City of Dreams: A Collection of New Orleans Music

City of Dreams: A Collection of New Orleans Music
by Various Artists



By Steven I Ramm "Steve Ramm "Anything Phono... (Phila, PA USA)

This review is from: City of Dreams: A Collection of New Orleans Music (Audio CD)
Rounder Records' music catalog runs deep with some of the best of the "roots" music of New Orleans and over the years, they've documented many of the artists who never hit the "top 40" but form the soul of the music of the Big Easy. Some artists - like the great James Booker - got a full album, while others - like Professor Longhair's piano contemporary "Tuts Washington" were represented only on compilations. Much of Rounder's catalog is out there; it just doesn't get a lot of exposure for the older releases.

This has been rectified with this wonderful new "box set" (it's actually a small box with 4 CDs in cardboard leaves and a 24-page booklet with a 7 page essay and detailed track listings). The 48 tracks are grouped by musical style with Brass Bands on the "Street Beat" disc, the "funk" sounds (minus the Neville Brothers who never recorded as a group for Rounder) on another, vocal blues on a third, and - my favorite - the "Ivory Emperors" (`Fess Longhair, Booker, and Eddie Bo) for the last disc.

N.O. Music has always been a "gumbo" of styles and, really, the best way to experience this set is to shuffle the discs, rather than limit yourself to one style. Then use the info in the liner note booklet (which could have used a little more background on the lesser known artists) and seek out the albums that the tracks were derived from.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

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