down. Then, the guitar takes over in some sweetness from the highest branches of the register. “Big Chief” is a very well put together song with compact parts for many of the musicians to put out what each of their instruments can do best. I could see that guy bangin’ those notes from a bar piano off the wall he faced only to have the horn section suck it in and pound it out so anyone who was left just had to feel the charge of past, present and future.
Howie Greenberg
JamBase NYC Correspondent
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