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Setlist
Dr. John Tour Dates
07/03/15 London, United Kingdom Ronnie Scott's
07/05/15 Copenhagen Jazz Festival 07/19/15 Ardmore, PA Ardmore Music Hall 07/22/15 Shirley, MA Bull Run Restaurant 07/24/15 Plymouth, NH The Flying Monkey Movie 07/25/15 Westbury, NY Space At Westbury 07/26/15 Westhampton Beach Perf Arts Center 07/28/15 Hartford, CT Infinity Hall Hartford 07/29/15 Salisbury, MA Blue Ocean Music Hall 07/30/15 Hanover, NH Spaulding Auditorium 08/01/15 SummerStage Central Park 08/02/15 Newport, RI "Newport Jazz Festival" 08/06/15 Prague, Republic Prague Castle 08/08/15 HSBC Brecon Jazz 08/11/15 Marciac, France "Jazz In Marciac" 08/15/15 Antwerp, Belgium "Jazzmiddelheim" 09/09/15 Chicago, IL City Winery Chicago 09/10/15 Chicago, IL City Winery Chicago 09/11/15 Chicago, IL City Winery Chicago 09/26/15 Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival 09/27/15 Landmark Music Festival 10/10/15 Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues Festival 01/06-01/11/16 MSC Divina "Jam Cruise" Read More
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Like a salmon swimming upstream, so did the music of one end of the mighty Mississippi River travel upwards to the other end …to land in a baseball stadium, no less!
Venerable voodoo jazz master Dr. John and the Nite Trippers brought the spirit of New Orleans up to St. Paul, as the premier performer at this year’s Twin Cities Jazz Festival, christening CHS Field, the home of baseball’s St. Paul Saints, with the first music performance in the new venue.
Before the good doctor and his cohorts, local ensemble the Jack Brass Band warmed up the 7,500 or so that came out to the stadium on a balmy but wonderful afternoon to take in some Big Easy style sounds.
The group formed in 1999 to play its brand of “feel good music” and has five albums to their credit, including last year’s For Your Body. Making their way to the stage by weaving through the crowd, it didn’t take long for people to start dancing or clapping along with the mix of originals, standards, and even a New Jack cover medley including the likes of Bobby Brown.
Dr. John (aka Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack) may be slightly frail at age 74, walking with a cane and getting help to his piano, but once he’s in place, he plays possessed like a man half his age. The 100 min. set started somewhat slowly with intro track, ‘Croker Courtbullion’ but moved quickly uptempo with timeless hit, ‘Iko Iko’.
Band The Nite Trippers (band director/trombone, Sarah Morrow; Donald Ramsey, bass; Herlin Riley, drums and a live guitarist) were tight and well-rehearsed, with the flavor of New Orleans so infused in their music, the only thing missing was the gumbo and Étouffée.
The band’s new album, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch (Concord Records) is a tribute to New Orleans jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, so it was no surprise the set was peppered with several Armstrong covers as well as those from Leadbelly and Professor Longhair.
Fans grooved in the sunshine in their panama and porkpie hats, responding most to the hits they recognized, but still managed to have a good time throughout the set. The doctor didn’t address the crowd that often, except to intro a song or two, letting instead the music do the talking, though he briefly moved from piano to do some percussion and strapped on a guitar for a few songs, near the halfway point.
The outdoor minor league facility turned out to be ideal for such a show, with the stage sitting on top of second base, the scoreboard showing clear video, plenty of venue amenities, and areas of the infield grass open for people to spread their blankets out, to get a closer view than from the stands. Sound was mixed well with good volume, and fine weather with low wind, kept the acoustics where they were supposed to be.
Their take on Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ was spryer than the original, more of a fast shuffle than the contemplative version Pops was known for. As the band closed with ‘Such a Night’, it turned out to be such a day- a good time had by all, and a triumph and biggest show to date, for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival.
Venerable voodoo jazz master Dr. John and the Nite Trippers brought the spirit of New Orleans up to St. Paul, as the premier performer at this year’s Twin Cities Jazz Festival, christening CHS Field, the home of baseball’s St. Paul Saints, with the first music performance in the new venue.
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Jack Brass Band
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The group formed in 1999 to play its brand of “feel good music” and has five albums to their credit, including last year’s For Your Body. Making their way to the stage by weaving through the crowd, it didn’t take long for people to start dancing or clapping along with the mix of originals, standards, and even a New Jack cover medley including the likes of Bobby Brown.
Dr. John (aka Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack) may be slightly frail at age 74, walking with a cane and getting help to his piano, but once he’s in place, he plays possessed like a man half his age. The 100 min. set started somewhat slowly with intro track, ‘Croker Courtbullion’ but moved quickly uptempo with timeless hit, ‘Iko Iko’.
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The Nite Trippers
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The band’s new album, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch (Concord Records) is a tribute to New Orleans jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, so it was no surprise the set was peppered with several Armstrong covers as well as those from Leadbelly and Professor Longhair.
Fans grooved in the sunshine in their panama and porkpie hats, responding most to the hits they recognized, but still managed to have a good time throughout the set. The doctor didn’t address the crowd that often, except to intro a song or two, letting instead the music do the talking, though he briefly moved from piano to do some percussion and strapped on a guitar for a few songs, near the halfway point.
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Setlist
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Their take on Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ was spryer than the original, more of a fast shuffle than the contemplative version Pops was known for. As the band closed with ‘Such a Night’, it turned out to be such a day- a good time had by all, and a triumph and biggest show to date, for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival.
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Dr. John and the Nite Trippers at CHS Field, St Paul for Twin Cities Jazz Festival (27 June 2015) |
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