Dr. Michael White
Jazz From the Soul of New Orleans
Basin Street
Generally speaking, we like our artists to be forward-thinking and innovative, changing “the face of music” forever. But, sometimes, there’s something really appealing about folks stuck in the past – especially when it comes to New Orleans jazz. That high-charged, explosive dance music that came out of the Crescent City ghettos a century ago really did change the face of music (hell, what do we listen to today that does not have its roots in jazz?) and continues to flip wigs in the 21st century. For there’s something special in the music that is virulently infectious that makes you want to hop around with the biggest, dumbest grin on your face. That’s what the ditty-ditty Doctor’s second album, here, does to you. You can’t resist the swing of this “old-timey” music. There’s an exuberance to this Preservation Hall music that can not be found anywhere else, and White is simply masterful on his clarinet. His music is the perfect ode to Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, and the numerous others, who, out of nothing, created the first uniquely American musical tradition.
Basin Street Records: http://www.basinstreetrecords.com
